Collective Bargaining

After four weeks of strikes and negotiations, unions and employers in the Dutch `metal and technique' industry, employing 410,000 workers and encompassing installation technology, assembly shops, garages and the like, reached a basic collective agreement. The agreement covers 22 months. It includes a pay increase of 3.5% and a Euro 200 lump sum from 1 April 2008, a Euro 200 lump sum in December 2008, 3% from 1 February 2009, and a lump sum of Euro 400 in November 2009. Moreover, the final level of the craftsmen grades B - F will rise 3%. A number of new arrangements have been included concerning training and re-integration of disabled workers. The FNV Bondgenoten union negotiators recommend this result to the membership. Jan Berghuis, responsible officer of this union, notably acclaims the improvements in the position of craftsmen. (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No. 2).
(Dutch: http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl/nieuws/actueel/773365)

In March, Air France hostesses and stewards objected to a new salary plan. According to union sources, the salary plan for flight assistants that was drafted by the company after dealings with three unions - CGT, CFDT and Unac - was rejected by hostesses and stewards who carried out an internal referendum: 65% of those that voted said 'no' to the plan. Already in January, Air France had failed to reach an agreement with the body representing 60% of its workers (SNPNC, Unsa, FO, SUD, and CFTC).
(English: http://www.agi.it/business/news/200803212049-eco-ren0080-art.html; French: La Tribune, 20 March 2008).

The Croatian government has stated that it will put forward its own legislation to introduce an official national minimum wage by May 1, 2008, if before that date no agreement on this subject can be reached with employers' associations and trade unions. All parties favour the idea of such a minimum wage in principle, but there have been prolonged arguments over the level at which the rate should be set. Employers advocate to start with 35% of the national average wage, which the unions regard as too low. At present, minimum pay in Croatia is effectively determined by the minimum income threshold set for social security purposes. In the beginning of 2008, that threshold was raised by 6.2% to HRK 2,441.25 (Euro 333) per month.
(English: Watson Wyatt Data Services, New Industrial Relations Europe, 3/2008)

The CMKOS (Czech Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions - Czech Republic) union confederation has called for the renegotiation of collective agreements concluded for 2008, after the annualised consumer price inflation reached 7.5% in January. The demand coincides with CMKOS's first-ever general strike alert, direct against government's tax reforms. There is no precedent for reopening pay deals in force, and both government and business leaders say there is no need for that. Government states that price inflation would be down to 3.4% by yearend, but CMKOS challenges that forecast. Whatever the outcome of the controversy, CMKOS's 32 affiliates are likely to put pressure for compensation clauses in future collective agreements. At present, such clauses are rare in the Czech Republic, although the current agreement at car maker Skoda contains one.
(English: Watson Wyatt Data Services, New Industrial Relations Europe, 3/2008)

State sector trade union members are currently being balloted over a new three-year agreement worth 12.8%. The major part (8.17%) will be spent on general wage increases while 2.2% has been set aside as `pool funding' for other improvements. In addition to this, the regulator mechanism (which ensures a parallel wage development between the public and private sector) and local wage developments will account for 2.23% of the increase. A new element is compensation to state employees for the growth in fringe/staff benefits in the private sector. This is set at 0.2% and means that the wage difference between the state and the private sector has been narrowed by 0.2% on a permanent basis. The general pay increase thus amounts to 8.37% over the next 3 years (the 8.17% in general wage increases plus the 0.2%. compensation for fringe/staff benefits). The agreed wage increases guarantee a real wage development each year. Overall this is the largest wage hike in the state sector since 1987. (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No. 2).
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=254#a3695)

On February 18, the Danish Central Federation of State Employee Organisations (CFU), affiliated to the LO, reached agreement with the government on renewal of the collective agreement for the 170,000 state workers. Wages will be raised by 12.8% over the next three years, be it that the actual increases may vary as pay rises in the state sector are linked with those in the private sector. The agreement also includes a second paid day off to care for sick children. LO-President Harald Borsting said to be very pleased with the agreement, arguing that the state workers are ensured wage rises that are at least as favourable as the ones obtained by employees in the private sector - perhaps even better.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=253; http://www.lo.dk/Englishversion/News/stateworkers.aspx; Danish: http://www.cfu-net.dk/sw685.asp#516_16616)

The results of negotiations between the public service trade unions and the Public Service Minister have fallen short of union expectations. The government has made some concessions but not enough to get some of the main unions to sign an agreement that would end their campaign over pay. The government has moved on the need for annual negotiations and for a review of the public sector pay scale. However, the unions are unhappy about the failure to address the loss of purchasing power for public sector workers over recent years. The pay increase offered for 2008 is 0.5% from 1 March and 0.3% from 1 October, while inflation is forecast to reach 1.6%. The government is talking about providing an individual guarantee of inflation protection rather than one achieved through a general pay increase for all workers.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=253; French: http://www.spterritoriaux.cgt.fr/spip.php?article2231; http://www.fo-fonctionnaires.fr/uiafp_negociation_salariales_fevrier2008.html; http://www.cfdt.fr/actualite/fonctions_publiques/salaires_dialogue_social/dialogue_social_0079.htm)

Ver.di, Germany's largest union, continues to fight with federal and local governments across Germany over a wage and working hours' proposal of these employers (See also Collective Bargaining Newsletter No. 1). From February 14 on, thousands of council workers, federal employees and health workers began taking warning strike action to show their disgust at the failure of the employers to make any significant improvement to their earlier pay offer. Ver.di reports high levels of support for strike action and a rise in union membership in some areas. For February 21, for example, the union media reported over 30,000 child-care employees involved in warning strikes and related activities throughout Germany, and for February 22 over 80,000 workers in local transport and health and elderly care on strike. In the last days of February, the fourth round of negotiations failed to arrive at a settlement. In reaction, ver.di renewed its warning strike activities from 4 - 6 March, including strikes on ten airports all over the country and in Berlin public transport. On March 7, the fifth round of negotiations broke down as the employers sought to link a deal on pay with an increase in working time. This failure has led to the dispute now being referred to an arbitration committee that will report before the next round of bargaining gets underway on 29 March.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=253; German: http://tarif-oed.verdi.de/tarifrunden/oed-tarifrunde_2008/verhandlungen/fuenfte_runde_am_6._7._maerz; http://www.streik.tv)

The FNSFP public sector union federation has called a 24 hours' national strike and a demonstration on March 14, as part of its long-running campaign against government reforms of pay, employment rights and pensions in the public sector. The Federation is opposed to the government plans to overhaul the public sector salary and career structure, the introduction of individual contracts, reduction of pensions, and increase of the retirement age.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=253; Portuguese: http://www.fnsfp.pt/?pageact=art&id=881&idCanal=0)

The four trade unions involved in the Ministry of Justice dispute -CCOO, UGT, CSI-CSIF and STAJ - have decided to continue their strike as the government has failed to make an adequate response to their demands. The main issue at stake is the significant pay disparity between workers directly employed by the Ministry and those who have been transferred to the regions. Unions estimate that over 60,000 legal cases have been postponed as a result of the all-out strike that began on February 4.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=253;
Spanish: http://www.fsap.ccoo.es/webfsap/menu.do?Inicio:18348;
http://www.fspugt.es/index.php/mod.noticias/mem.detalle/idnoticia.3342/idimagen.1289/relcategoria.7)