Lock workers throughout the western parts of the country are protesting against an upcoming reform of publicly managed water ways and canal systems, in which a quarter of the staff is expected to be laid off. The lock workers walked off the job, bringing shipping to a standstill. Shipping companies have condemned both the reform plan and the strike. Strikes in the eastern states have been held off due to recovery works from the recent floods. The latest news is that the workers have decided to take a pause to give the country's Transport and Interior ministers a chance to rethink and offer to negotiate a wage and security pact for 12,500-person workforce.
English: http://www.platts.com/latest-news/shipping/bonn/german-lock-workers-to-return ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/05/us-germany-canal-shipping ...
http://www.platts.com/latest-news/shipping/bonn/german-lock-strikes-pile-up-waiting-lines ...
http://www.platts.com/latest-news/shipping/bonn/lock-worker-strikes-on-german-river-canal ...
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The religious orders that were called to pay compensation to survivors of the so-called Magdalene laundries (see our Newsletter of June 2013) have refused to contribute to the State's redress scheme. The four religious orders which operated the laundries proclaimed full cooperation with all the recommendations contained in Mr Justice John Quirke's report into a compensation scheme. However, all the orders have refused to contribute to the fund that could amount to €58 million.
English: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/magdalene-survivors-plan-protest ...
The reform policy promoted by the European Commission develops into a real threat for the collective bargaining process. In an article for the Global Labour Column Christoph Hermann, senior researcher at the Working Life Research Centre in Vienna, analyses the structural reforms implemented in eleven EU member states affected by the crisis. He argues that the `structural reforms' adopted in Europe during the crisis have led to a dramatic change in collective bargaining systems, where various measures implemented enable a profound decentralisation, and an erosion of collective bargaining systems.
English: http://column.global-labour-university.org/2013/08/the-crisis-structural-reform ...
Workers at Darphane ve Damga Matbaasi (a Mint & Stamp factory, producing gold, coins and security printings like passports, ID cards, driving licences, official stamps and banderols) went on strike on 8 July over wages, working conditions and trade union rights. With the strike entering the 40th day, 205 workers continue to be on strike despite strike breaking and union bashing practices of management. On 22 August the labour minister announced that the wages will be increased in line with demands. This direct involvement from the side of the government may put an end to the strike.
English: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hike-on-mint-workers-wage-may-end-strike ...
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/uni.nsf ...
FIOM, the metalworkers' trade-union of the confederation CGIL, won a July ruling before the Constitutional Court after having petitioned against being excluded from the company union representation bodies (RSAs) at Fiat's plants for not having signed the company's labour agreements. The recent landmark ruling ordered the carmaker to expand its worker representation base to include the unions that refused to sign the company's labour agreement. The Constitutional Court said in a statement that it considered illegitimate the part of the article that said unions who did not sign the collective agreements applied at a company's plant could be excluded from RSAs, even if they had taken part in the negotiations. First talks after the ruling between the management and FIOM give the impression that Fiat doesn't intend to apply the Constitutional Court sentence.
English: http://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/english/fiat-won-t-apply-court-ruling ...
http://english.cntv.cn/20130726/100364.shtml
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52432626/ns/business-autos/t/fiat-halts-new-investments ...
Italian: http://www.eguaglianzaeliberta.it/articolo.asp?id=1644
http://www.repubblica.it/economia/finanza/2013/07/23 ...
http://www.repubblica.it/economia/2013/08/02/news/fiat_linea_dura_con_la_fiom ...
Spanish: http://lopezbulla.blogspot.nl/2013/08/centro-de-trabajo-y-sindicato-fiat.html
Trade union confederation OPZZ wants a minimum wage of 11 zloty (?2.5) an hour, as part of a campaign against so-called 'junk' employment contracts. This minimum should apply to all employment contracts and be enshrined in the country's labour legislation. The joint trade unions have promised a month of protest in September against government policies and 'junk' employment contracts, which give employees no job stability or social insurance rights.
English: http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/145309,Trade-union-pushes-for-minimum-wage http://www.wbj.pl/article-63048-unions-oppose-government-proposal-on-minimum-wage.html
The airline Finnair is planning to hire 200 cabin crew members from a temporary work agency in Spain. According to the company CEO, Pekka Vauramo, they could be used `possibly to replace the company staff in special situations'. The trade unions suspect that the company contemplates recruiting strike-breakers in advance of negotiations and that this means in practice that there is a willingness to use foreign staff as strike-breakers if the need arises. The collective agreement concerning Finnair cabin crew is due to end this October and a new round of bargaining is expected.
English: http://www.jokinen.kaapeli.fi/index.php/trade-union-news-from-finland/173 ...
Workers at the Fredericia brewery walked out over employment of a non-union member, bringing production to a halt. A total of 130 workers walked out of the plant because a new recruit was hired who was not a member of the brewers' union. In the meantime, the labour court has intervened to order striking workers at the plant to be fined for every hour they are on strike - but there's still no sign of production starting up any time soon.
English: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/22/carlsberg-brewery-strike-denmark
Railway workers had announced large scale protest on 23 August after wage talks failed. The trade unions representing railway workers have decided to call off the planned demonstration after a deal reached on to hike wages by 2.4%.Employees of the state-run MAV railway will get the hike dated back to 1 July with their September pay. MAV also promised to delay mass lay-offs at least until 30 June 2014.
English: http://www.politics.hu/20130822/wage-deal-averts-rail-worker-protest ...
The National Civil Aviation Workers Union (SINTAC) has issued a strike action advance notice regarding a stoppage to be carried out by SATA Airlines' workers from 1 September through 31 December. Workers have concerns over the labour policies drafted in a memorandum of understanding by SATA Airlines regarding working overtime, breaking time, on-call employee policies and working on holidays. The dispute involves a discrepancy over work benefits allowed to workers at the national carrier TAP Air Portugal that do not apply to employees at the Azores based SATA Airlines. Both companies are public, owned and run by the State.
English: http://portuguese-american-journal.com/travel-alert-satas-workers ...