Unions were shocked by a first round of dismissals at national airlines LOT, which the company aims to finalise before Easter. As reported in the January newsletter, LOT aims to reduce its staff as well as planes by one third in order to turn the tide on heavy losses. While dismissals were expected and have been part of trade union - employer negotiations, the agreed deadline for the layoffs had been November. Up to 230 employees are expected to be laid off in this first round of dismissals.
English: http://www.wbj.pl/article-62292-lot-to-fire-hundreds-before-easter ...
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Both private sector wages and the unemployment rate increased in the first quarter of 2013, while consumption, price growth and industrial production slowed down. The unemployment rate is currently 14.4% and the average gross salary was zl. 3,709.99 (?886.22).
English: http://www.wbj.pl/article-62272-wages-rise-sharply-in-february ...
http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/AS_info_socio_econo_situ_country ...
Members of trade union SIPTU at Tara Mines, Co. Meath have voted to accept proposals aimed at bringing to a conclusion a long running dispute at the company. Among the key clauses contained in the proposed agreement is a commitment by the owners of Tara Mines, multinational Boliden, to provide future capital investment of €110 million which is needed to maintain the mine's operation to 2018 and beyond. The proposals also envisage the establishment of a monthly industrial relations forum consisting of worker and management representatives that will discuss changes in work practices arising from the agreement and will be attended on an annual basis by the Boliden President and Chief Executive Officer.
English: http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2013/mainnews/fullstory ...
The TUC has called on the House of Lords to reject a bill that would prevent 3000 employees of the National Crime Agency from taking industrial action in the future. The Crime and Courts Bill contains clauses against the right to strike, which the TUC points out is a fundamental right. In a press release, the TUC calls the bill the start of yet another attack on public sector workers.
English: http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-22046-f0.cfm
The federal Economy Minister and his counterpart, the Employment Minister in the Flemish government, have filed a complaint for social dumping in the meat sector against the German authorities before the European Commission. Workers from Eastern Europe, mainly Romanians and Bulgarians, work legally for extremely low wages, less than €5 per hour, in excess of 10 hours per day in the German abattoirs. They are not covered by social security or health insurance. According to the Belgian authorities, there is a huge amount of fraud and large numbers of Romanians and Bulgarians are there on a permanent basis and are subjected to deplorable conditions.
English: http://www.equaltimes.org/news/allemagne-le-social-dumping-en-chair-et-en-os
French: http://www.lesoir.be/210336/article/actualite/belgique/2013-03-19/vande-lanotte-et ...
After a series of actions last year and in February, as reported in the December newsletter, Lufthansa personnel has organised another one-day strike in an on-going wage dispute. While Lufthansa continues to hold on to a pay freeze, trade unions continue to point out a pay raise is long overdue. The trade union Ver.di said in a statement that no agreement was reached in the latest round of talks and that another walkout was possible before the next round, which is due to start on 17April, but not over Easter. Meanwhile, the Frankfurt labour court just rejected Lufthansa and Fraport compensation claims over costs incurred in previous walk-outs.
English: http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2013/03/20/strike-prompts-lufthansa-to-cancel ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/23/us-lufthansa-wages-easter ...
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130325/german-court-rejects ...
The cost of labour in Bulgaria is by far the lowest among the EU 27 member states, according to data released by the German Federal Statistical Office. At €3.7 per hour in 2012, labour cost is more than 6 times lower than the EU's €23.5 average, and more than 7.5 times lower than the Eurozone €28.2 average (more details see the German section).
English: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=148986
695 workers at ESB's Powergen section are to have their pay cut by up to 17%. The ESB's internal joint industrial committee decided that tiered pay cuts should be introduced. The cuts will start at 11% for those at the lower end of the pay scale and will rise to 17% for those at the top. The pay cuts are part of an overall €140m cost saving programme at ESB that was agreed by management and unions. The plan was that €56.4m was to come from cuts to non-core pay elements such as profit share, overtime, and performance payments. The largest portion of the overall savings - €83m - was to come from a voluntary redundancy programme. In Powergen, only 160 people applied to take the severance package where 250 were needed.
English: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/esb-to-cut-pay-of-695-staff ...
Due to lack of orders, workers at the Arsenal military plant in Kazanlak have been sent on forced leave. As many of the workers have exhausted their paid leave, most workers face a period of unpaid leave. The remaining workforce has switched to a four-hour work day.
English: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=148907
In a legal blog the question is raised to what extent the labour legislation applies to foreign workers in the country. With more and more international corporations having established branches in the country it is apparent that the matter of applying the labour law to foreign employees needs to be explained. Recently the Supreme Court and the courts of lower instances unanimously declared that the Estonian labour law regulations apply also to foreign employees.
English: http://balticbusinessnews.com/blog/2013/3/22/does-estonian-labour-law-apply ...