Real wages, adjusted to inflation, fell by 1.8% in the third quarter, compared to the same period last year. The fall comes as a disappointment, as previous estimates predicted real wages would decline by just 1.1%. Nominal wages grew by 1.4% in the period, implying that although wages increase, inflation went up faster.
English: http://www.rttnews.com/2016777/czech-wages-fall-more-than-expected ...
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A new legislation enacted by the government has brought all flex workers under the minimum wage legislation. While the previous law already foresaw in the application of the minimum wage to all employees, loopholes made it possible for companies to contract people under assignment agreements (`ovo') and pay less. The so-called `ovo' contracts are most common in the construction sector and among postmen. The news legislation closes the loophole.
English: http://www.staffingindustry.com/eng/content/view/full/96415
Slovenia, which joined the euro zone in 2007, is now struggling to avoid a bailout amid recession, high unemployment and a rising number of bad loans in local banks. The government plans to cut public sector wages, reduce most welfare benefits and cut spending on schools and health in order to reduce the budget deficit to some 3% of GDP next year from 4.2% expected in 2012. In the meantime parliament approved a long-delayed pension reform without a single vote against it. The reform lifts the retirement age to 65 from 58. Last year a similar reform drafted by the previous centre-left government was rejected at a referendum demanded by trade unions.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/06/us-slovenia-bailout ...
The EU statistical office Eurostat published data on the risk of poverty or social exclusion. In the EU27 24.2% of the population were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2011, compared with 23.4% in 2010 and 23.5% in 2008. The highest shares of persons being at risk of poverty or social exclusion were recorded in 2011 in Bulgaria (49%), Romania and Latvia (both 40%), Lithuania (33%), Greece and Hungary (both 31%); the lowest in the Czech Republic (15%), the Netherlands and Sweden (both 16%), Luxembourg and Austria (both 17%). 9% of the EU27 population were severely materially deprived, meaning that they had living conditions constrained by a lack of resources such as not being able to afford to pay their bills, keep their home adequately warm, or take a one week holiday away from home.
English: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache ...
Italian workers of British catering, cleaning and facilities management company Compass went on strike to protest against announced redundancies. Compass intends to lay off 824 workers. Trade unions demand the withdrawal of the notices, saying the salaries could easily be paid from the money that is being used to buy back company shares in the same period.
English: http://cms.iuf.org/?q=node/2125
A report published by construction union UCATT exposes the increasing use of payroll companies in the construction industry. The report establishes how payroll companies are being used to codify false self-employment in the industry and how this is costing the Exchequer hundreds of millions of pounds a year in lost revenue. Workers are forced to sign contracts with payroll companies in order to obtain work. By signing the contract, while the worker is in reality an employee for a construction company, they are officially classed as self-employed. Due to their self-employment status the workers are stripped of even their most basic employment rights.
English: https://www.ucatt.org.uk/visageimages/greatpayrollscandal.pdf
http://www.contracteye.co.uk/construction-payroll-ni-avoidance.shtml
A report by the Office for National Statistics reveals that the top 10% of households are 850 times wealthier than the bottom. The bottom 50% of households in Britain has just 4,400 of cash, property and pensions compared to the 1.2m held by the top 10%. While the top 10% owned property averaging 340,000 in value, they had built up pension savings averaging 742,000. The bottom 50% of households had no net property wealth and just 4,000 in pension savings.
English: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_289407.pdf http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/dec/03/richest-10-uk-households-40-per-cent ...
In its Annual Growth Survey 2013 the European Commission praises the market reforms that are being implemented across Europe. The `positive' reforms are for instance the measures that `have been taken to facilitate flexible working arrangements within firms, reduce severance pay for standard contracts and simplify individual or collective dismissal procedures. Steps have also been taken to enhance flexibility in wage determination, such as easing the conditions for firms to opt out of higher-level collective bargaining agreements and the review of sectoral wage agreements'. In the annexed Joint Employment Report it is said that ambitious reforms are needed to modernise the labour markets and invest in human capital to create the conditions for a job-rich recovery.
English: http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/ags2013_en.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/ags2013_emplr_en.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/making-it-happen/annual-growth-surveys/index_en.htm
Workers at bus company EMEL went on a 24-hour strike to demand payment of delayed wages. It is not the first time EMEL and the union are in conflict over unpaid wages; the September Newsletter reported a strike that was narrowly averted after EMEL paid drivers last minute. Currently, EMEL is offering to pay 50% of the salaries of workers on weekly contracts and 60% of those employed on a monthly basis. Unions have rejected the offer and demand full pay. Drivers in Nicosia are expected to take the same action soon over unpaid November salaries.
English: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/limassol-public-transport-paralysed ...
Statistics Lithuania publishes regularly data (in English) related to the labour market, including wages and employment. In the last report an overview of the employment situation is provided. In the 3rd quarter of 2012, 1302.2 thousand persons were employed; compared to the 2nd quarter, this figure grew by 15.3 thousand (1.2 per cent). The employment rate of persons aged 15-64 stood at 63.3 per cent, the youth (persons aged 15-24) at 22.1 per cent, the elderly (persons aged 55-64) at 53.1 per cent. The unemployment rate in the country stood at 12.3%, which is by 0.9 percentage points less than in the 2nd quarter of 2012.
English: http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/catalog/list/?cat_y=1&cat_id=1&id=2079