In early December, the government of Prime Minister Jos S¢crates recently outlined plans to raise the country's minimum wage by 5.6% to Euro 475 a month. The wage hike came as another step in a minimum wage increase policy that S¢crates' government started in 2005. The Prime Minister explained, "Maybe some will criticize this decision by the government as we're still in a period of economic hardship, but it is in difficult times that we have to pay more attention to those who need it, to promote measures that reduce inequality and combat poverty." The main union confederation, CGTP, said the Euro 475 level matched its own proposal. The minimum wage hike has been effected from 1 January 2010.
English: http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98086.php; http://www.fedee.com/minwage.html
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On 11 December, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) broke off the talks on a framework for pay increases. The framework would have been a contract on economic policy aimed at promoting employment, to be agreed upon by the central social partner organisations. EK director Eeva-Liisa Inkeroinen issued a communiqu, saying that the discussions had come to an end. "The boundary disputes and oversized salary requirements demanded by certain trade unions are inappropriate in the current economic situation", Inkeroinen argued. Laury Lyly, chairman of the SAK union confederation, expressed his disappointment with EK's communiqu without delay: "Today it would be perhaps more important than ever for both employees and employers to reach a collective agreement that would stabilize our economy and promote employment."
English: http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Employers+bury+hopes+for+framework .
Student nurses have won a victory in their battle to stop the government compelling them to work seven days a week for up to 14 hours a day in swine flu vaccine centres. Health minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin stated that student nurses cannot be requisitioned for more than ten hours a weekÿor two sessions of five hours. In addition, student nurses are to get better pay. Earlier, student nurses opposed the conditions under which they were compelled to work in chaotic vaccine centres under the orders of bullying supervisors.
English: http://theflucase.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id .
French: http://www.lesechos.fr/info/sante/020258893649.htm?xtor=RSS-2059
The government has prolonged the part-time unemployment scheme that it introduced as of 1 April 2010 and that was due to end by 1 January, with three months till 1 April 2010, or earlier if the Euro 950 million reserved for the scheme is exhausted. Employers participating in the scheme before 1 April 2010 can be funded to maximum 15 months. From April-November 2009, 3,800 companies have used the scheme on behalf of 40,000 workers, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment published (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 February, March, April and May 2009).
Dutch: http://home.szw.nl/index.cfm?menu_item_id=13763&hoofdmenu_item_id .
The National Interest Reconciliation Council (OET), in which trade union, employer and government representatives meet, has set the 2010 national minimum wage at HUF 73,500 (Euro 270) a month, up from HUF 71,500 or a 2.8% increase. The minimum wage for skilled workers will rise from HUF 87,500 to HUF 89,500, or 2.3%. The minimum wage increase has been effected from 1 January 2010.
English: http://www.silobreaker.com/hungarys-ot-agrees-on-2010-minimum .; http://www.fedee.com/minwage.html
The SEK union confederation has called for the unemployment benefit period to be extended from six to nine months, as a social measure to counter growing joblessness in the midst of the economic crisis. SEK cited statistics, according to which 17 to 29% of all registered as unemployed are out of a job for six months or more. The union confederation urged the Minister of Labour to give the issue top priority.
English: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/call-dole-period-be-extended-six-nine-months
On Saturday 21 November thousands of people joined union-organised demonstrations in four cities throughout the country, Rotterdam, Assen, Deventer and Eindhoven, against the government's proposals to increase the state pension age from 65 to 67. A survey commissioned by the FNV union confederation found three quarters of Dutch citizens are opposed to the increase and want the unions to campaign to stop the plans (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 October 2009).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/330
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/duizenden_mensen_op_de_been .
The three main public sector union federations are all planning to protest against government policy on funding public sector pay. On 2 December the CISL FP and UIL FPL federations have called for a day of action demanding that the government honours agreements negotiated for the 2008-2009 period and ensures that funding will be available for the next bargaining round, covering 2010-2012. The FP CGIL federation has called a national public sector strike on 11 December with a specific demand of an increase of Euro 150 monthly over 2010-2012. The union has several other key demands including protection for women's and casual workers jobs.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/330;
Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/12315;
http://www.fp.cisl.it/
The ver.di services union has called on Chancellor Merkel to honour a commitment made by the previous Grand Coalition government to introduce a minimum wage in the waste sector. Following elections the new centre-right coalition now looks less like to endorse this sectoral minimum wage. Ver.di says that many workers in the waste industry face poverty wages of Euro 4 - 6 an hour, whereas the initial target for the minimum wage in the sector would guarantee them Euro 8.02 an hour.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/330;
German: http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen/showNews?id=558e76a2-dd84 .
Church employers, providing mainly health and social services, have finally conceded the first increase to pay rates since 2004 following several actions by members of ver.di in October 2008, May 2009 and again in September 2009. There are three elements to the pay increases. There is a flat-rate rise that benefits the lowest paid workers in particular, following the example of the public sector agreement negotiated in 2008. Then there are two percentage increases of 4% (backdated to 1 June 2009) and 1.5% in March 2010 (or from December 2009 for hospital workers covered by the agreement).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/330;
German: https://gesundheit-soziales.verdi.de/kirchen_diakonie_caritas/diakonie_tarif .