Trade union confederation DISK has commented on recent statistical analyses regarding women's participation on the labour market. All indicators show that women's participation in the work force and employment is rising year by year. Women's economic independency is in progress but despite quantitative developments, a qualitative jump can be questioned. A report on the rate of participation from women and men in companies' executive boards based on research conducted among 3002 chair persons in 427 companies showed that only 8.5% of board members are women. While the female director rate in supervision committees is 8.2%, the rate of female directors is 7% in corporate management committees.
English: http://www.disk.org.tr/2013/11/women-employment-in-turkey-shows-high-rise-but ...
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According to final results, all of the country's 26 cantons and a full 65.3% of all voters rejected an initiative in a referendum (see our July and October Newsletters) that would have capped excessive salaries. The `1:12' initiative that would have set strong limits between the top and bottom salaries in a firm met with stiff opposition from the business community and the political right. Although this proposal has been defeated, public anger at revelations that some of the chief executives are earning more than 200 times what their employees take home is still widespread and the issues of high salaries and a widening wage gap have not gone away.
English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25076879
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/24/switzerland-votes-against ...
Pilots at Easyjet's French airports have announced a strike action on 25 November to protest the lack of internal profit sharing practices in the company. Earlier this month, Easyjet reported record profits and special dividends for shareholders. Trade union SNPL, which organises 90% of the French Easyjet pilots, said it had requested management to instate internal profit sharing practices as well, but had been ignored. The pilots are now taking industrial action to protest against the lack of wage increases for workers, while shareholders reap the benefits of their labour.
English: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/nov/24/easyjet-strike-french-pilots ...
Polish and Portuguese construction workers who are building a motorway tunnel near Maastricht are being exploited by the consortium in charge. Trade union FNV says it is holding chief builders BallastNedam and Strukton responsible for the way sub-contractor Rimec is systematically underpaying staff. Rimec, known as staffing agency Atlanto Rimec, was also involved in the breaches at the famous Flamanville site in France. The trade union claims Rimec has for almost 18 months wrongly withheld €1,000 a month from the salaries of Polish and Portuguese workers to pay for housing and transport costs. In addition, the workers are not paid in accordance with official pay scales, nor do they get holiday pay, overtime and other benefits, the union says. The two main contractors are prepared to compensate the workers after 'heavy pressure'.
English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/11/construction_firms_accused ...
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/11/portuguese_tunnel_workers ...
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Arrow Pharma has announced it intends to downsize its packaging section by 50% while maintaining production volumes. The company management and trade union UHM have started talks about the restructuring, which is expected to cost 20 employees' their jobs.
English: http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-23/news/arrow-pharma-to-cut ...
After a five day all out strike of Genoa bus services, crippling public transport in the city, trade unions and the municipality reached an agreement. The strike started when the municipal council was set to discuss a bill to fix the bus services that are operating at a loss, requiring at least an 8 million euro investment. Fearing privatisation, its 2,400 employees initiated a wild strike that lasted five days and made national coverage as a `Greek-style strike'. Following intensive talks, trade unions and the municipality reached an agreement that guarantees there will be no pay cuts and that foresees European funding to square the budget.
English: http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/lead-strike-ends-bus-services-resume ...
Federal minister for public sector companies, Jean-Pascal Labille has said he does not understand why rail workers unions would threaten strikes in the face of a 1,000 job reduction in the rail company until 2018. According to the minister, the reduction of staff has been part of the political discussion for a long time and will be achieved without involuntary dismissals. Rail workers, on the contrary, are concerned about the cuts and fear the restructuring may lead to job losses as well as worse working conditions.
English: http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Economy/131122_Rail_jobs
The state owned railway company CFR Marfa has announced a round of dismissals to prepare the company for privatisation in 2015. After two failed attempts at privatisation, the government agreed with the IMF to restructure the company, cutting expenses drastically. Up to 2,500 workers are expected to be dismissed, with 6,300 keeping their jobs. CFR Marfa will also be forced to sell its old wagons as metal scrap and to halt deliveries to any clients with outstanding payments.
English: http://www.mondonews.ro/en/romanian-state-owned-railway-company-cfr-marfa ...
The Council of Europe's European Committee on Social Rights (ECSR) came up with a position related to the 2004 Laval case in which construction workers' trade union Byggnads set up a blockade on a site with a construction team from Latvian company Laval. The European Court of Justice had judged in 2007 that the trade union actions restricted the freedom to provide services within the EU. The complainant trade unions alleged that following the ECJ judgment in the Laval case (C-341/05), subsequent amendments to Swedish legislation have restricted the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The ECSR supported the union's position, finding that foreign workers in Sweden should have the same rights as other workers. The ECSR rejected the restrictions of the right to organise and collective bargaining entailed by the Lex Laval. Trade unions' right to demand and pursue collective negotiations cannot be restricted by the legislator. LO, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, said later on that it was high time to make sure the client has the responsibility for salaries and taxes - and that such a responsibility would extend down the line of subcontractors, no matter how long the list.
English: http://www.coe.int/T/DGHL/Monitoring/SocialCharter/NewsCOEPortal ...
http://www.lo.se/english/news/important_decision_strengthens_workers_rights_in_europe
http://www.thelocal.se/20131127/opposition-to-tear-up-migrant-worker-law
Focus on the ECJ-cases: http://www.etui.org/Topics/Social-dialogue-collective-bargaining ...
The Norwegian Transport Workers Union (NTF) has started industrial action at Risavika terminal. The terminal's management has refused to sign up to the sector wide collective agreement and is reported to contract seafarers to perform tasks normally done by dockers. The outsourcing of any tasks `historically or traditionally done by dockers' is prohibited by the dockers' clause.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online ...