Collective Bargaining

On the 7th of March 16,000 teachers started on a three-day strike demanding a 20% pay rise. The teachers unions rejected the earlier offer from the education minister to raise the wages by 15%, from €608 to €700 from 2013 onwards as insufficient and too late. Both school and kindergarten teachers went on strike, receiving support, amongst others, from the state-owned Narva power plant workers and the transport unions.
English: http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/30767/ ;
http://news.err.ee/education/05c28560-ea5a-47aa-a5f2-fb6f936d2033;
http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/energy/?doc=54339

Promoting parenthood is the key novelty in the agreement signed on February 21 by TNT Post Italia, the SLP-Cisl, SLC-CGIL, UIL-Poste and UIL-Trasporti union federations and the Unitary Trade Union Representation Bodies (RSUs). It extends to all mail and package delivery centers (except the one in Modena) the decrease of the workweek from 6 down to 5 days, which was first introduced in centers, affected by the termination of the contract with Poste Italiane. When the 6th workday is required, the employees will be able to put the hours worked on a bank of hours, which will be used to improve parental leave.
English: http://www.planetlabor.com/Articles/plonearticle.2012-03-07.5347743483/

A coalition of global union organisations is challenging DHL to prove its respect for the workforce that helped generate the solid profits that were announced at the Frankfurt home based transnational company. As part of the challenge to guarantee the same basic rights to all its workers and to recognise and respect labour rights the ITUC, UNI and ITF will be unveiling Respect at DHL, a new campaign website.
English: http://www.ituc-csi.org/as-profits-announced-unions.html?lang=en ; http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/7116

Following controversial strikes, a fundamental dispute over the much-cherished principle of collective bargaining in Germany has come to a head.ÿSmall unions are gaining a disproportionate amount of influence as the unionisation in some sectors is splintering, although the courts have often ruled that the splinters have to end their strikes. This development can be seen as a direct consequence of 2010 Federal Labour Court rulings that have put and end to the principle of Tarifeinheit (Bargaining unity) that had existed over 60 years. The rulings gave more rights to small unions to contest the basis system with only one agreement for a given company. The DGB unions are worried that professional groups that stand to benefit the most from strikes could abandon the principle of solidarity. Employers, for their part, fear that companies will face permanent turmoil in the future, because individual collective bargaining agreements will constantly be expiring.
English: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,819710,00.html

Monica Ocpe, a shop steward and local branch secretary for the Oslo Transport Workers' Union, was dismissed on 6th May 2011 by DHL local management at the Ulven terminal in Oslo for "unexplained absences". She has maintained throughout that the real reason for her dismissal was her trade union activities. The court has upheld this in a binding verdict in her favour.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/7111

On the 6th of March, around 2000 schools were closed due to a teachers' protest against the announced budget cuts in education. The cuts include 300 million on special needs education.
English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/03/teachers_strike_over_budget ...

At a Social Council meeting in late February, Mladen Novosel, the president of the Croatian Workers Union, challenged the government representatives who announced savings of around 260m euros with public sector cuts, by reducing employee benefits, and layoffs of about 5,000 freelance workers.
English: http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features ...
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/croatia-to-dismiss-five-thousand-public-servants

The Danish Employers Association Dansk Erhverv Arbejdsgiver and the trade unions HK Handel and HK Privat conclude a new agreement for 25,000 workers in the offices and storages branches. Included are improvements in training, a strengthening of the role of union representatives and better parental leave.
Danish: http://www.hk.dk/privat/nyheder/nyheder/marts_2012/ny_overenskomst_paa .

The Dansk Erhverv Arbejdsgiver employers' organisation and the HK Privat union signed, on 5 March, an agreement renewing the IT collective agreement (IT overenskomst). The duration is two years and the agreement is valid from 1 March 2012. Wages will increase as of 1 March 2012 and 2013 with 2.25%. The age to enter into the pension system will be lowered from 20 to 18 years. The system of two existing minimum wages rates (for professionals and for skilled work) will end and as of 1 March 2013 young workers will receive the same minimum wage (of 9,782 DK or €1315), regardless of the nature of their work.
Danish: http://www.danskerhverv.dk/OmDanskErhverv/Nyhedsbreve/Documents/ .

IMF and ICEM affiliated UK unions have rejected a social plan offered by the Vienna based paper-packaging company Mayr Melnhof for their UK plants. Industrial action started on the 10th of February and continued with sit-ins on the 18th after managers had attempted to lock workers out for removal of product. Talks in February and the 3rd of March broke down after the company proposed redundancy packages on lesser terms than offered in earlier meetings. Mayr Melnhof suggested a more limited package in exchange for fewer layoffs, however, it refused to guarantee the lower number of job losses.
English: http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=29169&l=2 ; http://www.icem.org/en/19-Pulp-Paper/4924-Mayr-Melnhof-Lockout-Continues-at-UK .