Collective Bargaining

Until early June, the collective bargaining round launched in March 2011 in the retail trade was at a dead end. Early in the morning of Friday 10 June, however, a regional agreement was reached in Baden-Wrttemberg. It provides for a 5% wage increase over 24 months, divided in 3.0% as of 1 June 2011 and 2.0% as of 1 June 2012. Moreover, a €50 once-only payment is foreseen by April 2012. A number of anti-discriminatory arrangements has been included too, in particular favouring young workers. This agreement could be a pilot for the other regions in Germany; against this backdrop the ver.di services union, which already organised warning strikes, is not about to stop yet. For several years, the retail trade, employing nearly 3 million people, has not been negotiating sectoral collective agreements and negotiations are carried out in a rather independent manner locally. Meanwhile, the social partners in wholesale trade, where the economic situation is much better, are starting to store up agreements rapidly negotiated.
English: http://www.planetlabor.com/Articles/plonearticle.2011-06-10.6520815439/
German: http://einzelhandel.verdi.de/tarif/tarifrunde-2011

On 16 June, unions in the public transport organised a 24-hours` strike in the country's main cities, as well as a march in Prague starting with a rally at Palacky Square. The actions were supported by the OS KOVO union confederation and aimed against the government's planned reforms of the pension, healthcare, welfare and tax systems, in particular against, what the unions call, "the pension robbery" and the plans to lift the retirement age to 70. Also, union leaders criticised corruption and the pilferage of finance from public budgets. Prague`s metro went to a halt for the first time ever and trains did not operate across the country. The public bus transport was limited, to a mere 30% in Prague alone, whereas elsewhere the percentage varied.
English: http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/czech-unionists-meet-in-prague ...; message of EUCOBAN network of EMF / EFFAT / ETUF-TCL / EMCEF

In mid-June the Irish employers' association, IBEC, told the European Commission that the country's wage-setting mechanisms need to be abolished and that government proposals do not go far enough. IBEC Director Brendan McGinty said the country cannot afford what he termed `legacy arrangements', adding that the UK abolished similar structures as far back as 1993. SIPTU union Divisional Organiser John King criticised IBEC's trip to Europe, stating: "IBEC should be engaging with the social partners and Irish government rather than travelling to Brussels to ask the European Commission to intervene in a process in which it has no competence. The Commission has no authority to dictate to a member state what its wage policy or wage setting mechanisms should be" (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 January, February, March and May 2011).
English: http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0615/jlc.html

On 14 June, thousands of workers around the country participated in a day of action and a national strike, demanding equal rights for women workers as well as a legal minimum wage. Various trade unions, like VP™D-SSP and UNIA, played a leading role among the more than 45 organisations that held the event. The complaint was repeated that in Switzerland women earn on average 19.8% less than men while performing the same job, despite the gender equality article in the Constitution. The actions featured breakfasts, numerous workplace events and protests at public sites in major cities, culminating in collective whistle blowing and the release of thousands of purple balloons around the country at 14:06. Later in the day, Geneva's famous water jet fountain was coloured purpled as part of the action (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 April and May 2011).
English: http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=26776&l=2; http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/labotz140611.html

Dockers in the port of Trieste are pledging to renew strike action that was suspended at the end of May 2011. The dockers, represented by three unions, initially went on strike over a seven-day period in May in a bid to end social dumping by terminal operators, cutting workers' pay and employing casual workers in substandard conditions. The workers want to see a pooling system established instead. According to current reports an earlier agreement between public and private aiming to establish a labour supply agency under the auspices of the port authority and managed by the operators, has failed. As a result, workers are set to take further strike action. They are being backed by the ITF and its European arm, the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 May 2011).
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/6065

Narva Power Plant workers have protested over the interpretation by the oil shale production company Eesti Energia Kaevandused of a collective agreement. In March 2011, 105 engineers were transferred from Narva Power Plants to the sister company Eesti Energia Kaevandused. Chairman Vladimir Aleksejev of the engineers' trade union said that the relocated workers must be included in a recently drawn up collective agreement. The deal, however, had been signed with Narva Power Plants, and Eesti Energia Kaevandused does not recognise it. Union leaders said the workers will lose a good part of their pay and social benefits (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 April 2011).
English: http://news.err.ee/Economy/eb2ec823-1cad-423d-b50b-05692dcec98b

On 5 June, several thousands of teachers staged a demonstration in Budapest in protest over the government's planned education reform. Members and supporters of five teachers' unions across the country gathered near Parliament and marched to the National Resources Ministry. Laszlo Mendrey, head of the Democratic Union of Teachers (PDSZ), said at the event that teachers want no more decisions on education without prior consultation: "Teachers can no longer tolerate that they are considered important but once every four years, ahead of the general elections." The protesters drew up a petition, demanding a 10% pay rise and a say in decisions on employers' rights, working hours of teachers, as well as salaries and benefits. Unless talks with the government yield a compromise, unions will hold a general strike in September at the beginning of the academic year, according to Mendrey.
English: M t‚ Komiljovics, union correspondent

The municipality of Espoo, the second largest city in the country, is trying to clamp down on contractors and sub-contractors that fail to comply with tax and employment rules. This applies particularly to companies providing cleaning services in schools and day-care centres that will face fines if they are found to infringe legal and contractual requirements. The JHL union welcomes the initiative and hopes that other cities and municipalities will follow Espoo's lead.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/425; http://www.jhl.fi/portal/en/news ...

Bus and tram workers in Zrich have taken industrial action to try to secure a collective agreement and protect paid breaks. The workers, members of the VP™D/SSP public service union, took the action in order to get a canton-wide (regional) collective agreement that would provide better protection for workers in the face of future liberalisation of the sector. Following a commitment from the employers to negotiate an agreement and improve industrial relations, the union has suspended the action but a strike committee will closely monitor progress with the negotiations.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/425
German: http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell/nachrichten/ansicht/article/kampfaktion-wirkt ...
French: http://www.ssp-vpod.ch/actualites/nouvelles.html

With a 70% majority, on 31 May the General Council of the ABVV/FGTB federation agreed with the basic agreement for the construction industry (180,000 workers). The negotiation delegation defended the result though they characterized it as "minimal" because of the wage increase of only 0.3% as of January 2012. In contrast, the increase in mobility allowances and some emprovements in leave arrangements were regarded as positive, as was the fact that the unions succeeded in maintaining the wage indexation system and the existing limits to internal flexibility. Three days earlier, the ACV/CSC federation council voted with 93% in favour of the agreement. As in between the employers' federation has also accepted the basic agreement, the new collective agreement will be ratified on 1 June.
Dutch: http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/996/Economie/article/detail/1271221 ... http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/996/Economie/article/detail/1272435/2011/05/31 ...