On 8 September, the leaders of five industrial unions (the Electrical Workers' Union, the Paperworkers' Union, the Union of Salaried Employees TU, the Wood and Allied Workers' Union and TEAM) and the Construction Union announced their determination to cooperate closely during the on-going round of collective bargaining. At this stage cooperation primarily means an exchange of information and common analyses of inflation and other economic factors. Concrete forms of support are still open and to be considered later on if needed. The union leaders have not yet sought to specify their pay demands except for the Union of Salaried Employees TU, which is going for an increase of close to 3% in the wood mechanical industry. The announcement of the six union leaders follows the proposal of confederation SAK's president Lauri Lyly to have a common minimum union demand in the upcoming negotiations (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 July-August 2010).
English: http://www.artto.kaapeli.fi/unions/T2010/n26
http://www.artto.kaapeli.fi/unions/T2010/n25
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On 17 May 2010, the employers' association (UIMM) and the trade unions (CFDT, CGT-FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC) signed an agreement to improve the job security of skilled workers in the metal industry. The agreement strengthens the management of employment and skills at company level by establishing a so-called period of mobility allowing workers with two years' service to take up a new post with another employer while retaining the right to return to their previous employment. When the former contract of employment is severed, the employee leaves the company with the agreed compensation and, if applicable, rights to unemployment benefits unaffected. A representative of the CFDT metal union commented that the agreement is an innovation that improves the job security of skilled workers, "because up till now, in order to try a new post in another company, an employee had to resign with the risk of regretting this if the new job was not successful". The agreement also contains several provisions that aim to strengthen the management of employment and competences, in particular by reinforcing the role of the Qualifications Observatory within the metal sector.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2010/07/articles/fr1007041i.htm
French: http://www.uimm.fr/fr/pdf/accords_metaux/2010-05-17_Accord-national ...
Special focus(Bargaining to exit the crisis in the private industry
Trade unions and most parties represented in parliament have criticized a manifesto with proposals that the Estonian Employers' Confederation has unveiled by the end of August. Political parties criticized the proposal to raise the pension age from the current level of age 63 to at least 67 and to ban support strikes that are allowed under the Collective Labour Dispute Resolution Act. Harry Taliga, president of the Confederation of Trade Unions, stated that employers aim to change the country's principles of social security. The employers' manifesto proposes to change the burden of social tax to fall on the employees instead of employers, by cap social tax payments to three average monthly wages, lower corporate taxes and abolish social tax from business income. Taliga asserted, "This will by no means improve employment rates nor bring high-paid jobs to Estonia." The current debate has to be seen at the backdrop of a fall of Estonia's gross domestic product (GDP) of 14% in 2009 and an unemployment rate of nearly 20% in the first quarter of 2010.
English: http://balticbusinessnews.com/article/2010/08/31/Employers_proposals_draw ...
http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/26878/
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2010/06/articles/ee1006019i.htm
The new coalition government has agreed to reform the Labour Code in force since January 2007. Proposed changes include liberalisation of employment for a set period without limitations, reduced severance pay for those working for an employer for less than two years, and enhanced opportunities for companies to employ people on a so-called "contract for the performance of a work assignment", up to 300 hours a year. Whereas employer representatives welcome these changes, trade unions warn that the new coalition wants to reduce employees' security. The unions also disagree with the proposed cancellation of state subsidies of employee benefits, especially meal vouchers and the so-called "free rail passes" (discounted tickets for railway employees and their family members), which was unsuccessfully proposed by the government in 2008.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2010/07/articles/cz1007019i.htm
The Minister of Finance and Economy, Gyrgy Matolcsy, has convened the National Interest Reconciliation Council for the first time since the new government has been established. The Minister's aim is to mark out the new Council's framework. The Reconciliation Council is a tripartite forum involving employees' federations, employers' associations and government representatives. Earlier, the trade unions urged for the Council to convene, as many relevant decisions regarding the workers were already taken in the last three months.
English: M t Komiljovics, union correspondent
In 2010, three times more collective agreements than in previous years have been concluded by the Metalworkers' Union, representing 30,000 employees at 260 workplaces, according to union president Bla Balogh. Balogh said that there had been no significant wage developments during the economic crisis, and expressed the wish that with the end of this difficult period, it would be possible to revive wage negotiations.
English: M t Komiljovics, union correspondent
Following municipal and provincial employees, university staff is rejecting the pay freeze that the current government announced in spring for the public sector at large. By 1 March, 2010, the collective agreement for the universities expired; negotiations have ended up in a deadlock as the union demands of 1.25% and employment guarantees have been rejected by VSNU, the university employers' organisation. According to Hugo Levie, VSNU negotiator, the unions' wage demands are "reasonable", but the universities are simply in lack of money. The Abvakabo FNV union used the celebrations of the opening of the Academic Year in Nijmegen and Delft, on 30 August, to start actions, which will be pursued on 6 September, when in the other university cities the Academic Year will formally start. The union argues that a pay freeze for universities is at odds with the country's ambition to expand as a "knowledge economy."
Dutch: De Volkskrant, August 31, 2010;
http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/investeren-in-personeel .
The implementation body overseeing the "Croke Park" national agreement, chaired by former chief executive of the Courts Service P.J. Fitzpatrick, has told employer and union representatives it wants any disputes on interpretation and implementation of the agreement to be resolved as promptly and as possible. The body has also said a "one-size-fits-all approach" will not work and each public service sector will have to decide how best to implement the terms of the agreement. The public service union, IMPACT, has issued a circular to its members detailing the measures outlined by the implementation body. The union's general secretary, Shay Cody, told members that while much of its communications will centre on aspects of the change programme, "the value of any change in addressing the pay issue for public servants will not be lost sight of by the body" (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 April, May and June 2010).
English: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/croke-park-deal-disputes ...
The government and the majority of public sector unions failed to break the deadlock in negotiations on a planned pay freeze in the public sector in what was seen as a last attempt on Monday 30 August. This implies that the government will pass over the unions and will introduce the freeze with a new law, but also that the strike remains on that was announced for 27 September by unions representing about half of public sector workers.
English: http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&id=1548383;
http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&id=1547169
via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Slovenia
Public transport workers, including those of the national railway system (OSE), have planned a five hours' strike to be staged during the firstÿten days of September. The transport workers want to protest against privatisations, firings, wage cuts and the trimming of benefits. Union representatives will hold a joint press conference in Thessaloniki during the International Fair in mid-September as to explain their stance, which is likely to include further protest action.
English: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2010/08/30/new-protests-are-being-prepared/