Collective Bargaining

After staging a number of smaller industrial actions, ice cream workers went into a 24 hour strike and threatening an indefinite strike. The ice cream workers have been in a conflict with the Spanish Association of Ice Cream Makers (AEFH) over a new collective agreement and are anxious to press for a solution the agreement expiring under the new law on collective bargaining.
English: http://www.thelocal.es/20130705/ice-cream-strike-leaves-employers-sweating

On 2 March 2013 a referendum came out in favour of tougher rules on the setting of managers' remuneration. 68% of the voters wanted to put limits to the millions handed out in bonuses and severance payments to top managers (see also the March issue of this Newsletter). Coming up is a further referendum on a binding reduction of top pay and an increase in minimum wages. This referendum on the wage gap will stipulate that the highest remuneration within a firm should not be more than twelve times the lowest wages paid. Andreas Rieger reports on these themes in a column.
English: http://column.global-labour-university.org/2013/07/swiss-referendums ...

Following a massive nine-day strike by bus drivers in Stockholm, reported in last month's newsletter, municipal union Kommunal and the bus company have agreed on a pay increase of SEK 1732 (?195) over a period of three years. The drivers will also gain greater control over their working time and shifts, which was the second major demand of the strike last month.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online ...
http://www.epsu.org/a/9605

Employers association MEA has reacted negatively to proposals intended to curb precarious employment, describing it as `a problem blown out of proportion'. MEA said atypical work should not be labelled as precarious, because its flexibility benefits both employers and employees. MEA continued to say that no new laws are needed to battle illegal employment, but better enforcement, and that unethical working conditions are the responsibility of trade unions to countervail through collective bargaining. Employers are reacting to a government effort against precarious employment, in which a list of seven mandatory conditions for all subcontractors is formulated. The conditions include requirements regarding pay administration, employment status and against bogus self-employment, as well as a requirement to specify pay rates in tender proposals. The government announced on 2 July that it will revise all existing contracts and future contracts to ensure that all its subcontractors provide decent working conditions.
English: http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Precarious ...
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Government-steps-up-fight ...

On the occasion of the entry into the European Union, trade unions, employers and government organised a round table on the future of temp agency work. The tripartite meeting was a first step towards a social dialogue in the sector and served primarily for the identification of the priorities of each of the partners.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/uni.nsf ...

During the opening session of the WorldSkills 2013 contest the European Commission launched the initiative for the European Alliance for Apprenticeships. The Alliance aims to fight youth unemployment by improving the quality and supply of apprenticeships across the EU through a partnership of key employment and education stakeholders. Earlier on, the European social partners BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC (and the liaison committee EUROCADRES/CEC) decided on a Framework of Actions in Member States with four priorities to foster youth employment and smoother transition from education to work.
English: http://ec.europa.eu/education/apprenticeship/index_en.htm http://www.etuc.org/IMG/pdf/201306_Framework_of_Actions_Youth_Employment.pdf

New figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE) show that in 2011, temporary workers earned 32.8% less than employees on permanent contracts and saw their wages decrease by 1.4% compared to 0.3% for permanent workers. The report also reveals a significantly larger gender pay gap for temporary workers: female permanent workers earned 8.9% less than their male peers, whereas female temporary workers earned 32.4% less. Women form the majority of workers with low earnings (64%). The INE furthermore said third-country nationals earn 25% to 35% less than Spanish workers.
English: http://www.staffingindustry.com/eng/Research-Publications ...

Research by public services union FOA shows that cleaners, who perform work that has been outsourced to cleaning companies, are no longer able to attain one fulltime job. In response, some cleaners have seen their hours drastically reduced, whereas others have been forced to work two jobs. FOA reports that cleaners taking on two jobs regularly work from six in the morning to seven in the evening.
English: http://www.epsu.org/a/9609

Starting from 1 January 2014, the minimum wage will be LVL 225 (or €320) a month; it currently stands at LVL 200. The ministry of Welfare had prepared three suggestions: raising the minimum wage to LVL 210, to LVL 220 or to LVL 225: The government approved the highest increase and presented this as a proof that it is addressing social issues seriously. However, the increase will have a limited impact as the wage still remains low. Besides, several methods are used to pay less than the minimal wage, for example, mark the workers as half-time hires, even though they work full-time.
English: http://www.bbn.ee/Default.aspx?Publication .

After four years of difficult negotiations, during which employers withdrew from bargaining once and unions organised industrial actions, journalists now have a new collective agreement. The agreement is the first to apply to both print and online editorial staff of daily and weekly newspapers, permanent freelance staff and to technical-editorial staff equally. The standard working week remains 38 hours, but work on a sixth day will not be counted as overtime and paid at a 50% supplement. In terms of pay the agreement represents a step back for the journalists. Starting pay is down to €2,185 (from €2,541) per month and increases to a `standard wage level' in over three years. After that, journalists are entitled to pay increases every five year in a procedure that is also more sober than its predecessor. Where previously pay increases were given in full at the first year of the next five years period, the increases are now spread out over several years and the total percentage amounts are slightly lower. Both unions and employers have welcomed the agreement as a major step forward for the sector.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2013/05/articles/at1305011i.htm