British Airways pilots were striking for 2 days in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. Tens of thousands of passengers have been told not to go to airports, with the airline cancelling some 1,700 flights due to the disruption. The pilots' union Balpa said BA management's cost-cuts and "dumbing down" of the brand had eroded confidence in the airline. (See also the July/August issue of CBN)
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[close]On 10 September 2019, Belgium deposited its instrument of ratification of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930, thereby becoming the thirty-eighth country worldwide to ratify the Protocol. Through this ratification, Belgium is demonstrating its firm commitment to combating forced labour in all its forms.
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[close]The average net wage rose by 15.2% in July compared to the same month last year, to € 660, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). The net wage thus posted an annual growth rate close to 15% for the fourth month in a row. The wages in education and public administration increased by 18% and 15% respectively. In construction, they grew by 50% year-on-year thanks to fiscal allowances and the tight labour market. In other industries wages increased by rates of around 20% year-on-year.
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[close]State school teachers have been hit with the news that foreign supply teachers will be recruited for certain subjects to cater for a worrying teacher shortage. The Permanent Secretary at the Education Ministry admitted that the pool of qualified Maltese teachers for certain subjects like maths and IT isn’t enough to cater for the shortage and that foreign supply teachers will have to be hired as a result. This announcement hasn’t gone down well with Malta’s teachers’ unions.
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[close]The rules governing overtime are very clear, but there is a wide gap between them and the everyday practice. All unions agree that employers (mostly in private companies) do not respect the law. This creates an additional problem to workers already exploited by low wages and non-payment of contributions. The situation in the public sector and state administration is not much better, as the overtime is also usually not paid but compensated by days off.
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[close]In August, labour offices posted more than 350,000 vacancies, the highest figure in the country’s history, but according to the Chamber of Commerce the real figure is much higher, around half a million people. The biggest lack is of construction workers, warehousemen, and truck drivers at the level of basic education.Read on: in English ...
[close]According to European comparisons, wages in Bulgaria are about a quarter of the average in Europe, and labour productivity in the country is about 50% of the European average. The Confederation of Labour Podkrepa will ask for a minimum wage increase to be set in the budget for 2020, since this minimum wage currently corresponds approximately to the labour productivity. This was stated by the economic advisor of the trade union who participates in a forum for the rights of posted workers, organized by the trade union.
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[close]The Bank of Lithuania has issued an economic review based on statistical data analysis, modelling and expert assessment. This review highlights also important labour market and wage developments (chapter IV). According to this document the labour market has levelled off, wage growth was moderate but still remains quite strong. In the first half of 2019, it stood at 8.7%. Wage growth in the private sector moderated from 8.8% to 6.8% and this may be partly attributed to the fact that labour shortages are no longer increasing; however, this moderation was also underpinned by the fading effect of the floor for social insurance contributions introduced at the beginning of 2018. An opposite trend was observed in the public sector where wage growth significantly accelerated, currently being almost twice as fast as in the private sector.
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[close]In August 2019, the Federal Council set 1 July 2020 as the effective date for the amendment of the Equality Act. As a result, business organizations with 100 or more employees need to complete their first equal pay analysis by 30 June 2021. Under the equal pay measures employers with 100 or more employees will have to conduct an internal equal pay analysis. This analysis must be verified by a deadline of 30 June 2022 (verification by an external and independent provider such as an auditing firm, or an employee representation).
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[close]Salaries in Spain have only increased by 1.6%since 2013, whereas rent prices have shot up by 50%. Recent reports by the Bank of Spain and the country’s National Statistics Agency (INE) have shed light on the increasing cost of living in the country, in particular Spain’s wild rent hikes. Whereas Spaniards earn only 1.6% more in wages than they did five years ago (€23,646 a year on average in 2018) they’re paying twice as much in rent than they did in 2013. The Bank of Spain has highlighted that it also tends to be families with fewer financial means who have to resort to renting in Spain. Unemployment and low wages are among the leading causes preventing them from being able to take out a mortgage when buying a property.
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