Collective Bargaining

After long negotiations with the Assuralia employers' association, a basic agreement for the insurance industry covering 2011 and 2012 was signed, that was agreed on 26 September by the sectoral committee for insurances. As the current law limits wage increases to 0.3% in 2011, the BBTK/SETCA union has focussed on improving the position of the lowest paid, in various ways. Before the end of 2011, all employees will receive an Ecocheque worth €150; as of 1 January 2012 salaries will be lifted by €16 gross per month or an Ecocheque of €190 will be paid, latest 31 March 2012. Parties have agreed on extra funding for continuous training, improvement of outplacement procedures and improvement of the position of those with limited contracts. Somewhat earlier, on 30 August, the sectoral agreement for banking has been signed. Both agreements are still subject to membership vote.
Dutch: http://www.bbtk.org/nieuws/Pages/verzekeringssectorontwerpakkoord.aspx
French: http://www.setca.org/News/Pages/protocoleaccordassurances.aspx

In an issue of Danish Labour News that is dedicated to the upcoming 37th National Congress of the LO union confederation, in October, the outcomes of a recent representative survey among 2,325 employees, carried out by the Gallup Institute, are presented. They show, according to LO, that workers lack basic knowledge on the Danish model. It is said to be quite telling in this respect that seven in ten workers responded that there is a statutory minimum wage in Denmark. However, a minimum wage exists only in collective agreements. LO argues that it is vital to know this, in particular as a minimum wage is only secured for those covered by collective agreement and, above all, as it means that "the individual worker can influence and share responsibility for setting the pay and working conditions. "
English: LO, Danish Labour News, September 2011

After a march on Tuesday night 2o September, on Wednesday 21 September thousands of teachers stayed off the job in Madrid. According to UGT union official Virginia Fernandez in Madrid 80% of the government's teachers did not show up to work in classrooms. Teachers in schools for children aged 12 to 18 are furious with Madrid's conservative-led government for budget cuts up to €120 million that will reduce staff and force them to teach two hours more per week, giving them less time for tutoring and other educational tasks. Human chains made up of thousands of protesting teachers, parents and their children were formed around the ministries of education in the capital for the central government and for Madrid's regional government. At the same time in the northwest region of Galicia teachers at both the elementary and secondary level went on strike to protest increased classroom hours. Union leader Marcelino Brea said 75% of teachers honored the union call.
English: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/markets/spanish-labor-unions ...

The dispute with Southampton City Council is continuing although the Unite and UNISON unions were due to re-open negotiations with the Council on 13 September. The dispute is over the council's attempt to impose pay cuts and to sack over 4,000 employees and re-employ them on contracts with poorer pay and conditions. Meanwhile UNISON members are also taking action against Barnet Council in North East London. There the council is attempting to outsource most of its services and retain only a small number of staff who would commission services from other providers. And in Birmingham, UNISON members on 21 September used the Liberal Democrat conference for a rally to protest about new employment contracts being introduced by the City Council, which the union said removed various pay enhancements and introduced insecurity over employment (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 May, June and July-August 2011).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/437; http://www.soton-unison-office.org.uk/latestnews.htm http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=7206 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-15001921

A coalition of 13 health unions has warned that a combination of increasing demand, shrinking resources and the current pay freeze, are putting staff under severe pressure. According to the unions the impact of the proposed pension changes and the massive programme of NHS reforms in the Health and Social Care Bill, are adding even more to the stress felt by staff. In their joint evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body, the unions, which represent staff including nurses, midwives, paramedics, therapists, porters, cooks and cleaners, highlight increasing concerns about how they can maintain the quality of patient care. Christina McAnea of UNISON, which submitted the evidence for the Review Body, said: "Stability is vital in any workforce - more so during a period of change. The current turmoil in the NHS is undermining staff morale and threatening the delivery of high quality patient care. On top of job cuts and ward closures, growing waiting lists and an attack on their pension, staff faces a reorganisation on an unprecedented scale" (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 July-August 2011).
English: http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__events/latest_news/pay_freeze_and_pressure ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/sep/20/unions-pay-rise-nhs-2013

On 12 September (the first day of the autumn session of Parliament), four trade union confederations started a "live chain" demonstration around the Parliament building in Budapest in protest against government measures already affecting employees as well as against the planned new Labour Code. The unions, demanding "fair social dialogue", argued the planned code would increase the vulnerability of employees. The presidents of the confederations, the Alliance of Autonomous Trade Unions (ASZSZ), the Trade Union Federation of Professionals (ESZT), the Federation of Hungarian Trade Unions (MSZOSZ) and the Cooperation Forum of Trade Unions (SZEF), told a press agency that employees representing all of their 130 unions had joined the rally. A new, multi-day protest meeting "in defense of democracy" started with a sit-in on Clark Ad m Square in Buda, organized by various trade unions, on Thursday 29 September, planned to last till Sunday 2 October. On 2 September, ETUC general secretary Bernadette S‚gol and the presidents of all six Hungarian union confederations met with EU Employment Commissioner L szl¢ Andor to express their serious concerns about the proposals to change the Labour Code. The ETUC pointed out that such changes clearly conflict with EU standards for social dialogue and the provisions of the fundamental charter of social rights (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 April, May and July-August 2011).
English: M t‚ Komiljovics, union correspondent; http://www.etuc.org/a/8995 http://www.politics.hu/20110930/unions-begin-multi-day-protest-defense-of-democracy ...

The two largest unions in the FNV union confederation have rejected a national deal on pensions. Late on 19 September, a large majority of the unions represented in the Federation Council of the FNV confederation voted in favour of the deal that FNV chair Agnes Jongerius earlier agreed with government and employers, including some extra concessions reached the week before in parliament. Yet, the Abvakabo FNV public service union and FNV Bondgenoten private sector union, representing a majority of FNV members but due to representation rules jointly lacking controlling voice in the Federation Council, continue to argue that the deal does not do enough to help low-paid workers who will lose out if they want to retire at 65 once the retirement age is increased to 66. They are concerned that the workers will be shouldering too much of the risk in terms of investment returns and there should be more of a commitment from employers to increase funding during economic downturns. Both unions have denounced their confidence in Agnes Jongerius, and will put forward their own pension demands in upcoming collective bargaining. A commission will be appointed to advise on the confederation's decision-making structure and culture. The CNV union confederation believes the pension accord is in the right direction but also has concerns over the impact on low-paid workers and those in difficult and stressful occupations (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 June and July-August 2011).
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/archief/281576 ...
http://www.cnv.nl/blog/blog-post/2011/09/13/bonden-en-minister-spreken ...
English: http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/trade-unions-vote-raise-retirement-age
http://www.europeanpensions.net/ep/Small-majority-of-FNV-in-favour ...

UNISON, the country's largest public service union, is calling for the National Minimum Wage (NMW) to rise substantially in October 2012, to reflect the increased cost of living in recent years, presently and expected in 2012. After 2012 the NMW should move in stages towards a living wage for all workers, currently in the region of UKP 8,00 (? 9,24) an hour depending on family size. The union's detailed submission to the Low Pay Commission argues that the NMW should not be frozen, or cut, or the economy will fail to recover. UNISON argues that, despite the claims of self-interested business lobbyists, there is no evidence that the NMW has caused unemployment in the last decade.
English: http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2445

More than 9,000 teachers from all over the country gathered in front of the Government Office on 13 September to express their discontent with what they call inadequate funding for schools. They demanded that the government systematically increase funding for the education sector so that its share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) becomes comparable with other EU countries by 2014. Trade unions representing teachers and other school employees stated that if the government fails to hear their demands and respond appropriately by the end of September, they will go on strike: "It will be announced either as a one-day warning strike or as an unlimited strike," said Jozef Luz k, chairman of the teachers' union. The unions are also asking that the salaries of teachers be increased to a level ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 times the country's average monthly salary, whereas this level is currently about the average. Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca has called this demand "unrealistic. "
English: http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/43928/3/teachers_want_more_than_just ...

On 7 September, Prime Minister Emil Boc made it clear that public sector workers are unlikely to get any pay increase in 2012 unless the economy in that year will grow by at least 3.5%. Earlier cost-cutting measures effective in 2011 as to meet the demands of the €20 billion loan agreed in 2009 and to reduce public spending, included a 25% cut in public salaries, a pension reform, public sector layoffs and tax raises.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/437; http://www.romania-insider.com/romanian-pm ...