Collective Bargaining

There has been a new agreement derived from the unitary agreement agreed between unions and employers' federations on on 16 June. It is a merger of all previous agreements (CCN's) in the craft metal industry, facilities, dental labs and goldsmiths into one. Thus, it covers nearly 500,000 workers from 150,000 businesses. In addition to an average wage increase of €86, the agreement amends, among other things, the provisions on part-time work, fixed-term contracts, the integration contract and apprenticeship.
English: http://www.planetlabor.com/Articles/plonearticle.2011-06-21.5400759191/

Two global union federations will show the red card to Women's World Cup sponsor Deutsche Post/DHL, in a campaign targeting its involvement in the tournament which is taking place in Germany from 26 June to 17 July. UNI global union and the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) accuse the German-based multinational's subsidiary, the logistics giant DHL, of committing fouls against its own team. UNI and the ITF say that Deutsche Post is using the Women's World Cup to present itself as a company that fights for human rights, equality and fairness. Yet, they allege, employees around the world report that DHL regularly violates these principles. Ingo Marowsky, ITF organising globally coordinator, said: "Once again we press the company to ensure that all its 470,000 workers receive decent treatment, and that the reported abuses in some of its operating countries are eliminated immediately."
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/UNINews.nsf/vwLkpById ...; http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1106/S00609/unions-call-foul-on-world ...

The minimum monthly wage is to increase by BGN 30 (? 15.40), from BGN 240 to BGN 270 (? 138.65), on 1 September. The news was reported by the president of the Confederation of Independent Syndicates (KNSB), Plamen Dimitrov, speaking after a meeting of the so-called Three-Way Council between trade unions, business and cabinet. Both KNSB and the other main union confederation, Podkrepa, continue to insist that the minimum wage should be increased on 1 July, as previously announced. Dimitrov further said that unions agreed on the amount of BGN 270 as an intermediary step, and would demand another upgrade, at least to BGN 290 (? 148.90), after 1 January 2012.
English: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129564; http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129491

In mid-June, 450 of the 2,900 IT workers of CSC Danmark, the country's second largest private supplier of IT solutions, went on strike; more than 300 workers picketed outside the Valby headquarters of the company. CSC's relations to the state go back decades and ministries and public services rely heavily upon its services; if the strike continues, citizen services may be disrupted. The IT specialists at strike are members of the Prosa trade union. In February 2011 CSC told them they would have to accept a 10% cut in pay. After their refusal, Prosa and CSC went into arbitration. This went on without results until early June when Prosa's members refused CSC's final offer, that implied guaranteeing current salaries for three more years, but cut the existing lay-off compensation package of 23 months of full salary by more than half. Other cuts included free lunches and stipends for training. The conflict now has been handed over to the Labour Court.
English: http://www.cphpost.dk/business/business/119-business/51841-it-workers-at-war ...via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Denmark

There are now two collective agreements in the Durch energy sector - one for production and supply companies (PLB) and the other for network companies (NWB). There are similarities between these new agreements that both run for 24 months from 1 May 2011 to 1 May 2013: both apply a 1.5% overall pay increase in both 2011 and 2012, and both have contributions into a so-called benefit budget which workers can apply depending on their personal preference for particular benefits such as more leave. In the PLB agreement the benefit budget payments are 0.5% of salary in 2012 and 0.75% in 2012. The NWB payments are slightly less, with 0.5% in both years. Both agreements also raise the fee for personal development from €300 to €500. The PLB includes 1% of the paybill for employment measures while the NWB deal has 2% on this.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/426Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao%27s/Alle-Cao%27s/plb/;http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao%27s/Alle-Cao%27s/nwb/; http://www.mijnvakbond.nl/CAO-Energie

The JHL public sector union has welcomed some of the elements of the new government's programme. It is pleased about the commitment to offer a new job security agreement in the municipal sector when the current agreement expires in 2013. JHL president Tuire Santam„ki-Vuori also welcomed the decision to end the productivity scheme in the state sector, which according to the union badly failed. Yet, she criticised the tightening financing of welfare services and the weak approach to the current legislative deficiencies concerning temporary employees, agency labour and the self-employed.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/426; http://www.jhl.fi/portal/en/news ...

On 8 June, the ver.di services union negotiators secured a €30 per month increase (average 1.1%) for workers at the KfH-GML health company. This was after challenging negotiations with the KfH management pushing for a pay freeze, lay-offs and restructuring. The deal includes special arrangements to support those who are asked to change jobs as part of the restructuring process. The company employs over 7,000 workers across Germany. The agreement, lasting till 1 March 2012, is still subject to membership ballot.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/426
German: http://gesundheit-soziales.verdi.de/tarifpolitik/private_konzerne/kfh

A report by the Kommunal municipal union looks at pay developments over a 10-year period and finds that managers in local authorities have seen their pay increase by 51% while directors of county (regional) authorities have received increases totalling 80%. In contrast, the average increase for workers has been 41%. If workers had had the same increase as local managers then they would now be SEK 1,400 (? 153) a month better off, or even SEK 5,700 (? 623) better off if they had had the county directors' increase. The union also found that the directors of private health companies earn on average 13 times their employees' level of salary.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/426Swedish: http://www.kommunal.se/Kommunal/Nyheter/2011/Juni/De-hogsta ...

At its recent conference the International Labour Organisation (ILO) acknowledged trade union accusations of attacks on public sector workers' pay and conditions as well as government action to undermine collective bargaining in both Greece and Romania. In the case of Greece the ILO is organising a high-level mission to the country to investigate the matters further. Details of the discussions are in the ILO report PR No.18 / Part 2 - Report of the Committee on the Application of Standards: Observations and information concerning particular countries, pages 68-72 (Greece).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/426; http://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/100thSession/reports/provisional-records ...

A concerted mobilisation campaign by nine trade union organisations and four professional associations has led to a commitment from the government to an improved recognition of qualifications for social and educational workers. Demonstrations on 16 March, 7 April and most recently on 16 June have resulted in the government promising draft regulations recognising specific diplomas by autumn 2011. The unions are also demanding a meeting with government ministers to make progress on their other key demand: a movement up the pay scale and comparable salary improvements in the private sector.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/426
French: http://www.cfdt.fr/rewrite/article/34456/communication/communique ...