Collective Bargaining

On 25 November, the new German administration approved a 12-month extension of the official short-time ("Kurzarbeit") arrangement. The latest data from September showed that around one million workers were covered by the short-time scheme. The scheme had been due to expire on 31 December 2009, and is now set to be extended by a year, although for employers applying in 2010 the state will only pay out for a period of 18 months instead of 24 months (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 January and May 2009).
English: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20091125-23521.html

On 24 November, thousands of French postal workers and teachers went on strike in separate protests over the future of two of France's biggest public sector institutions. The protests are the latest in a series of strikes by public sector workers angered by reforms President Nicolas Sarkozy says are necessary to improve efficiency and reduce costs. According to the SNES-FSU union, 40% of secondary school teachers took part in the strike over job reductions and school reforms. Teachers' unions are angry at measures which include new training standards, changing the selection process to make it easier for parents to choose a school and steadily reducing the number of teachers. Education Minister Luc Chatel said the government would not back down on plans that aim to trim the overall public service payroll by replacing only half the public servants who retire.
English: http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE5AN35H20091124
via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=France

The global agreement reached between the UNI Global Union and the Inditex clothing conglomerate (with employees in over 50 countries) has been presented at a national conference in Germany of works council members and shop stewards on 16 November, by representatives of UNI affiliate ver.di and Zara Germany management. Both parties will also jointly inform all employees of the provisions and principles in the agreement. Ver.di and Zara Germany have agreed to increase their efforts in order to successfully negotiate a collective agreement for all staff. Ver.di has seen its membership among Zara workers continuously growing, and actually most of the stores have elected works councils.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/UNINews.nsf/vwLkpById/442900EE37C6F .

On 19 November, the Federation of Chemical and Energy Workers (FCE-CFDT) Union conducted a day of action against the country's plastics manufacturers over a long simmering wage dispute. Some 150,000 workers in plastics, employed by 3,700 big and small plastics companies, have not seen any wage increase since 2006. Early in 2008, the employers' federation abrogated a 2004 collective agreement which automatically gave wage increases that at least matched inflation. In the over three years since the last pay hike, three pay grids in French plastics have fallen below the national minimum wage (SMIC) levels. Despite ongoing negotiations since May 2008, the employers' grouping and the unions have been unable to reach acceptable wage standards, or a threshold on maximum seniority pay.
English: http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3501-French-Plastics-Workers .

After a long period of industrial unrest, including a nationwide railway strike in October called for by all five unions involved, on 23 November the government on behalf of the MAVÿHungarian Railway Company concluded an agreement with four small railway unions on plans to cut funding and carry on restructuring. Yet, the largest railway union, VDSZSZ, did not sign the agreement (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 October 2009).
English: http://www.bbj.hu/?keyword=M%C3%81V

After five intensive negotiation rounds, the joint union negotiating team of the GMTN and GPA-DJP unions succeeded in signing a new collective agreement covering about 170,000 employees in the sector. The main point of controversy was the employers' demand for far-reaching unpaid extension of working time flexibility in exchange for pay increases. The unions estimated this demand to result in individual income losses up to Euro 3,500 per year. Under pressure of many works council actions, the employers agreed to separate the discussion on changes in working time flexibility from the current bargaining round. Finally, main results were a 1.5% increase in collectively agreed minimum wages/salaries, with the new minimum at Euro 1,479, and a 1.45% increase in effectively paid wages/salaries. The start of the agreement is backdated 1 November 2009.
English: message EUCOBAN network European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF)

On Wednesday 18 November the Bucharest Court ruled the strike of the city's Metrorex subway workers illegal. After learning of the court ruling, subway union leader Ion Radoi announced the protesters will observe the law. He stressed, however, that the conflict remains open, with the negotiations to be resumed, and that in two or three weeks the same situation could be reached if claims are not solved. On 17 November the subway went on strike as a consequence of the refusal of the Metrorex administration to negotiate salaries. Minister of Transport Radu Berceanu argued that the union could only negotiate in January, when the subway budget was established.
English: http://www.financiarul.ro/2009/11/19/bucharest-court-rules-subway-workers .;
http://www.financiarul.ro/2009/11/18/minister-berceanu-asks-trade-unions-to-wait .

An innovative draft collective agreement has been concluded in the metal and engineering sector, covering about 400,000 workers and 35,000 employers, and running from 1 December 2009 to 31 March 2011. The wage increase for 2010 will have the character of temporary working days or "anti crisis days" (ACDs), awarded to a maximum of 3.5 days. Latest 1 October 2010, employers can change these days into a payment of 1.5%. On 1 February 2011, the actual wage scales will be lifted by 1.5%. In October 2010, the unions and the employers' association will decide whether the ACD arrangement will be continued in 2011. If so, the wage increase as of 1 February 2011 will not be materialized.
English: message EUCOBAN network European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF)
Dutch: http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl/metaal/weblog_jan_berghuis

Negotiations are underway between the GPA-DJP and vida trade unions and the BAGS employers' organization over a new agreement covering 75,000 workers in private health and social care services. The unions argue that it is vital to maintain increases in earnings for this group of workers particularly as the majority are women and their aim is to obtain a minimum amount of increase in Euros as well as an overall percentage rise. Vida is also in the middle of negotiations covering the 15,000 employees in private health institutions. The union is again looking for a real increase in pay along with proper compensation for changes to working hours as the employers have been demanding greater flexibility from workers without compensating them properly for changes to their rosters.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/328
German: http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/ .

Around 1,000 firefighters and emergency service workers took to the streets of Santiago de Compostela on 30 October to demonstrate against plans by the Galician government's privatization plans. The three main union federations - CCOO, UGT and CSI - supported the march, warning of the impact of privatization on the quality of services and of an increase in precarious employment conditions.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/328;
Spanish: http://www.fsc.ccoo.es/webfsc/menu.do?Actualidad:Federal:Actualidad:67132