Collective Bargaining

Slovakia's minimum wage has been increased by 4.1% to Euro 307.70 per month as of 1 January 2010, in line with a government decision made in October. The Labour Ministry originally planned to increase the 2009 minimum wage of Euro 295.50 by 8.1% as proposed by the union movement. The tripartite Economic and Social Council met several times to discuss the issue but was unable to reach agreement. "I insist that this (increase) shouldn't have the sort of impact that could cause a problem," said Labour Minister Viera Tomanov , adding that the government is protecting the most vulnerable group of citizens.
English: http://www.spectator.sk/articles/view/37532/10/slovakias_minimum .; http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2009/10/articles/sk0910019i.htm

A strike by French dockers on 4 January disrupted freight traffic at France's two busiest ports, Marseille and Le Havre. The one-day nationwide strike was called by the CGT union to protest the government's port reforms and support demands for compensation for workers exposed to asbestos. About 16 ships were prevented from docking at Fos-sur-Mer and Marseille, according to Marseille port officials. The CGT union said all 1,800 freight workers in Le Havre and most of the 1,500 employees of the port authority had walked off the job. Under a law adopted in July 2008, France's seven major ports are turning to private companies to run many of their services to make them more competitive.
English: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/slideshow/ALeqM5hab . via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=France

On 4 January, eleven unions at the Budapest transport company BKV and the Volan nationwide bus company have declared an indefinite strike beginning on 12 January, after rejecting the latest contract offer from management. Some unions accepted this proposal, but others -representing 65% of BKV employees, mainly bus drivers-- turned it down as they are unwilling to accept planned cuts in fringe benefits. However, the metro and the HV suburban railway, as well as most trams and trolleybuses may be running, as their Urban Mass Transport Union has accepted the new contract terms. Railway workers have also threatened to hold a series of strikes, and employees of public television MTV have convened a strike committee to protest over pay.
English: http://www.caboodle.hu/index.php?id=12&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[backPid] .; http://english.mti.hu/default.asp?menu=1&theme=2&cat=25&newsid=266772

The IMPACT public services union has criticized the government for pushing ahead with plans for pay cuts in the public sector on the basis of claims that this was a trend in the private sector. However, a survey by consultants Mercer found only 9% of companies cutting pay while the majority of private employers looking to reduce salary costs implemented pay freezes or used other methods such as unpaid leave. Likewise, most recently Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) general secretary Sheila Nunan said the 17% drop in average take-home pay for its 35,000 members in 2009 was far higher than cuts for private sector workers.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/332; http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/impact-says-mercer-report-private-sector .; http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/teacher-pay-cuts-wipe-outbenchmarking .

Using Freedom of Information legislation, public service union UNISON discovered that since 2000 the North Cumbria NHS (National Health Service) trust has spent a massive UKP 3.3 million (Euro 3.66 million) on lawyers in an attempt to stop low-paid women winning equal pay. The vast outlay is in shocking contrast to the earnings of some of the trust's own low-paid employees, such as cleaners and cooks, earning UKP 6.77 (Euro 7.51) an hour. Dave Prentis, UNISON general secretary, urged management to negotiate a way through rather than persist with a "scandalous waste of money." He added: "While North Cumbria is clearly one of the biggest spenders, it is not alone. Trusts in other parts of the country are racking up lawyers' fees fighting equal pay. I would urge all of them to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible and stop pouring money down the drain."
English: http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=1685

Budget postal delivery firms Sandd and Selekt Mail (DHL) have won their lawsuit against the Dutch state about employing permanent staff. The court in The Hague ruled that the Ministry of Economic Affairs cannot force them to employ delivery workers at regular terms instead of paying piece rates. The deal to make Sandd and Selekt compete on more equal terms with former state monopoly TNT was one of the main conditions the government attached to the liberalisation of the postal market. In a reaction a ministry spokesman said the ruling is being studied carefully. "Paramount is that a `race to the bottom' in terms of pay and conditions for postal delivery workers must be avoided," junior Economic Affairs minister Frank Heemskerk earlier stated in reaction of union fears in this direction (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 March and October 2009).
English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/12/post_firms_win .
Dutch: De Volkskrant, 2 Januari 2010

Trade unions have criticized health minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin for what they perceive as misleading statements about proposed increases to nurses' pay. The unions say that her claims that nurses will see their pay rise by Euro 2,500 only applies to a small proportion of specialist nurses and that this will only be from 2016. For new starters nurses' pay will be worth 20% more than the minimum wage from 2016. In contrast, at the beginning of the 1980s starting salaries for nurses were worth 50% more than the minimum wage. Unions are particularly angry about proposals to remove the right to retire from the age of 55.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/332;
French: http://www.force-ouvriere.fr/page_principal/fede/index.asp?lk=fd&id .; http://www.fed-cfdt-sante-sociaux.org/nego_fph.htm; http://www.sante.cgt.fr/spip.php?article4402

Public services union ver.di has welcomed the government's decision to implement a minimum wage of Euro 8.02 an hour in the waste sector. The union had been concerned that the new coalition, involving the FDP liberal party, that came to power last year would not fulfil the commitment of the previous government to introduce a minimum wage for the sector. However, federal employment minister Ursula von der Leyen signed the regulation in December so that it would come into effect in January. Ver.di estimates that around 20,000 workers are likely to be better off with some having been employed on wages as low as Euro 4 an hour (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 November 2009).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/332;
German: http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen/showNews?id .

In its final Cabinet meeting of the year, the government approved a 1.5% increase in the national minimum wage, to Euro 633.30 a month in 2010. However, during the campaign leading up to the last General Election Prime Minister Zapatero promised to raise the minimum wage to Euro 800 by 2012 if his Socialist Party was re-elected for a second term. The CCOO and UGT union confederations have criticized the 1.5% increase as they believe this calls into question the government's commitment to achieve the Euro 800 target timely. The confederations support the idea that the level of the minimum wage should be at least 60% of average earnings.
English: http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php?/news/comments/spain . ; http://www.epsu.org/cob/332;
Spanish: http://www.fsc.ccoo.es/webfsc/menu.do?Inicio:70476; http://www.ugt.es/actualidad/2009/diciembre/c30122009.html

With 97%, municipal workers voted overwhelmingly against a two-year pay freeze in a referendum organised by the trade unions. The VNG employers' organisation rejected the result, arguing that there was only an 18% turnout and assumed that those who didn't vote supported the pay freeze. The unions pointed out that the turnout would have been higher had the employers not refused to facilitate the referendum.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/332 ;
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/abvakabo-fnv-vindt .; http://www.mijnvakbond.nl/VNG_slaat_plank_mis_met_commentaar .