Collective Bargaining

Eurofound published a revised industrial relations profile. The collective bargaining coverage (in 2010) was 55%. The role of central bodies of industrial relations actors has remained the most important despite a shift towards sectoral and company-level bargaining over pay and working conditions. The private sector is characterised by low union density and a low incidence of collective bargaining and collective agreements. Determination of the minimum wage is fully centralised, within the Social and Economic Council, and the minimum wage is binding for the whole economy, including sole proprietorships and employees outside the corporate sector.
English: https://eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/country/serbia.pdf

End of October 2012, employers, trade unionists, academics and politicians gathered in Tolochenaz, where the business federation of canton Vaud is based, to discuss the future of social relations. Strikes have been an extremely rare occurrence over the past 75 years. Collective labour contracts and institutionalised dialogue between management and unions are the main reasons. According to historian Olivier Meuwly the Swiss `myth' was the result of a constructed phenomenon through which Swiss people learnt to deal with conflicts and come up with solutions. Meuwly pointed out that the religious and cultural tensions, which caused unrest after the creation of modern Switzerland in 1848, were followed in the 1860s by violent social conflicts, necessitating new ways of viewing relations with the enemy.
English: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/Should_workers_talk_or_take_to_the_streets ...
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Labour_relations_enter_reign_of_terror.html?cid=34017154

Health care workers' unions have called a strike for 29 November to protest against intended flexibilisation and worse working conditions. Unions have called on the employers to return to negotiations in the parity committee and denounced the employer proposals that will affect 230,000 health care workers.
French: http://www.cgt.fr/3-syndicats-appellent-a-la-greve.html

FIOM, the metalworking branch of the CGIL union, has organised a permanent general workers' assembly inside the Ilva factory, the largest steel corporation in Europe. Those who had finished the shift were invited to stay, while those that were supposed to start the next shift were invited to come despite the work stoppage. 5000 workers are affected by the stoppage in Taranto. However, the shutdown was also extended to workers in Ilva factories in Genoa, Novi Ligure and Marghera. In total, 7500 workers have been affected. A strike has been announced for 29 November, combined with a manifestation in Rom.
English: http://libcom.org/blog/permanent-general-workers ...
Italian: http://www.fiomtaranto.it/ http://www.primocanale.it/video/arresti-ilva-taranto-il-commmento-della-fiom-50033.html

ArcelorMittal is trying to reduce capacity in line with the slowdown in the European economy and to cut its $23 billion of debt after Moody's cut its credit rating to junk. The political clash is increasing after the industry minister expressed his frustration over the company's plan to scale back one of its three major French factories and eliminate hundreds of jobs. The company wants to close two furnaces at the Florange plant, cutting 629 jobs, while continuing to operate a part of the facility that processes steel for the car industry. Currently the facility as a whole employs 2,700 people. In all, ArcelorMittal employs about 20,000 people in France.
French: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/business/global/labor-dispute-pits-france ...

Nearly all schools were closed on 29 November as the nation's teachers staged a warning strike in protest of the cancellation of the basic collective agreement for public-sector services and against proposed new salary cuts for teachers. The minister of education announced that would be made of those teachers who participated in the strike and they will not be paid their salary for today.
English: http://www.croatiaweek.com/schools-close-as-teachers-strike/

Trade unions in the health care sector have announced a day of action for 29 November. The protest comes in reaction to the newly presented budget, which foresees large cuts in the state sector. The unions have said the budget does not allow for the state to comply with its obligations under the collective agreement. Government officials have already made known they intend to change the collective agreements. The global union PSI and EPSU have made statements in support of the Croatian unions, expressing its outrage at the neglect of collective bargaining rights.
English: http://www.epsu.org/a/9081 http://www.croatiaweek.com/2013-budget ...

Unions have raised the alarm after the total redundancies announced in one November week added up to 20,000 jobs on the line. The biggest announcements came from Vion (12,500), Tata Steel (900), Premier Foods (900), charity organisation Turning Point (2,600), Comet (735), Newcastle city council (1300), and NHS cuts (1000). Meanwhile a study from the Office For National Statistics (ONS) warns for the growth of underemployment. 3.05 million workers want to work more hours each week, out of a total workforce of 29.41 million. The number of workers in this position has shot up by 980,000 in the four years since the start of the economic recession in 2008. According to the TUC the figures show how fragile the labour market is.
English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20509189
http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__events/latest_news/tata_job_losses ...

State-owned Holland Casino has announced it will be cutting 450 of its total 4100 jobs. The redundancies, motivated by decreasing numbers of visitors, come despite the company already cutting 800 jobs in recent years. A Holland Casino spokesperson commented that the company is losing money because fewer people come to its casinos and those who come spend less. The government has already announced it will be selling Holland Casino, which operates under a monopoly position in the Dutch market.
English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/11/holland_casino_to_cut ...

On the special website for temporary workers the result of the recent wage bargaining is explained. The trade union PRO-GE negotiated an increase of the wages for around 65,000 workers in the sector. The pay increase is 3.4%. The minimum wage will increase to €1,427.92. The agreement is as from 1 January 2013. From that date on the revised rules on posting will be also applicable. On the website information is provided in Turkish, Polish and Czech.
German: http://www.leiharbeiter.at/servlet/ContentServer ...