The HRH commercial and services employers' association has called on the government to allow greater flexibility in working time in response to the impact of widespread flu infection across Norway. The association claims that a flu epidemic could double the number of workers off sick and that employers need to be able to change shift arrangements at short notice. By contrast, the Fagforbundet municipal union has rejected this claim, arguing that there is enough flexibility in the current working time rules that allow for shift changes and overtime. The YS civil service union has also expressed surprise that HRH has raised the issue this way, rather than as part of the normal process of negotiation.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/316;
Norwegian: http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/1.6721393
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A May 2009 survey by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) shows that, while more employers have increased pay for production workers (13%) than have cut it (10%), a growing majority of companies are freezing wages. The survey was based on a sample of about 2,500 IBEC members, with a response rate of 20%. Commenting on the findings, IBEC's Director General, Danny McCoy, stated that "across all of the companies surveyed, the average change to pay rates during the first half of the year was a fall of 4% for management staff; 1.6% for other salaried staff; and 1% for production workers." Companies were asked what actions they intend taking over the next three months. With regard to production workers, only 2% of the respondents stated that they will increase pay; 7% said that they intend to cut pay; 20% did not state what they will do, and a large majority (71%) revealed that they would freeze pay rates. Recruitment freezes (67%) and retraining of existing staff (41%) were other likely actions.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2009/07/articles/ie0907039i.htm
The executive committee of the CPSU civil service union has said it will vigorously oppose any attempt by the government to implement proposals from the report by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes. The report focuses on measures that the "Special Group" claims to be necessary to respond to the financial and economic crisis, and include further reductions in pay and allowances; a new benchmarking exercise to look at international pay rates, and recommend reductions; privatisation of public service work. Earlier, the Impact public service union warned that widespread industrial action will be organised if the government plans any further cuts in public sector pay, pensions or jobs. The union was responding to what it regards as a relentless campaign by politicians, business and the media targeting public sector workers. Impact stressed that public sector workers have already seen a 7.5% cut in pay as a result of the government's pensions levy.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/316; http://www.epsu.org/cob/315#a5519; http://www.cpsu.ie/ http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=255
The two main public service federations, FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT, have signed the third agreement covering workers in the general state administration. The agreement covers around 60,000 workers across Spain and was also signed by the CSI-CSIF, CIG and ELA trade unions. The unions are positive about the agreement and its improvements in pay. The agreement runs until 31 December 2009 and confirms a range of increases including the 1% increase in the wage bill established by the 2009 budget, 0.37% in additional funds from 2007-2009, 2% in productivity payments and an overall sum of Euro 90,000 arising from the extension of the 2004 agreement. Unions are especially happy about the overall increase in funding of Euro 1.2 million that was not included in the government's original offer.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/316;
Spanish: http://www.fspugt.es/UGT_cierra_el_III_Convenio.
Energy union ver.di and the EON group works council have negotiated a compromise agreement with the company to protect jobs and working conditions for most of EON's 40,000 employees in Germany. The company's planned "perform-to-win" savings programme threatened job cuts and other major changes across the group. The agreement means that jobs, collective agreements, training provisions and pensions will be protected until 2012. However, the company still aims to go-ahead with its plans to split off its EON IS subsidiary and sell its IT infrastructure. Ver.di estimates that around 1,000 workers will be affected by these changes although here the union has managed to negotiate some basic protection for the workers concerned (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 June).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/316#a5631;
German: http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen/showNews.
As of July 1, after long discussions between the Latvian government and social partners, a number of new regulations concerning the amount of wages, pensions and social benefits have come into effect. The monthly non-taxable minimum or tax free allowance on personal income tax has been reduced from LVL 90 (Euro 129) to LVL 35 (Euro 50), which means that the tax burden for workers has increased. In addition, the government has decided to cut state sector salaries. Monthly salaries below LVL 300 (Euro 430) have been reduced by 15% - affecting 21% of employees in the ministries and subsidiary institutions - while wages above that amount have been cut by 20%, impacting on the remaining 79% of the workers. Moreover, from 1 September 2009 on, teachers' monthly gross wages will be cut by almost one third, from LVL 345 (Euro 494) to LVL 250 (Euro 358). Finally, between 16 June 2009 - 2012, old-age pensions and long-service pensions have been cut by 10%.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2009/07/articles/lv0907019i.htm
The GMB, UNISON and UNITE trade unions have come together in a campaign against plans by the National Grid energy transmission company to close a facility in Newcastle with the loss of 189 jobs, some of which the company intends to switch to India. The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) has written to the company's chief executive, calling for the decision to be reversed (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 June 2009).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/316; http://www.nationalgreed.co.uk/
The public service unions ABVAKABO FNV and CNV Publieke Zaak are pleased that the BKN employers' association has lost its appeal against extension of the collective agreement in the childcare sector. The main agreement, covering 80% of the sector, is negotiated between the unions and the MO employers' group. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment agreed that this should be extended to cover the whole sector, but BKN appealed against the decision. The unions argue that it is important that workers are covered by the same arrangements across the sector to ensure their conditions are maintained when they move from job to job.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/316;
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/een_cao_voor_de_kinderopvang_behouden/;
http://www.mijnvakbond.nl/Definitief_n_CAO_Kinderopvang?referrer=272
Trade union representatives were not invited at the August 9 meeting between Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and representatives of shareholders in the Kremikovtzi steel mill, union leaders Vasil Yanachkov and Lyudmil Pavlov told a news agency. Yanachkov, chairman of the Federal Trade Union Organization "Metalizti", saidÿ: "We have shown enough activism and we have impressed the society. Yet, we couldn't tell management, shareholders nor the prime minister what to do, though we will express our position." According to Yanachkov the right way to save the steel mill is through debt capitalization (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 April 2009).
English: http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n190591;
via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Bulgaria
The Federation Chimie Energie CFDT (FCE-CFDT) has pledged full support for the national framework agreement, reached between the Union des Industries Chimiques (UIC) and the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Employment. The agreement outlines the responsibilities of companies facing difficulties during the current economic and financial crisis. Companies are encouraged to expand training programs for employees, to avoid redundancies, and to develop skills. The French state has made a commitment of Euro 8.5 million for the implementation of the programmes outlined in the agreement, until December 2011. The FCE-CFDT will ensure, in particular, that this training development plan will benefit the most vulnerable workers and the companies truly facing serious financial difficulties.
English: http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3353-French-Chemical-Workers.