CYPRUS Airways (CY) pilots held a four-hour work stoppage, affecting four flights to and from London and Paris. The pilots planned to sue the CY board of directors for continuing to cut 9.0 % of their salaries this year, when they had only agreed to the measure in 2011. The pilots' union's (PASYPI) criticized the one-sided decision to continue to illegally cut salaries, even though the labour ministry's mediators service had instructed the two sides to consult to renew the collective agreements until February 23, when whatever was cut illegally for 2012 should be paid back retroactively.
English: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/ca-pilots/four-hour-strike-cy-pilots/20120403
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/work-stoppage/cy-blasts-pilots-over-planned-strike/20120404
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Trade union confederations and employers have agreed on the work career agreement prior to a meeting where the government was due to make (and also made) decisions on a budget framework for several years to come. The agreement raises pension contributions - paid by both employers and employees - in 2015 and again in 2016. The contributions to be paid by both parties (employers and employees) are set to rise in these consecutive years by 0.4 percentage points. The increases are necessary to safeguard the financing of future earnings-based pensions. Employers wanted to lift the minimum age of retirement from the present 63 years to 65 years. This 63-year minimum age remains untouched in the agreement but the reform package will make it, in two other ways, more difficult to become a pensioner. The option to become an old-age pensioner prematurely will be closed in 2014 and the minimum age for part-time pension will be raised from the present 60 years to 61 years in 2015.
English: http://www.artto.kaapeli.fi/unions/T2012/p14
Two of the largest trade unions in the country have signed a memorandum with the Nordic Transport Workers' Federation. After large protests by the Estonian unions last month (reported in the March edition of the CBN), Nordic unions will invest over 120,000 euros into Estonia to implement new operating methods and recruit at least 1,000 new union members in fields related to transport.
English: http://news.err.ee/economy/ef6900aa-2338-42f4-9a17-5bc907e64776
Local union VASAS organised a warning strike at Hungarian steel industry leader ISD DUNAFERR. Dunaferr has refused to offer wage increases exceeding the rate of inflation (4,5%) and attempted to replace collectively agreed pay elements such as holiday pay, by incentive pay elements. After the failed negotiations, VASAS union announced it will continue to fight for workers' rights and is prepared to initiate a general strike.
English: http://www.eucoban.eu/EMF/Reports/Warning-strike-at-Dunaferr
New retirement rules for judges to launch
April 2012
More and more judges confirmed to the Hungarian newspaper "Npszabads g" that they will soon receive an official document from the President of Hungary. According to the new rules, the retirement of judges should be in line with general pension rules. The new rules require public servants to retire at the age of 62. According to the government, judges had enjoyed positive discrimination so far by retiring at the age of 70. All other civil servants retire at the age 65 in the past. As of 30 June 2012 judges over 62 will be dismissed. Overall, nearly ten percent of the judiciary is forced to leave earlier. The judges have sent a petition to the Constitutional Court of Hungary and the European Court of Human Rights.
Source: Mat Komiljovics
The National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) has announced it is willing to make free assets for Vita Cortex at receiving assurances that the money will be used for the redundancy payments of the company's former employees. Seeking agreed supplementary redundancy payments of 0.9 weeks per worked year, on top of the statutory two weeks, ex-workers are now into the 16th week of their sit in at Vita Cortex' sister company Vita Clean. The NAMA offer could end the long running conflict.
English: http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2012/mainnews/fullstory,15747,en.html
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/vita-protesters-block-sister-company-188988.html
Irish workers made redundant with the closure of video games retailer Game were left disappointed with news that a rescue deal would only save the group's UK stores. A deal to invest in the 333 British Game stores will not affect the Irish stores. Five remaining GAME shops in Northern Ireland look set to transfer to new owners and continue to trade.
English: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/hope-fades-for-game-staff-3068008.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17578706
Workers at ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Galati, who work on steel platform, have entered into an indefinite general strike, demanding increase of wages and of the two annual bonuses.ÿEmployees are dissatisfied with the wage offer and triggered the protest after Monday 26th entered into a two-hour warning strike, which was followed by further discussions between management and employees, but without result. Employees require the increase by up to RON 200 (?45) of wages and by RON 50ÿ(?11) to the two annual Easter and Christmas primes that are now RON 400 (?90) each.
English: http://www.thediplomat.ro/articol.php?id=2983
Verdi organised a strike on Thursday 29 March with more than 10,000 workers engaged across Germany as the wage talks failed to reach an agreement. The management so far has not come up with acceptable proposals according to the union. The union demands wage increases of 6.5% for the workforce (of around 85,000 workers). Further demands aim to improve the situation of the lowest wage earners (including for apprentices a monthly increase of €70).
English: http://www.telecompaper.com/news/verdi-calls-deutsche-telekom-workers .
German: http://tk-it.bayern.verdi.de/tarifverhandlungen-2012/deutsche-telekom ; http://hannover.verdi.de/aktuelles/archiv/archiv-2012-01-quartal/pm-2012-03-29
The general strike called by the country's main trade union confederations UGT and CCOO for the 29th of March has affected the country's road, rail and air transport. Unions announce large numbers of factory workers joined the strike and a number of regional television stations went off-air. Production in the car and metal industries has stalled. Unions indicate the size of the protest pointing at a 20% fall in electricity demand nationally by 8 o'clock in the morning. Employer's organisation CEOE states that participation is unequally spread through the country and focused on big enterprises. The unions protest against an announced labour law reform which amongst others reduces severance pay, allows company-level collective agreements to undercut branch-level agreements and gives employers more scope to impose changes unilaterally, as reported in the February edition of this newsletter.
English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17545174 ; http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/03/29/inenglish/1333009639_471744.html
Spanish: http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2012/03/28/actualidad/1332958776 .
Metal workers of the Lead and Zinc Complex in Kardzhali have blocked the main road into the mining town after a visit of Prime Minister Borisov to the company management failed to deliver a solution for the long overdue payment of wages. Workers from the Madan metal mines received their wages last week after the exploitation rights for the mine were transferred to a new company, but the Kardzhali complex is not subject to a state-granted concession and no solution is in sight for these workers. The Prime Minister announced his intention of speaking to the company's other creditors while unions warned that the actions would continue.
English: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137948