Collective Bargaining

The municipal workers' unions Fagforbundet, YS Kommune and Delta have signed a new agreement that focuses on working with the employers to improve local services. The agreement, a follow-up to the initiative on quality municipal services run from 2005, includes several elements including action on sickness absence, recruitment and competence, providing full-time work and improving the image of local government. The agreement comes shortly after scandals of low pay and poor working conditions in the care and waste sectors have been exposed, with temporary agency workers being exploited rather than services provided by directly employed workers on decent pay and conditions.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/411
Norwegian: http://www.fagbladet.no/nyheter/article5527239.ece http://www.ys.no/kunder/ys/cms.nsf/%28 . ; http://www.delta.no/Nyheter/9356.cms

The regional labour court in Hamburg has rejected the claim by the church-run Agaplesion hospital that strike action by its employees was illegal. It was about six strikes including 120 employees. This is the second time that a regional labour court has ruled in favour of ver.di union members who have taken strike action over pay and conditions. Ver.di is now calling on church employers to recognize that they are in a normal employment relationship with their workers and so should negotiate collective agreements with the union (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 February, April and June 2010).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/411
German: http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen/showNews?id= ...

Nine trade union organisations are working together to improve pay and conditions of the predominantly female workforce in a range of social service occupations. The unions believe that demonstrations held on 16 March were crucial in getting the CSFPT committee responsible for local and regional government to withdraw plans to maintain a range of social service occupations in the B pay grade. Unions are calling for proper recognition of workers' qualifications in the sector and for jobs to be moved up to the A salary grade. A further day of action is planned for 7 April.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/411
French: http://www.cfdt.fr/rewrite/article/32736/secteur-professionnel . http://www.spterritoriaux.cgt.fr/spip.php?article4631 http://www.fo-publics-sante.org/home

The umbrella trade union confederation (CMKOS) plans a campaign against the centre-right government's reforms, but it would not release details yet, CMKOS chairman Jaroslav Zavadil told reporters. He added that the unions would decide on possible more radical steps after a tripartite meeting of representatives of the government, trade unions and employers to be held on 21 April and to discuss the draft pension, health care and tax reforms as well as changes in the Labour Code. One day earlier, Independent Unions Association (ASO) head Bohumir Dufek mentioned the possibility of a general strike in protest against the tax reform proposed by the Finance Ministry.
English: http://praguemonitor.com/2011/03/22/unions-plan-campaign-against-govt-reforms

The annual round of pay-related negotiations between the LO union confederation and NHO, the national employers' organization, has begun, with both sides hoping to reach a negotiated agreement before the 1 April deadline (Afterwards, the state arbitrators would be required to intervene). Norwegian media have predicted a relatively calm negotiation period, although there are still issues that could lead to the involvement of state arbitration. This year's negotiations are midway the 2010-2012 period, meaning that only the issue of wages is officially on the table. LO President Roar Fl†then has expressed that the unions' priorities during the negotiations would be the low-paid and the issue of equal wages - meaning a particular focus on low-paid women. Regarding temporary agency work, following relevations about questionable working practices of temp agency Adecco, Fl†then stated that permanent employment should remain the norm and the use of temp work the exception.
English: http://www.newsinenglish.no/2011/03/21/national-wage-negotiations . http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/labour-inspectorate-scrutinizes-staffing-industry/

The Association of Free Trade Union of Slovenia (AFTUS) is protesting against the government's attempts to introduce a new form of precarious work, substantially reducing workers' rights, and calls internationally for protest letters in solidarity. The Slovenian government is proposing new legislation that would allow the unemployed, students and pensioners up to 60 hours per week and 720 hours per year of employment but with less rights, such as lower pay, no reimbursement of work-related costs (meals during work, travel to and from work, business trips), no remuneration for sick leave or parental leave, no holiday allowance, no severance pay and no annual holidays. The AFTUS comments, "We are certain that enforcement of this form of work will increase precarious work, decrease employment for indefinite time (which is the rule today) or fixed-term employment (which should be an exception but is becoming a rule), increase social exclusion and poverty, all in the name of better competitiveness."
English: http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=26005&l=2

The Solidarity trade union has declared a state of strike readiness to signal its concern over fast increasing prices and the situation of Polish families, which the union says is deteriorating dramatically. One hundred union delegates from all over the country, who met in Lodz to discuss the country's social and economic situation, adopted a resolution on staging demonstrations in provincial capitals most likely in May. A nationwide protest action is to be held in Warsaw. Solidarity claims that the government is not realising its constitutional duty to protect the poorest people sufficiently well. "We will begin the European presidency on 1 July. We want to show Europe that it is not as nice in Poland as Prime Minister Tusk suggests", says the union's National Committee leader Piotr Duda.
English: http://www.thenews.pl/national/artykul151445_solidarity-trade-union-prepares ... via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Poland

The 28 affiliates of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Slovakia (KOZ) have started creating an offfensive answer to the efforts of the centre-right government coalition to impose draconic labour laws reforms. KOZ and its trade unions have launched a petition drive to change the eight-hour work day to one of seven and a 25-hour work week, with no reduction in salaries. The campaign already has the necessary 350,000 signatures needed to put an initiative up for vote under Slovakia's referendum law. But the unions will continue collecting signatures, in part, to galvanise support against Prime Minister Iveta Radicova's labour code revisions to cut worker protections.
English: http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4317-Slovak-Trade-Unions .

The Bulgarian state rail company (BDZ)ÿstrike announced for 10 and 11 March has been called off after unions and managers from BDZ and the National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) signed an agreement late on 10 March. It was agreed that no redundancies will be made among the current operative staff. Also, any staff trimming would be carried out only through collective agreement, implying union consent. Additionally, any redundancies in the administration would be subject to further negotiation. Shedding 30% of the 6,000 railway staff was one of the conditions of a loan by the IMF and the European Union to the Bulgarian government. Earlier, a number of meetings between union representatives, BDZ management and government officials did not lead to a solution (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 December 2010; Year 4 January and February2011).
English: http://www.sofiaecho.com/2011/03/11/1057656_bdz-train-strike ...

Strike action scheduled to start in the construction sector on Thursday 10 March was cancelled after parties to the dispute approved a compromise proposal of the National Conciliator Essa Lonka. Part of the deal is aimed at battling the grey economy in the building trade. The deal will now go for final approval by the boards of the Finnish Construction Trade Union and the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries RT. The agreement put forward by the National Conciliator calls for an immediate 2.55% wage rise. An overtime ban in the sector has also been called off. The Construction Trade Union had initially demanded a 3.5% wage rise, whereas the employers' first offer was 1.6%. Union leader Matti Harjuniemi told a press agency that he believes the new contract will be approved.
English: http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2011/03/strike_averted_in_construction ...