Collective Bargaining

CFDT Interco trade union confederation announced it is conducting a survey questionnaire among workers of local government and some branches of the central government who are on permanent or temporary contracts, enquiring after their working conditions and other concerns. The union aims to formulate its key demands for the public sector based on the outcomes of the survey.
French: http://www.cfdt.fr/rewrite/article/40998/communication ...
Partial reversal of pension age hike
June6, 2012
The government announced on 6 June that it will reverse the increase of the pension age from 60 to 62 for a limited group of workers. An estimated 110,000 workers who started their labour markets careers at age 18 and have made social security contributions for at least 41 years, will be allowed to retire at 60. The measure is expected to cost around 1.1 billion euros. According to the trade unions the measure is a step in the right direction but they expressed disappointment at the small number of people benefiting from the reversal.
English: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_807781.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9314666/French-president ...
French: http://www.liberation.fr/economie/2012/06/06/retraite-a-60-ans-un-geste ...

The Confederation of the Independent Syndicates in Bulgaria (KNSB) organised a protest in front of the Justice ministry on 10 June. The prison guards demand more funding for the overcrowded prisons, higher wages and better benefits. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee too, has repeatedly addressed the issue of overcrowding with the government, stating it visited prisons where toilets were lacking and some prisoners were sleeping on the floor on mats.
English:http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=140141

Trade unions active in Fiat gathered in Torino and formulated a joint position towards the insufficient information that is provided by the company. While restructuring is going on across Europe workers' representatives lack any involvement on the measures that have been taken. The unions ask for a responsible and socially sustainable policy, without site closures and forced redundancies, based on comprehensive information and consultation procedures.
English: http://www.fiom.cgil.it/auto/fiat/documentazione ...
Italian: http://www.fiom.cgil.it/auto/fiat/documentazione ...

Airline KLM, part of the Air France - KLM group, has announced a freeze of salaries until 2015 to avoid layoffs whilst cutting back a 115 million euro in three years' time. Partner company Air France also announced cut backs including 5000 redundancies. The company furthermore stated it wants to reduce holiday allowances and waiting time on long flights. Trade unions have expressed their disagreement with the pay freeze but stated that their priorities will be that the burden of the cuts will be fairly shared and to avoid involuntary redundancies.
English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/06/airline_klm_to_freeze ...
Dutch: http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl/nieuws/nieuwsarchief/2012/juni ...

Trade unions Pro, the Metalworkers' Union, the Electrical Workers' Union, the Construction Workers' Union, the Finnish Engineers' Association and the Union of Professional Engineers have threatened with industrial action at the TVO nuclear power plant construction site Ulkiluoto 3 unless working conditions of the mainly foreign work force improve rapidly. The unions report that despite earlier talks between management and the unions, workers (mainly employed by subcontractors) receive salaries below the minimum wage, are forced to work overtime without compensation, receive no or limited health care, are poorly housed and face intimidation when joining a union. TVO management denies the accusations and says to have no knowledge of any workers' rights abuses on the construction site.
English: http://yle.fi/uutiset/unions_plan_action_against_nuclear_utility/6170889

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced it will be cutting 177 jobs in Cork but that Ireland will remain its key location. Pfizer said the company will install a voluntary redundancy scheme to try to avoid compulsory redundancies. If the scheme fails to perform, however, the company will seek compulsory redundancies. The lay-offs are said to be due to a switch to drugs that are more easily manufactured as well as a number of products come off patent. Unions and Pfizer are set to discuss the redundancy plan later, as the lay-offs are not planned until next year.
English: http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0606/pfizer-convenes-staff-meetings-in-cork.html
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/more-job-losses-likely-at-pharma-giant-pfizer ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18337318

Bus company Bus ireann told trade unions it needs to cut annual spending by 20 million euros but seeks to avoid redundancies. The company has asked unions to agree to a voluntary severance scheme, a longer working week for clerical and executive employees and redeployment both between departments, lower salaries for new employees, cutbacks in holiday payment, sick leave and worker allowances as well as geographical areas without compensation. Unions have threatened industrial action if workers' pay is slashed. The bus company got into trouble at increased competition, higher fuel prices and reduced government subsidies. The Irish rail company, Iarnr¢d ireann, is currently discussing a redundancy package for 450 employees and the Dublin bus management and unions are also in cost saving negotiations.
English: http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0606/management-and-unions ...
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/union-on-warpath-over-bus-eireanns-20m-cuts ...
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/dublin-bus-staff-face-pay-cuts ...

Atlantic Homecare has appointed an interim examiner to oversee its administration and announced to trade unions that it will be closing 13 of its stores in Ireland. SIPTU and the examiner are expected to meet over job losses and redundancy packages.
English: http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2012/featurednews ...

In June 2011, the Prague court in preliminary opinion declared a strike called by CMKOS for later that month to be illegal. One day before the hearing before the court of appeal, the Ministry of Finance has withdrawn its proposal. Angered trade union officials claim the ministry has known for almost a year that the court of appeals would reject the criminalisation of the strike but refused to withdraw the accusation until the last moment in order to uphold the preliminary ruling as long as possible.
English: http://www.eucoban.eu/EMF/Reports/Czech-Legal-dispute-over-the-right-to-strike [close]

Unison has started a ballot among members on a possible industrial action at Birmingham University, the first in 30 years. The support staff at the university is disappointed that contrary to some other universities, Birmingham has refused the demanded 2% wage increase that would lift pay to the living wage level. University management says that at 1,2% its offer regarding the support staff wages exceeds that of any other employee group at the university , while it remains the only group to decline the wage offer.
English: http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2012/06/06 ...