Pensions have become the latest industrial relations battlefield. At the end of 2013, strikes over company retirement plans threatened the ESB, Aer Lingus and Marks and Spencer. At around the same time, members of a scheme operated by multinational Element Six, in Shannon, were suing its trustees in the High Court for breach of duty. The schemes at the centre of these disputes are defined-benefit ones, where the pension is tied to the employee's final salary and the employer is liable for any shortfall in the fund. About 800 companies operate such retirement plans, and the Pensions Board - the regulator -recently stated that half of them are in deficit. The trade unions take the stand that employers should make adequate provision for workers once they retire as they regard pensions as part of their workers' pay and conditions.
English: http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/employment/pensions-a-new-battle ...
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The government's proposal to enable parents to use their sick leave whenever they needed it to take care of their sick children was welcomed by the trade unions. There was a clear consensus among the members of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development on the need to encourage more women and carers of children to participate in the labour market. It is therefore high time that such parents are not just encouraged but assisted to participate in the labour market.
English: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140106/local/trade-unions-group ...
Carmaker Fiat's recent deal to gain full control of No. 3 U.S. automaker Chrysler has raised worries the merger could further diminish Fiat's presence in Italy and lead to job cuts. The ministry of economic development dismissed concerns expressed by unions, saying the merger, which will combine the technology, dealer networks and cash of the two companies, could only be positive for the country. The ministry will meet with representatives from the automotive sector supply chain on 10 January to discuss moves that could help revive the car market, which has shrunk to levels last seen in the 1970s.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/05/fiat-italy ...
The level of the statutory minimum wage is established each year by a Government Decision, after trade unions and employers' organisations are consulted. Decision no. 871/2013 (published in the Official Journal no. 703/15.11.2013) provides an increase to 850 lei per month (i.e. approximately 190 Euros) for a full-time of 168 hours per month starting from January 1st 2014. Employers cannot negotiate and provide in the labour agreement a basic wage inferior to the national hourly gross wage. A second increase to 900 lei per month (approximately 200 Euros) is planned for 1 July 2014.
English: http://www.nrcc.ro/index.php ...
An announced strike has brought the management and the trade unions at Estonian Air to the negotiation table for a new collective agreement. According to the pilots union the airline's management had not contacted them since the strike was announced on 21 December and it looked as if they were not seeking ways of averting the strike. Though the relationship between the Airline Pilots Association and Estonian Air leadership is qualified as very messy the negotiations were constructive and a new agreement seems feasible.
English: http://news.err.ee/v/economy ...
Aluminium producer Aldel has filed for bankruptcy. A substantial part of the 300 employees will lose their jobs. Background is the decision of energy provider EON to stop delivery of electricity, after Aldel appeared not to be able to pay the bills. EON terminated the contract per 1 January 2014. Aldel has been trying to lower the energy costs, which are some 25% higher than in neighbouring Germany. Some cost reduction measures had been taken by the Ministry of Economic Affairs earlier in 2013, but appeared not to suffice. Shareholder Klesch, a UK investment company, was not prepared to invest extra money. A regional protest group has started a campaign to demand attention from political the Hague for problems in the province.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/emcc/erm/factsheets ...
http://www.nltimes.nl/2014/01/03/part-aldel-remains-open/
http://www.nltimes.nl/tag/aldel/
A debate that is going on for a while has entered a new phase. In a temporary relaxation of the usual law on Sunday opening some do-it-yourself centres are added to a list of categories exempt from the usual ban on Sunday trading, but it is only operational until July 2015. Trade unions and employers' organisations will hold discussions in early 2014 over the terms of the Sunday work. The involved ministers say it should involve at least double pay as well as time off in lieu.
English: http://www.connexionfrance.com/DIY-shops-Sunday-opening ...
The National Bank has published a working paper on labour mobility. The paper gives an overview of labour market internal and occupational mobility comparing periods before, during and after the crisis. It uses both the labour flow analysis and the survival analysis to evaluate labour mobility and to determine factors influencing it. The analysis is based on labour force survey (LFS) longitudinal data for 2005-2011.
English: http://www.bank.lv/images/stories/pielikumi/publikacijas/petijumi ...
The government oppose an initiative by a group of MPs, including 11 from the ruling party, to ban Sunday trading. The opposition wants to extend the existing ban on national holidays to Sundays.
English: http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/157571,Government-to-oppose-push ...
A detailed study of the effects of market-opening of the postal services in Europe concludes that the balance sheet of post liberalisation is overwhelmingly negative. The privatisation has brought declining services and increasing prices. More important, postal sector workers have experienced liberalisation as massive deterioration of employment and working conditions based on five developments: a cut in employment numbers, an increase in atypical and precarious forms of employment, a reduction in wages, as well as an intensification of work and a fragmentation of industrial relations.
English: http://www.globalresearch.ca/deregulating-and-privatizing-postal-services ...