Collective Bargaining

Unions across the public sector have been taking a range of measures in support of migrant workers. In particular, they have been demanding tighter controls on sub-contracting to prevent migrant workers being exploited in a two-tier labour market. With more contracting out in the public sector and then further sub-contracting, it becomes harder to monitor the application of collective agreements, and unions want more effective legislation to solve this problem. A recent case taken up by the Electrical Workers' Union exposed how Turkish employees of a sub-contractor were not being paid the agreed rates.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/390; http://www.artto.kaapeli.fi/unions/T2010/fipsu01; http://www.artto.kaapeli.fi/unions/T2010/n38

Public sector unions are planning a one-day strike on 8 December in protest at the government plans to cut public sector pay by 10%. The unions argue that the cut is unacceptable and will be compounded by other cuts to social provision proposed by the government. They also argue that the cuts will have negative impact on the quality of public services. The CMKOZ confederation will organise rallies in the 14 regional capitals in support of the public sector unions. Police officers and firefighters who are banned from striking by law will join the rallies.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/390#a7063; http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/98046
Czech: http://statorg.cmkos.cz/

Against a background of recession and looming widespread job cuts many employers are tightening up their sickness absence procedures, while sick workers are increasingly reluctant to take time off for fear of being sacked or made redundant. This is the main conclusion of a new report of the Labour Research Department (LRD). A survey of 800 union and safety reps conducted in October 2010 found that some managers in private firms were setting "zero absence" targets or cutting year-end and Christmas bonus pay if people were off sick. Some public service workers said they were losing sick pay if they were off ill for more than four days a year.
English: LRD Press Release (news@1.lrd.org.uk); http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article .

In the future contractors working for the University of East London will have to pay their workers at least the living wage. Currently, the living wage for London, as calculated by the Greater London Authority, is UKP 7.85 an hour (? 9.30). This is higher than the official national minimum wage of UKP 5.93 (? 7.00) an hour for workers aged 21 and over. The University agreed to introduce the living wage minimum following a campaign by cleaners organised by UNISON with the support of academic staff and the London Citizens community group.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/390; http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2039

After lengthy and difficult negotiations the four unions involved (Abvakabo FNV, CNV Publieke Zaak, NU'91 and FBZ) have managed to negotiate a new basic collective agreement covering around 400,000 workers in nursing homes and home care. The deal runs backdated from March 2010 to March 2012 and results in a total pay rise of 3.1%. It includes a 0.5% increase from 1 September 2010 plus a lump sum in December worth 0.6% of annual salary. There are then two increases of 0.75% in 2011, in January and July, with the end-of-year bonus increased by 0.5%. Employers commit to allocating 2% of the paybill to training and additional leave provisions for older workers are retained along with new possibilities to save hours for younger workers. Union members can vote the basic agreement until 15 December (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 October 2010).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/390#a7069
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/eindelijk-onderhandelingsakkoord-vvt http://www.mijnvakbond.nl/Stemmen-CAO-VVT?referrer=266 http://www.nu91-leden.nl/cao.asp?grp=5&uid=131

Public sector unions have called off a series of actions that could have led to a general strike on 10 December. The unions were demanding a referendum on trade union and employment rights but have now got the agreement from Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor that a referendum will be held that would reduce the threshold of signatures required to call a referendum from 450,000 to 200,000. This will be on the same day as the referendum on joining the European Union (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 June, July-August and October 2010).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/390; http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-24/croatia-general-strike-canceled ...; http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-17/croatia-s-united-unions-threaten ...

According to a report in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) daily, Swedish companies are exploiting labour migration legislation, with work permits on the black market being sold for amounts up to SEK 30,000 (? 3,270) and either non-existent or poorly paid jobs offered in return. The Hotel & Restaurant Workers Union (Hotell och Restaurang Facket, HRF) has confirmed these practices and argues that an under-class labour force is being created in Sweden, with low pay and non-existent job security. HRF as well as the main union confederations LO and TCO blame the new law on labour migration that has eased the immigration of foreign workers. Yet, Minister for Migration Tobias Billstr”m, after meeting the labour market parties involved, denied that unscrupulous companies are abusing the new rules, and insisted that he will not change the law. According to the minister, it is the enforcement of the law that is important.
English: http://www.thelocal.se/30042/20101105; http://www.thelocal.se/30388/20101123/; http://www.thelocal.se/30116/20101109/

By the end of October and in the framework of the Fair Play - Fair Work Euro Sport 2012 Campaign, the building site of the new stadium in Wroclaw was visited by representatives of Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), from the building unions of Solidarnosc and ZZ Budowlani, from Swedish and Dutch BWI affiliates as well as by inspectors from the Polish Work Inspection (PIP). The stadium is being built by German contractor Max B”gl and about 20 subcontractors, employing workers from Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, and Ukraine. It turned out that except the German workers the construction site is not organised by any union, and that there is no collective bargaining agreement in place. The Polish unions intend to organise construction sites and continue to push for an increase of the minimum wage (actually €330 gross per month) and the conclusion of collective agreements for the construction sector (see also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 November 2009).
English: http://www.bwint.org/default.asp?Index=3075&Language=EN

After a week of tension, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the ILO staff union have agreed to seek mediation over complaints that the ILO has failed to apply its own guidelines on good labour standards to its employees. The parties agreed to the proposal by the Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Juan Somavia, that union and management have recourse to a process of external, independent mediation. The union had threatened to take industrial action over its complaint that too many of the ILO's 3,000 workers were on precarious short-term contracts.
English: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-53030120101119; http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/press-and-media-centre/press-releases .
French: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/press-and-media-centre/press-releases .

On 8 November, the 121-day strike by cleaners employed by ISS at the Geneva Airport ended with a contract settlement between the SSP-VP™D public services union and ISS Switzerland. All striking workers will return to the job on 1 December. The UNI Global Union contacted ISS management to appeal for intervention in a dispute that was damaging the company's reputation, and succeeded to bring the parties back to the bargaining table. The Swiss union succeeded in its key demand of improving the salary scale. It was agreed, effective 2012, to increase the new pay scale from ISS's proposal of CHF 3,800 to 4,510 (? 3,460) per month at the top step and to increase the entry level pay rate to CHF 3,550 (? 2,725) per month, CHF 50 more per month than the ISS proposal. The parties also agreed to 2012 wage increases for auxiliary staff who are paid by the hour (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 July-August, September and October 2010).
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/UNINews.nsf .
German and French: http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell/nachrichten/ansicht .