Collective Bargaining

Foreign workers are often unaware of the safety risks, especially when they are engaged for specials skills without having the necessary vocational training. A road worker was killed in an accident on a building site in Semriach near Graz. The 32-year-old worker from Slovakia was driving a street roller when fell down an embankment. Colleagues who heard his screams ran to his aid but he had been decapitated in the accident. The worker was said to have been working on the building site chopping wood for excavation work.
English: http://austriantimes.at/news/General_News/2013-08-21/49750/Worker_killed_by_street_roller

UNISON signed a recognition agreement with South East and London-based Avenues Trust, a specialist social care organisation that supports people facing significant disadvantage through disability and illness. Around 130 UNISON members work there as social workers, support workers and welfare assistants. The agreement means that the union, alongside the RCN, is recognised for collective bargaining purposes, will have application packs at starters' inductions, and facility time for reps activity and steward development.
English: https://www.unison.org.uk/content/conNewsArticle/4119

Following a campaign of the food workers union NGG and growing media exposure of abusive practices the governments of 4 cities in the State of Lower Saxony signed an agreement with meat-packing companies and their labour contractors establishing a minimum hourly wage of €8.50. NGG describes the local governments' actions as a step in the right direction, but insists that transport, tools, and clothing must be paid for by employers - the deal still allows deductions - and will continue the struggle against abusive practices.
English: http://cms.iuf.org/?q=node/2700

A platform of the trade union confederation Solidarity and OPZZ and the Trade Unions Forum has called for a protest march against the government on 14 September. The trade union platform aims to mobilise over 50,000 people in Warsaw to protest against government proposals for more flexible working hours and cuts in overtime payments.
English: http://www.wbj.pl/article-63512-unions-announce-september-protest-plans.html http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/143859,Trade-unions-to-paralyse-Warsaw ...

The trade union of the Norwegian media group Schibsted has issued a statement in which it opposes the group's planned selling of Eesti Meedia. The union considers it regrettable that Schibsted has decided to leave the region, adding that the business model of Schibsted was balanced between its media business and web-based trading portals. Instead of pulling out, Schibsted should invest in the Baltic market and focus on transforming media companies and developing digital media of its newspapers, especially in quality press.
English: http://balticbusinessnews.com/article/2013/8/16/norwegian-trade-union-opposes ...

A study released by the Central Statistical Office has revealed that the average wage rose by 67% between 2002 and 2012. The most recent statistics (covering the second quarter of 2013) show that the average national wage over that period was 3612 zloty (?860).
English: http://newswave.eu/polish-wages-up-67-percent-since-2002/
Focus on labour statistics: http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/praca_wynagrodzenia ...

Trade unions and Statoil have been fighting over the number of jobs to be outsourced since the country's Oil Minister backed relocation plans that were much further going than unions had expected. Directly after the minister's public remarks, unions criticised both the government and Statoil management. Unions claim the government overestimates the savings from outsourcing, as the cost of the jobs lost would outsize profits from the relocation. Unions also accused Statoil of violating the main reform agreement, in which they were informed of 350 outsourced jobs, rather than the current number of 1,000 posts. On 13 August, Statoil and the trade unions initiated new talks. Moreover, the global trade union UNI accuses in an FT article Norway's state owned oil fund's investment policy. An OECD body said recently that the fund lacks a strategy for identifying and dealing with possible human rights violations at the companies in which it invests.
English: http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/aenergy/Parties-silent-following-Statoil-meeting ...
http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/aenergy/Union-taken-aback-by-Norway-Oil-Minister-statements ...

The British House of Commons library has gathered data showing that Portuguese workers saw their wages drop by 7% in 2010, while EU wages on average dropped by 0.7%. As such, Portuguese workers are amongst the most affected in Europe, together with Greek and Dutch workers.
English: http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/value-of-portuguese-workers-wages ...

Following its legal transformation into a public limited company, national postal operator Swiss Post has announced it intends to start talks over a new collective agreement with trade union syndicom and the staff association transfair. Swiss Post is required by law to negotiate a labour contract within two years and expressed its intention to reach an agreement by 2014 in order to have the agreement come into force in 2015. Swiss Post said it is committed to being a socially responsible and attractive employer, offering decent wages and working conditions.
English: http://postandparcel.info/57301/news/human-resources/swiss-post-begins ...

A PricewaterhouseCoopers survey among company leaders reports worries on labour shortages in the next three to five years, although the unemployment rate is expected to grow again after a slight seasonal decrease. Companies will start creating job positions no sooner than in 2014. Many employees are nowadays afraid to leave their positions even if they get an advantageous offer. However, according to the CEO's, there are many professions on the market where there are not enough candidates.
English: http://www.pwc.com/cz/en/ceo-survey/index.jhtml