Collective Bargaining

The annual update on pay for 2012, published by the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) shows that public sector pay increases have fallen behind private sector developments. In 2012, collectively agreed wages in the metal industry increased by 3.6%, those in banking at 2.5% and no increases were agreed on in local government.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/studies ...

After a government compromise in June, the constitutional Court has now ruled that the status of blue and white collar needs to be harmonised, ending a century of discrimination. The harmonisation implies that blue collar workers' notice periods will be extended, trial periods abolished and all days of sickness will be paid, from the first day onwards. The labour council still needs to rule on the calculation of annual leave, wage and salary payments, as well as short term work, which were all different for blue collar from white collar workers.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/belgium-ends-historic-discrimination ...

Speaking about the challenges posed by the economic crisis, the minister of finance has called on the social partners to reach a centralised wage agreement. According to the minister, a moderate yet comprehensive wage agreement would be both good for purchasing power and for economic predictability.
English: http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/politics/6944-urpilainen-hopes ...

Political economist Andreas Bieler wrote a column on the dynamics underlying the crisis. He signals that public sectors across the EU have been cut back and working class gains from the post-war period have been seriously undermined. Overcoming austerity will require a strengthening of labour vis-…-vis capital. Considering that austerity is a European-wide phenomenon, pushed by Brussels and individual national governments, it will remain important that trade unions combine resistance to neo-liberal restructuring at the European level with resistance at the national level. To declare solidarity with Greek workers is a good initiative by German and British unions, for example. Nevertheless, the more concrete support is resisting restructuring at home. Any defeat of austerity in one of the EU member states will assist similar struggles elsewhere.
English: http://column.global-labour-university.org/2013/07/austerity-and-resistance-politics ...

Water sports operators have organised a 48 hour strike along the Larnaca-Limassol motorway. The operators are protesting against a government plan to make all municipalities set up public bidding procedures for licenses of water sports centres. The established water sports operators fear many may lose their jobs as they are outbid.
English: http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/07/10/water-sports-operators-begin-48-hour-strike/

The public postal service, Magyar Posta, is reported in the media to have been letting go of up to 250 workers in small groups of under 30 people at a time. The groups are said to be released in mutual agreements and in small waves in order to avoid mass layoffs. Media speculate the 500 of the 33,000 staff will be let go in this manner.
English: http://www.budapesttimes.hu/2013/07/10/letters-of-dismissal-for-250-postal-staff/
http://hatc.hu/editor_article.php ...

After negotiations over a collective agreement broke down, workers at AMCOR Flexibles Istanbul went on strike on 3 July 2013. The source of the dispute was a wage offer by AMCOR, which fell behind the inflation rate. AMCOR also refused to negotiate over decreasing the pay inequality inside the company. Two days after the start of the strike, management and unions agreed to a wage increase of at least the inflation rate.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/uni.nsf ...
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/uni.nsf ...

Municipal workers went on strike in anticipation of massive layoffs in the public sector. The government has been charged by the Troika to reduce its civil service by 15,000 workers by the end of the year. Having missed the first deadline to transfer 12,500 workers within the public sector on a voluntary basis, the government announced it will take the next three months to hand eight month suspensions with reduced pay to 4,200 employees, including teachers. The municipal workers are taking to the streets in rolling strikes and have attempted called for the occupation of municipal buildings.
English: http://www.timesunion.com/news/world/article/Greek-municipal-workers-strike ...

Unions balloted a pay proposal of 1.5% in the waste and environment sector. Members in majority rejected the deal, arguing it falls far behind the 2.7% inflation rate. The union's national advice committee has advised members to vote against the proposal. A spokesperson said the union is now considering a strategy for industrial action.
English: http://www.epsu.org/a/9645
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/538213-onderhandelaarsakkoord ...

The Istanbul Labour Court has ruled that attempts by Turkish Airlines to hire new workers to replace those cabin crew on strike, is a strike-breaking action and therefore forbidden. Since some 1,600 crew personnel went on strike in May, Turkish airlines has hired 700 new workers and drawn more crew members from its SunExpress joint venture and an Indian partner. The court ruled the hires undermine the strike action and must be undone. The crew personnel who are on strike are demanding higher pay, fewer flight hours and the reinstatement of 305 former colleagues who were fired during a previous strike.
English: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-09/turkish-air-barred ...