The case of Ana B. - a 50-year-old Portuguese woman - illustrates the increasing difficulties that public sector workers face since the beginning of the crisis and demonstrates the effects of the austerity measures on their position. Ana has been living in Switzerland for about six months. She moved there to work as a cleaner and caretaker. But Ana is no ordinary cleaner. She is a secretary at a government agency in the Portuguese city of Porto who took a one- year career break to come to Switzerland for a job that would allow her to pay her bills back home.
English: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom ...
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Contractors that train apprentices are likely to get a better chance at winning building contracts in the city of Vienna after a new pilot project was introduced (starting in 2013) that means companies who employ apprentices will get favourable treatment. The planned project foresees a change in the public procurement rules and is meant to encourage greater employment among youngsters by giving preferential treatment to building firms who take on apprentices. The trade union youth organisation GJ is in favour of a countrywide application of the principle `public works only for companies that train young workers'.
English: http://www.austriantimes.at/news/Business/2012-09-20 ...
German: http://derstandard.at/1347492987829/Wien-will-bei-Bauauftraegen ...
Unions from Spain, Poland, Austria, Germany, France and Italy gathered in front of the FIAT Iveco headquarters on 7 September to protest against the unilateral closure of five plants in France, Austria and Germany and the loss of 1000 jobs. The first and core demand of the unions was to get full information and start bilateral talks at the national and European level about the intended restructuring in order to be able to defend the interests of the employees as best as may be. Shortly after, the country's labour minister stated that the company still has responsibilities in Italy that include clarifying its industrial plans. As PM Mario Monti stepped in talks were opened with the company leadership, and later on with the trade unions.
English: http://www.industriall-europe.eu/news/list2.asp?stid=41
http://www.corriere.it/english/12_settembre_19/monti ...
Unit labour costs (ULCs) in the OECD area rose by 0.3% in the second quarter of 2012, according to OECD statistics. Since the beginning of the financial crisis, unit labour costs in the euro area have risen by about 9%, 3 percentage points higher than the OECD average. However, rebalancing between euro countries has in most cases been on the way since the beginning of 2009. In Ireland, Spain and Portugal, ULCs have continued to fall or remain moderate, mainly driven by labour productivity growth as a result of significant cuts in employment.
English: http://www.oecd.org/std/labourstatistics/ULC_2012Q2_ Eng.pdf
Eurostat revealed that during the second quarter of 2012, nominal labour costs in Poland rose by 3.9% in comparison to the same period a year earlier. The European statistical agency said that the rise was due largely to pay rises, and not new overhead costs or taxes. However, with inflation at nearly 4% for that period, according to Poland's statistical office, in real terms, the country labour costs remain about even. In the meantime unemployment has remained a serious problem in since the economic transformation in the early 1990s. It currently stands at 12.3%.
English: http://www.wbj.pl/article-60387-wages-rising-in-line-with-inflation.html
The TUC's latest economic report looks at male and female employment trends since the recession. While male unemployment rose fastest during the first two years of the recession, female unemployment has risen more sharply in the last two years, mainly due to public sector job losses. The report shows that the type of work women are doing has changed considerably since the recession. While the number of women in full-time employee jobs has fallen by 170,000, nearly 200,000 more women now describe themselves as being self-employed. The proportion of women in part-time jobs who would prefer full-time is also rising - continuing a trend that began in 2004.
English: http://www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-21429-f0.cfm
http://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/376/Economic_Report_Four.pdf
After protests against SPA Peugeot Citron's announcement it will be cutting 8000 jobs, reported in last month's newsletter, demonstrations have now been announced in front of the Elyse palace. The management's restructuring plan came as a heavy blow to the auto industry. Earlier, President Hollande vouched to do everything in his power to prevent the job losses, yet little progress has been made.
English: http://www.equaltimes.org/news/france-greve-a-venir-lavenir-est-sombre-pour ...
A report published in early August by the Federation of the Finnish Technology Industry indicated that the country's cost competitiveness had declined in comparison with its main competitors. In the following debate the employer representatives have repeatedly referred to the strength of the German export industry, in particular, and hinted that Finland should copy this example. According to the unions employers have totally ignored the employee perspective when referring to Germany's example. The unions categorically reject any model that attempts to curtail living incomes.
English: http://www.artto.kaapeli.fi/unions/T2012/p36
Trade unions are meeting the management of Bord na M¢na, who lost 2.5m tons of peat over the last four months due to bad weather. While restructuring plans were already underway, the bad harvest has worsened the company's financial situation. Closure of the workshop at Boora and staff reductions in Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Roscommon and Mayo are expected. In direct response to the bad harvest, 105 seasonal employees who would work in the company's feedstock business this winter will lose their job, 90 employees will be affected by a short-time working scheme and several full-time staff will be redeployed to the feedstock business.
English: http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0907/bord-na-mona-peat-harvest.html
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0918/105-bord-na-mona-seasonal-staff-to-lose-jobs.html
According to figures published by Eurostat, wages and salaries per hour worked grew in the euro area by 1.7% and the non-wage component by 1.2% in the year up to the second quarter of 2012, compared with 1.6% and 1.3% respectively for the previous quarter. In the EU27, hourly wages and salaries rose by 1.9% and the non-wage component by 1.4% in the year up to the second quarter of 2012, compared with 1.5% and 1.6% respectively for the first quarter of 2012.
English: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache ...