The plans to cut 10% of the workforce in the public sector have led to firm reactions on the trade union side. After the government revealed its plans to lay off up to 40,000 state servants starting in 2014 the Confederation of Labour Podkrepa and the Confederation of Independent Sindicates CIS criticized the fact that the unions had not been consulted. According to the unions there must be an optimisation of the administrative personnel, but this should be done carefully and planned accordingly. Union leaders informed that employees of the National Health Insurance Fund, NZOK, are already planning a strike.
English: http://www.novinite.com/articles/154588/Bulgarian+Trade+Unions+Demand ...
http://www.novinite.com/articles/154561/Bulgarian+Trade+Unions+Warn+of+Strikes ...
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The union of bank employees has been informed of `what is expected to be a probable and biased outcome' in relation to disciplinary proceedings against senior management officials of HSBC. The union said that acts of harassment and intimidation have been ignored following the presentation of clear evidence and affidavits. The court had also made a ruling in this regard. The bank employees union stated that HSBC Malta has dragged its feet to conclude specific investigations and has created a situation whereby `the victimized employees were left directly managed by the same manager who threatened them and against whom they were testifying'.
English: http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-10-15/news/mube-accuses-hsbc ...
The country has a serious problem with the low scale of its production. For instance, neighbouring countries Slovenia and Croatia have in average €40,000-60,000 a year per capita, while in Serbia it is €15,000. At the same time, the GDP of industry is 17%. When GDP of industry falls below 30% governments in other European countries tend to raise it as soon as possible, since everything below 30% is considered a serious problem in economy. Meanwhile, workers in production are less paid than the workers in the public administration. In production the average salary is €390, while in public administration the average is €508.
English: http://inserbia.info/news/2013/10/serbia-one-employed-supports-four-unemployed/
The trade union of commercial and office employees - HK Norway - aims to defend the rights of unionised employees and wants to ensure that Couche-Tard will recognise the existing unions that have negotiated collective agreements in the past with Statoil. It has teamed up with Canadian colleagues after the take-over of several bits of the Statoil retail business. Earlier reports have shown that Couche-Tard uses coercive tactics to block wider unionisation efforts.
French: http://affaires.lapresse.ca/economie/international/201310/03/01-4695873-norvege ...
The government has announced that it will present a budget for 2014, in which due to higher tax incomes and growth measures the wages of 340,000 public sector workers can be unfrozen. Most civil servants can expect a 2% wage increase, whereas extra money is said aside for teachers, whose wages will rise by 5%. The wages of constitutional representatives will remain frozen. The public sector employees will earn on average €16 more per month as of January 2014. The Finance Ministry has also agreed to hike teachers' wages.
English: http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/51655/3/state_employees_to_get_16_more.html
http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/51640/3/2014_wages_unfrozen_taxes_change.html
Protests pro and against the Rosia Montana gold mining project continue to be held. This month, the Parliament will be debating a law allowing Canadian company Gabriel Resources, whose largest shareholder, hedge fund Paulson & Co, has a 16% stake, to start its gold mining activities. Proponents of the project argue it will bring jobs and income to the country, but opponents fear large scale environmental damage due to the use of cyanide. Protests are growing as Mining Watch Romania revealed another Canadian company, Eldorado Gold, has recently received approval to start open-cut operations in a nearby goldmine at Certej. Miners who were in favour of the opening started an underground protest that was ended after a visit of the prime-minister.
English: http://www.carbonated.tv/news/romanian-gold-miners-end-underground-protest ...
http://www.romania-insider.com/mining-watch-revision-of-environmental-documents ...
70% of respondents in a survey among 300 employees said they were willing to move for a job and nearly a third would even move to abroad, while 30% would not move under any circumstances. People aged below 30 would move in 75% of cases, while only 65% of older people would opt for a change. According to the researchers, women came out a bit more flexible as regards moving as 75% of women and 67% of men would leave their home. The authors conclude that women are beginning to gain an increasingly stronger position on the labour market, are more ambitious and also more willing to adjust to the employers' demands.
English: http://praguemonitor.com/2013/10/11/poll-shows-70-czechs-are-willing-move-job
The Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) has found itself in an increasingly hostile conflict with the management of Sofia airport. The management has been ignoring workers' internationally agreed labour rights on the freedom of association - as well as their rights to information, consultation, protection, and to conclude a collective bargaining agreement. Collective agreement negotiations that were initiated in July 2013 have yielded no results and all cleaning jobs at the airport have been outsourced unilaterally and without consultation during the same period. Trade unionists have started collective signatures for industrial action, but report that their lists were torn up by management representatives.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/9665
Over 3,000 junior doctors went on strike over what they call "dangerously long working hours". Because talks with the Health Service Executive (HSE) have not lead to any solution, the doctors are now taking industrial action. The HSE is attempting to implement European legislation that no doctor will work a single shift longer than 24 hours, but refuses to impose sanctions on hospitals that do make their staff work longer.
English: http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/1010/479642-doctor-talks/
The extension of the opening hours in the retail sector has led to a fierce dispute between consumer organisations, unions and representatives of retailers. A decree, which came into force in July 2013 on a pilot basis to be renewed- when it is due to expire - until the end of November, was heavily criticized. So far the response from consumers and big business has been positive, but, a televised discussion degenerated into a shouting match when representatives from large and small businesses were interviewed. The head of the Consumers Union and Quality of Life accused the responsible ministry of failing to research the issue and its ramifications properly. Changing the market `to benefit monopolies and oligopolies' would eventually harm consumers who would be facing higher prices. Meanwhile, families were suffering and reports were coming in of people being employed for less than the obligatory minimum wage.
English: http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/10/10/opening-hours-extension ...