Collective Bargaining

The 2008 pay increase for local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be 2.75% following a process of binding arbitration overseen by ACAS, the conciliation and mediation service. In a joint statement, the three main unions involved, UNISON, Unite and GMB, said: "We welcome the fact that ACAS has accepted our arguments that members should receive a higher pay increase." ACAS stated that the award is "justified and affordable in the context of the claim for the year 2008/2009". Lower paid workers also get an extra UKP 100 as agreed previously. The arbitration process delivered an extra 0.3% on top of what the employers had offered in 2008 (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No.'s 3, 8 and 9 and Year 2, January 2009).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/298; http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=5194

Following its joint demonstration against precarious work with the metalworkers' federation FIOM-CGIL, on 6 March the FP CGIL public sector federation organised a sit-in protest in Rome. The federation is particularly concerned about government proposals to slash temporary work in the public sector. This could mean up to 60,000 jobs going from July this year and the federation claims that up to 200,000 jobs are under threat over the next three years (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 January and February 2009).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/298;
Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/9783

The Finnish government has announced plans to increase the minimum retirement age from 63 to 65. The JHL public service union has called for the proposals to be withdrawn and for the government to open proper negotiations over the retirement issue. If the change were implemented it would be the third major change for municipal and state workers since their specific retirement rules were changed in 1995. Currently workers can retire any time between 63 and 68. The union argues that keeping employees at work longer can best be achieved through policies that take account of the needs and capabilities of older workers. Unions have set up an online petition as part of their campaign to get the government to withdraw the plans.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/298; http://www.jhl.fi/uutinen/4566

Four public sector unions, ABVAKABO FNV, BVPP, CNV Publieke Zaak and VPP, have reached a basic collective agreement with TNT in which they accept a wage decline of gross 15% for postal workers in grades 1 to 4, in exchange for an employment guarantee by which forced dismissals will be excluded for the next three years. A transition period has been agreed during which TNT pays 95%, ranging from two years for those under 35 of age till five years for those over 50. The agreement is subject to membership ballot till April 29. Union officials emphasize that these results have to be projected against the backdrop of the full liberalisation of the Dutch postal market, on April 1. Main ABVAKABO FNV negotiator, Peter Wiechmann, said: "We stood with our backs against the wall. The alternative was the dismissal of 11,000 workers, and that's impossible."
Dutch: NRC-Handelsblad, March 10, 2009; http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/verslechterde_cao_voor_postbodes_tnt

After fierce debates, the government decided that as of 1 January 2009 the statutory minimum wage was increased to HUF 71,500 (Euro 282) per month, lifting it 2.3% compared to the former HUF 69,900 but representing an immediate fall of 1.4% in real terms. In an earlier stage, union confederations had demanded increases of 16 to 45%. In February, the social partners represented on the tripartite National Interest Coordination Council (OET) have agreed to recommend a general wage increase of 3-5% in 2009 (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No.'s 7 and 8).
English: Watson Wyatt Data Services, EMEA Employment & Benefits Roundup, No. 1, February 2009

Talks between the social partners broke down in late January over government proposals to introduce large increases in pensions contributions and other payments for public service workers. The IMPACT union has acknowledged the need for measures to help the country out of the economic crisis but is angry that such high increases are being imposed on workers without any specific proposals for employers will do. The union also points out that the payments will impact on lower and higher paid workers with some higher paid workers facing a smaller increase in pension contributions because of higher tax relief. Lately, the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowan ruled out an early return to social partnership talks despite the ITUC union confederation's threat of a massive national strike in March. He stated to remain firm on the introduction of the controversial pension proposal.
English: http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=197
http://www1.96fm.ie/news/detail.asp?type=news&article_id=94260&pt=n

Journalists across Britain and Ireland are stepping up the battle against redundancies with hundreds taking industrial action and thousands being balloted to join in. Voting papers are being sent to the National Union of Journalists' (NUJ's) nearly 4,000 members at the BBC after the corporation announced compulsory redundancies in Scotland. And journalists at neighbouring Shropshire Newspapers and Staffordshire Newspapers have backed industrial action over cutbacks by big margins in secret ballots.
English: http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1130

On 23 February transport union leaders gathered in Prague. They opposed a new law raising taxes on benefits that are already part of work contracts. Lubos Pomajb¡k, president of the Transport Workers' Union, announced a strike planned for 1 March between 4 and 9 AM. Trains nationwide will come to a halt. Prague Transit workers were still discussing about whether to join in, a move that would affect morning commuters on trams and the metro.
English: http://www.praguepost.com/news/3680-spring-will-bring-transport-strikes.html
via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Czech+Republic

On 24 February, Public Administration Minister Irma Pavlinic-Krebs and Finance Minister Franc Krizanic with representatives of 23 public sector trade unions signed an austerity pay agreement, under which the growth of wages in the sector envisaged for 2009 will be reduced from 9.9% to 7.1%. This deal was "prompted by the crisis", as both parties explained to the press.
English: http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&id=1367087

Till mid-February, 470 companies were allowed to use the official short-time support arrangement, mostly from the metal, chemical and construction industries. On 24 January, the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Piet Hein Donner, announced that a further extension in the deadline for applications to this arrangement, from 1 March till the end of March. Again, the minister said to accept that the costs involved would go over the former limit of Euro 200 million, especially in view of the need for companies to retain and train skilled workers. It is broadly expected that in mid-March social partners will draw up a social accord, which is supposed to open the door for more in-depth measures. Most likely the government will introduce a system of part-time unemployment benefits by then. The minister used the occasion to criticize the employers' side for actually dismissing occupationally disabled more than proportionally (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No. 10 and Year 2 No. 1).
Dutch: information Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment
http://www.refdag.nl/artikel/1393838/Werktijdverkorting+verlengd.html