Collective Bargaining

The management of General Motors' European unit Opel and European unions have reached agreement over the company's restructuring plan, aimed at getting the ailing company back into the black and at convincing the German government to free up state guarantees. The unions at Opel agreed to a series of cuts that would amount to Euro 265 million per year through 2014. The bulk of the money will come from salary freezes, reduced bonuses and holiday pay, and some layoffs that will eliminate just over 8,000 of Opel's 50,000-member workforce in Europe. It is suggested that about half of those cuts would come at the German factory in Rsselsheim. For their part in the restructuring plan, Opel employees have been promised shares of profits and protection against further job cuts. "This European framework contract and the specific agreements in each country, including Germany, are important steps along the way to a new and successful company," Opel chief executive Nick Reilly told a press conference. He spoke alongside Klaus Franz, head of GM Europe's works committee. A formal signing of the accord was expected in the coming days, Reilly said.
English: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5599186,00.html; http://www.thelocal.de/money/20100521-27351.html

Around 1,000 members of the JHL and JYTY trade unions planned strike action on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 May in protest at the plans of Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy, the City of Helsinki bus company, plans to unilaterally pull out of the company collective agreement. If this happens then workers would be covered by the sectoral agreement and they would lose a range of allowances where the company agreement provides better pay than the sectoral agreement. The unions are also concerned about the company imposing new rules on shift work that would give workers less control over their shift patterns. (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 April 2010).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/365; http://www.jhl.fi/uutinen/7069

In manifestations scheduled for 17 and 18 May, the Hungarian Union of Mining and Energy Industry Workers (BDSZ) and the Federation of Trade Unions in the Electric Energy Industry (EVDSZ) will turn out hundreds of workers and supporters to preserve the V‚rtes Power Station in northwestern Hungary. The electric generation plant, and adjoining coal mine, both subsidiaries of Hungarian Power Companies Ltd. (MVM), are in jeopardy. In a joint declaration by BDSZ President Ferenc Rabi and EVDSZ President G l Rezso, the two national Hungarian trade union leaders said the decision to place immediate closure on the agenda of the 17 May board meeting has come without providing the necessary information to local trade unions. The threat of liquidation of V‚rtes, they argue, could mean the loss of 2,500 to 3,000 jobs in the region.
English: http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3783-Hungary's-Electric-Mining ...

Under pressure of continuous strikes of the cleansing departments of main cities, the three unions involved - AbvaKabo FNV, CNV Publieke Zaak and CHMF - succeeded in negotiating a new two years' basic collective agreement in local government, backdated from 1 June 2009 to 31 May 2011. Generally the agreement is regarded as a victory for the unions. The employers long stuck to a pay freeze, whereas the unions demanded a structural 3% increase for two years. For 2010, one-off payments of in total 1.5% have been agreed; the end-year payments of 2010 and 2011 will be lifted by 0.5%, with the minimal amount for the lowest pay scales increased from Euro 836 to Euro 1,750. In 2011, a structural increase of 0.5% has been agreed, whereas unions and employers will discuss later whether an additional structural increase of 1.0% can be added. Both the union membership and the municipalities are balloted. Unions are optimistic that their constituency will accept the agreement, but a spokeswoman of the organisation of Dutch municipalities (VNG) was less sure about the employers' outcome (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 December 2009 and Year 3 January, February, March and April 2010).
Dutch: De Volkskrant, May 17, 2010; http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/PDF/3944/186363/Principe_akkoord_Cao_Gemeenten_2009-2011.pdf

The Social Democrats and Socialist People's Party (SF), two major opposition parties, have launched a proposal to increase the regular working week from the current 37 hours to 38. They believe the move can inject billions extra into the state budget. Along with the expected opposition from other political parties, the idea was also greeted with scepticism by the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO). Also, Thorkild E. Jensen, the president of Danish Metal Workers Union (Dansk Metal), said: "I can't see that we'll go along with increasing the working week by an hour for all employees".
English: http://www.cphpost.dk/news/politics/90-politics/48980-proposal-to-add-hour ...

The TEHY nurses' union is running an overtime ban to put pressure on municipal employers to allow the union a greater role in collective bargaining. The union is ensuring that patient safety is not jeopardised and says that the action is having an impact on patient waiting times. The current collective agreement was negotiated in 2007 and runs until 2011. A conciliation process has begun on 17 May.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/365; http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/05/nurses_job_action_closes_two ...;
Finnish: http://www.tehy.fi/?x1536574=18337290

The SEKO services union has agreed a two-year deal with the EFA energy employers' association that will see salaries increase by 3.7% for the 3,500 workers covered by the agreement. The deal includes setting minimum wages for 18-year-olds but also for skilled workers with two and five years' experience. The minimum monthly wage for 18-year-olds will be SEK 17,288 (Euro 1,790) in 2010 rising to SEK 17,738 (Euro 1,840) in 2011.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/365;
Swedish: http://www.seko.se/Aktuellt/Nyheter/2010/Maj/Avtal-klart-for-3-500-anstallda-i- ...

Unions organising workers in the non-profit sector have called for a major national demonstration on 8 June in protest at the failure of the federal, community and regional governments to undertake meaningful negotiations. The unions are calling for a range of measures to improve purchasing power and employment conditions and increase employment in a sector that delivers a range of health and social services (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 3 April 2010).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/365;
French: http://www.setca.org/News/Pages/lenonmarchandpassealaction.aspx;
Dutch: http://www.bbtk.org/nieuws/Pages/DeSocialProfitgaattotactieover.aspx

The PCS civil service union has won a major legal victory against the government. The High Court ruled that changes to the civil service redundancy scheme were invalid because they had not been agreed with the union. The union said that the changes would have meant substantial cuts for civil servants taking redundancy or early retirement. It has called on the new government to negotiate over the scheme (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 December 2009; Year 3 February and April 2010).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/365; http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/news_centre/index.cfm/id/ ...

UNISON's Bargaining Update reports that Sheffield city council in the north west of England has clarified to private contractor Chartwells that it must be all its staff working on the Sheffield school meals contract the same rates as those transferred from the Council in 2001. A Workforce Code of Practice was negotiated by unions, employers and the government in order to prevent the spread of a two-tier workforce in public sector contractors. The city council admits that the Code of Practice should have been applied when the contract was signed three years ago.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/365; http://www.unison.org.uk/bargaining/index.asp