In the government coalition there is a clear split visible over the issue of €1,000-a-year pay increases for public sector workers, notably aimed for teachers, nurses and guards and most civil servants. Health Minister and Fine Gael deputy leader, James Reilly, told a newspaper that the government must seriously consider getting rid of the pay hikes - days after Public Spending Minister, Labour Party's Brendan Howlin, defended them in parliament. T naiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Eamon Gilmore has consistently said increments are part of the Croke Park deal.
English: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/coalition-split-over-payment ...
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Backed by the FNV Bondgenoten union, thousands of cleaners continue their strike combined with actions in various Dutch cities. According to their spokespersons, employers and principals have yet not adequately responded on the issues that keep parties from reaching an agreement for 150,000 employed such as sick pay, enough time to do the job properly, and more respect and appreciation on the job. On 13 January, 2,500 cleaners took part in a "March for Respect" in The Hague. A temporary suspension of the actions and a lowering of pay demand from 5 to 2.5% did not result in any change in the position of the OSB employers' association. In reaction the cleaners and their union have decided to new actions, including marches in Utrecht and Groningen. Meanwhile, and though the OSB says this does not contribute to a solution of the conflict, some principals have announced to lower work pressure for cleaners, notably Dutch Railways (NS), the Rotterdam Polytechnic and the Rotterdam municipality (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 December 2011).
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/uni.nsf/pages/homepageEn?Opend . ; http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220846.html
Dutch: De Volkskrant, 23 and 26 January 2011; http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl/nieuws/nieuwsarchief/2012/januari.
Unions at Budapest public transport company BKV have announced that on 7 February they will hold a demonstration in front of the company's headquarters. The demonstration is intended to call attention to the management's failure to consult employees on collective contracts and wages, the organisers said. Attila Gulyas, chairman of the local union said it was detestable that the central and municipal governments were keeping BKV on the brink of bankruptcy, which means that the standard of services is going down.
English: M t Komiljovics, union correspondent
Talks between management and the Air Transport Association Union (LESZ) at Malev Ground Handling (a unit of national carrier Malev Hungarian Airlines) on a collective contract have been broken off and the union has formed a strike committee, said LESZ chairman Attila Csorba. The contract ended 31 December 2011, but the union wants to extend it with some changes for another three years, according to Csorba. He said the union's demands would not raise payroll costs. According to Malev the only issue concerning the collective contract was the length of time for which it should be extended. LESZ is demanding a 10% pay increase and a 5% rise in headcount, the airline said. The first round of strike talks is to take place soon, parties expected.
English: M t Komiljovics, union correspondent
A united trade union front, including the FGTB-ABVV, CSC-ACV and ACLVB confederations, staged a nationwide general strike against austerity measures and in favour of protecting jobs on Monday 30 January, not accidentally the day EU leaders met in Brussels. .In the light of European austerity policies and a disappointing economic growth policy, the union front fears that in Belgium working people and people receiving social security benefits will be the target of further austerity measures in addition to those already decided by the government. In spite of polls saying that only a minority of Belgians supported the strike, it was widespread and clearly the largest in two decades. The railway network closed, buses and trams sat in depots, schools and shops shut and production stopped at the factories of many companies including carmakers Audi and Volvo, Coca Cola, and imaging group Agfa-Gevaert. High-speed international trains, such as the Eurostar to/from London and Thalys to/from Paris, were not running into or out of the country as of late on Sunday. At Europe's second busiest port, Antwerp, all container and some bulk cargo terminals were shut (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 November and December 2011).
English:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/30/uk-belgium-strike ...; http://www.euronews.net/2012/01/30/unions-want-to-reverse-austerity .
Dutch: http://www.dealternatieven.be/
French: http://www.csc-en-ligne.be/
Nearly 22,000 secondary school teachers joined in a successful strike called by the FNV-affiliated teachers' union, the Algemene Onderwijsbond (AOb), on 26 January. About 200 schools closed. This strike opposed the latest government Bill imposing new additional classroom hours for students, and curtailing teachers' holidays by one week. Basically, those on strike protested the growing workload of secondary school teachers, the continuous changes in legislation and regulation, and the lack of respect and recognition from the side of the authorities.
English: http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/2067
Dutch: NRC-Handelsblad 25, 26 and 27 January 2011
On Tuesday 24 January, nationwide strike action and traffic blocks of truck drivers, among which many self-employed, have disrupted traffic and industrial supply. Five Fiat car factories had to close temporarily. The truckers' actions are opposing a new government tax that has increased fuel prices. Their organisations have announced further strikes in February, as have done doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and other professional groups in protest of various aspects of the reforms planned by the Monti government. The main union confederations obviously take a cautious stand regarding the social unrest. Raffaele Bonanni, leader of the CISL confederation, said, concerning the truckers: "There needs to be a solution that gives hope to the workers. They do an exhausting job and they are undercut by truck drivers from other countries."
English: http://www.agi.it/english-version/business/elenco-notizie/20120128 ...; http://news.ph.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5801867
A particular role in the Belgian national strike was played by the dock workers. They had a walk-out for 24 hours not only in protest of the austerity policies but also in defense of their professional status. At Europe's second busiest port, Antwerp, all container and some bulk cargo terminals were shut, with shipping traffic suffering delays due to suspended port services. Under Belgian law only workers who are registered can carry out dockers' work but plans have now been announced to "modernise" the organisation of labour in ports. When pressed, the government has failed to define exactly what is meant by this and unions are concerned that the status of dockers and the legal protection of their jobs could be undermined. In addition, there is widespread feeling amongst union reps that meetings with employers over the terms of collective agreements for dock workers have not resulted in satisfactory outcomes.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/30/uk-belgium ...; http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/6959
The ver.di services union has reached a negotiation result at Lufthansa for about 33,000 employed, after the employer improved its offer. The union's bargaining committee has agreed with the outcomes. The agreement includes a pay hike of 3.5%, starting 1 Januari 2012 and expiring 31 January 2013, for ground services, Lufthansa Systems, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cargo. At Lufthansa Service Gesellschaft (LSG) an employment guarantee and a lump-sum payment of €250 was agreed, with at least €100 for part-time workers. A number of additional payments have also been increased with 5%. Ver.di board member Christine Behle regarded the result as positive, also as the time schedules for the various agreements in the company are harmonised.
German: http://www.verdi.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/++co++ba4 .
The SIPTU general union has prevented the outsourcing of cleaning at two hospitals following the threat of industrial action. The union had challenged the plans of the Health Service (HSE) management to privatise the cleaning without consultation. The Croke Park national agreement on public sector pay and restructuring requires consultation with trade unions over any planned outsourcing. The unions have proposed an alternative that involves extra hours of work for home helps. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said: "This is a very important agreement for health service staff and ends an attempt by HSE management to breech the terms of the Croke Park Agreement."
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/456 ; http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2012/othernews/fullstory,15397,en.html