A researcher at the University of Antwerp has calculated that Brussels is one of the world demonstration capitals. The mayors of the concerned parts of the city are of the opinion that `The right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental right in a democratic society'. However, the right to demonstrate is still defined by police regulations. A demonstration organiser must send a written request to the police that includes a number of elements: the name and address of the organiser, the purpose, the date and time planned for the assembly, the planned route, an estimate of the number of participants and the organiser's plans for maintaining order. Some places and areas are subject to restrictions and it is forbidden, without authorisation, to cover one's face in a public area by exaggerated makeup, masks, or any other means.
English: http://blog.lesoir.be/lesoirinenglish/2013/12/06/two-demonstrations-a-day-in-brussels ...
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Four contract workers have lost their lives in an accident at the Kozienice, one of the country's largest power plants. The four were standing on a platform that came loose inside a chimney while carrying out maintenance. The local prosecutor and the Labour Inspectorate are trying to clarify the precise causes of the accident. Part of the investigation is whether all health and safety protocols have been correctly observed
English: http://www.newpolandexpress.pl/polish_news_story-6122-four_killed ...
Workers who pursue their work part of the year in nearby EU countries will be given the full tax deduction following pressure from the EU. Until now, Danes who earned some of their income in another EU member state had their annual tax deduction reduced for the time they spent working abroad. Individual member states are responsible for setting their own tax laws, but the European Commission argued that the rule made it less attractive for Danes to work in another country. According to the Commission the policy violates EU residents' right to free movement, and after pressure the tax minister has decided to change this policy.
English: http://cphpost.dk/news/danish-workers-abroad-can-expect-lower-taxes ...
The parliament has voted to impose punitive fines on prostitutes' customers as part of a controversial law aimed at helping sex workers throw off the shackles of pimps and organised criminal gangs. The proposals, introduced under a private members' bill, shift the criminal responsibility away from the estimated 40,000 prostitutes in France and on to their clients. The vast majority of sex industry workers are believed to be controlled by criminal gangs and international trafficking networks.
English: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/01/french-mps-fines ...
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/04/france-law-fines-prostitution-clients
Disneyland Paris, located in Marne La Valle, is losing millions of dollars despite an impressive number of visitors. A strict cost-reduction program implemented by the management has sown discontent amongst guests and employees. In late October, a child fell out of a water ride and was severely injured. Recent revelations of a suicide attempt have thrown an additional shadow over Mickey Mouse's cheerful kingdom. Shortly after being called in to meet with his superiors, a Euro Disney garden-worker doused himself in gasoline and took out a lighter. Trade union members argue that the park's `demeaning' working conditions are responsible for the suicide and speak about a deteriorating working climate, a lack of dialogue and sharpening of disciplinary measures.
English: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/disneyland-paris-faces-criticism ...
The EU-Turkey Joint Consultative Council has discussed the trade union rights situation in Turkey several times. During the last mandate, legislation was enacted by the Parliament starting with amendments to the constitution. Accordingly, in September 2010 the amendment to the constitution cleared the way for replacing the Act on Public Servants' Trade Unions and Collective Agreement (Act No 4688) by Act No 6289 in April 2012. Furthermore, in October 2012 the Grand National Assembly adopted the Act on Trade Unions and Collective Labour Agreements No 6356, replacing the two previous Acts. A report is now available.
English: http://www.disk.org.tr/2013/12/eu-turkey-joint-consultative-committee ...
After months of negotiations, the trade union UHM has initiated industrial action among Pharmacy Technicians in the Health Sector. The protest started because of a delay in the implementation of benefits concluded in the sectoral agreement that was signed in November 2012.The poor implementation of the agreement resulted in waste of time, energy and great disappointments from the workers concerned.
English: http://www.di-ve.com/news/uhm-orders-industrial-actions-over-pharmacy ...
The chairman of the parliamentary financial committee stated that the parliament will not support the latest ultimatum made by the finance ministry to cut costs of government ministries if his demands are not met in the parliament. The finance minister claimed that there is a 24m euro hole in the budget revenues and if proposals, for instance to restrict VAT refunds of company cars, were not accepted, he would have no option but to cut spending of government ministries by 1.2%.
English: http://balticbusinessnews.com/article/2013/12/3/mp-freeze-of-public-sector-wages ...
The European Restructuring Monitor 2013 annual report Monitoring and managing restructuring in the 21st century presents a retrospective of over a decade of measuring the impact of large-scale restructuring activity in Europe based on a database containing details of over 16,000 large-scale restructuring events and selected types of national statutory regulations related to restructuring, with a current focus on individual and collective labour law. As of August 2013, 350 regulations are described in the ERM database. Collective agreements, soft law or company practices are not included. However, there is some reference to concession bargaining. One of the main fears of workers and trade unions is that offshoring will have a downward pressure on wages, as employers take advantage of opportunities to reduce labour costs by locating production in lower-cost economies, and/or using these lower-cost economies as a benchmark for labour cost calculations. Certainly in the late 1990s and early 2000s trade unions in countries such as Germany strove to ensure that major companies made a commitment to their manufacturing locations.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2013/80/en/1/EF1380EN.pdf
Strike actions could intensify if the government's position on the privatisation of semi-state organisations (SGOs) does not change. This was a message delivered by unionists and employees from the Cyprus Port Authority (CPA) and telecoms company CyTA, who carried out separate strikes. Strikers gathered outside Limassol port's entrance to protest against the plans which would see the privatisation of SGOs as part of the island's bailout programme. Also employees at the Electricity Authority (EAC) head offices, regional offices and at power stations stopped working as a way of expressing their opposition to the proposed privatisation of the organisation.
English: http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/12/04/unions-threaten-more-strikes/
http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/12/04/unions-demand-exemption ...