Highlights, 20 November 2009
- 20 Nov 2009
EU Level: General Motors ditches plan to sell Opel and Vauxhall to MagnaAfter months of negotiations, on 3 November 2009 General Motors abandoned the plan to sell its European subsidiaries to the consortium composed of the Canadian-based automotive supplier Magna International and Russia’s Sberbank. At this point, the European Metalworkers’ Federation insists that General Motors should enter into talks with the European Works Council and the European trade unions without delay.
- 20 Nov 2009
France: New law widens scope of Sunday tradingA new law increases the possibilities of obtaining dispensation from Sunday being a rest day in retail outlets in tourist zones and areas of ‘exceptional consumption’. In some cases, exemptions are automatic and the law does not provide for any special compensation for the employees affected. In other cases, administrative authorisation is given under certain conditions. The government is hoping to boost consumption; however, trade unions are among those opposed to the bill.
- 20 Nov 2009
Austria: New liability rules to tackle ‘social fraud’ in constructionIn September 2009, new liability regulations came into effect in Austria’s construction industry. Accordingly, construction companies that are subcontracting work to other companies are now liable for the subcontractors’ social insurance payment duties. The new legislation aims to encourage companies to use only credible subcontractors, thus preventing the practice of ‘social fraud’. The social partners, who were involved in the drafting procedure, appear to be highly satisfied with the new regulations.
- 10 Nov 2009
EU Level: Court grants right to compensatory holiday leave in cases of sicknessWorkers who fall ill while on annual leave or whose sickness prevents them from taking annual leave have the right to compensatory holiday leave, according to a ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The ECJ has concluded that neither national laws nor collective agreements can deny an entitlement to deferred annual leave where a worker requests it. The case raises important issues regarding interpretation of the working time directive and also builds on a previous ECJ ruling.
- 10 Nov 2009
Hungary: Constitutional Court ruling paves way for new social dialogue lawHungary’s parliament has passed several acts that regulate the operation of national tripartite forums and the bipartite sectoral social dialogue committees, reducing their previous functions of public power to consultation. The move followed a Constitutional Court ruling that revoked the co-determination right of social partners on certain issues. With the passing of these acts, the criteria of representativeness have also been enacted.
- 10 Nov 2009
United Kingdom: TUC calls for urgent revision of EU posted workers directiveThe annual conference of the Trades Union Congress, held in September 2009, voted for a resolution that criticised the UK’s application of the EU posted workers directive. The resolution calls for the urgent revision of UK law and practice and the EU directive itself, so that existing collective agreements are not undermined. However, it seems unlikely that the government as well as employer organisations will support such measures.
- 26 Oct 2009
Latvia: Healthcare sector hit by recessionary cutbacksOne of the sectors particularly affected by budgetary cutbacks arising from the economic recession is Latvia’s healthcare sector. As well as a reduction in funding, the sector is also undergoing significant reorganisation, with large-scale job losses, reduced services and the merging of institutions. While the government believes that its cuts are justified, experts have accused the state of incompetence and of adopting a linear spending cuts policy.
- 26 Oct 2009
Sweden: Proposed law to protect personal privacy at workThe Swedish government has made a new legislative proposal on the protection of personal privacy in working life, with the help of a special commission set up to evaluate the current legislation. The proposal sets out mainly five stricter regulations on surveillance or control measures used by employers. The trade unions have in general reacted positively to the proposal, but the employer organisations are very critical of the content of the proposal.
- 26 Oct 2009
Spain: Green light for new unemployment protection measureIn September 2009, the Spanish parliament approved a new €420 monthly unemployment payment, to be granted to people whose unemployment benefit has ceased since 1 January 2009. The measure has secured the support of almost all political parties and the trade unions, although the Popular Party referred to it as a palliative measure that will not help to boost employment.
- 14 Oct 2009
United Kingdom: Social partners seek action on youth unemploymentIn August 2009, the UK government published figures showing that the number of 18–24-year-olds in the UK not in education, employment or training rose steeply in the second quarter of 2009. Both the Trades Union Congress and the Confederation of British Industry have called on the government to fund extra youth apprenticeships to help tackle the problem, while the employer body has developed a five-point plan to tackle youth unemployment.
- 14 Oct 2009
Finland: Technology sector agreement first in new bargaining roundThe first new collective agreement in Finland’s latest bargaining round has been negotiated in the technology industry. The three-year agreement between the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries and the Metalworkers’ Union takes effect in October 2009, covering about 125,000 employees. The social partners have widely welcomed the agreement, which provides for a moderate pay increase, viewing it as a successful opening in a difficult bargaining round.
- 14 Oct 2009
Czech Republic: Reduced working week may stem unemployment growthIn an attempt to reduce unemployment, the Czech state is preparing an option for companies to introduce, under certain circumstances, a four-day working week. A working group, comprising representatives of the ministries of labour and finance, trade unions and employers, proposes that staff on compulsory leave should receive 60% of their salary from the employer and 20% from the state. This strategy would be cheaper than paying unemployment benefits.
- 05 Oct 2009
United Kingdom: 48-hour limit on junior doctors’ weekly working hours takes effectFrom August 2009, as a result of regulations reflecting the requirements of the EU Working Time Directive, trainee doctors are now covered by the statutory 48-hour limit on average weekly working hours. Some doctor organisations have expressed concern that the National Health Service is ill-prepared for the change. They argue that, without adequate preparation, reduced working hours could adversely affect training for junior doctors and patient care.
- 05 Oct 2009
Romania: One-day strike in public sector over new pay billAfter about six months of negotiations, on 15 September 2009, the Romanian government forwarded to the parliament the draft framework on public employees’ unitary pay law. The reforms triggered discontent among staff in education, health and public administration. A total of 11 trade union federation representatives in the public sector have set up an alliance and threatened a series of protests, culminating in a one-day general strike on 5 October 2009.
- 05 Oct 2009
Belgium: Milk producers take strike action against low pricesIn recent months, Belgian milk producers have organised several strike initiatives in protest against the very low price of milk. Farmer federations are denouncing the EU deregulation policies, as well as the low prices imposed by retailers which have obliged producers to sell their products at a loss. An agreement reached by Flemish farmer representatives seeks to help producers in the short term; however, the agreement has been rejected by Walloon farmer organisations.
- 25 Sep 2009
Germany: New package of agreements for social and childcare workersIn late July 2009, following months of industrial dispute, the United Services Union and the German Union of Education agreed with the Municipal Employers’ Association on a new package of agreements covering some 220,000 public employees working in kindergartens, day-care centres, as well as the youth welfare service and social agencies. The agreements include provisions on occupational health protection and a grading system providing for higher wages for most employees.
- 25 Sep 2009
France: Multi-industry agreement resolves milk crisisThe sharp decrease in the price paid to milk producers in April 2009 triggered three weeks of conflict between the producers, on the one hand, and the distributors and processors, on the other. A multi-industry agreement was signed in June, following pressure from the French government. The margins on milk and milk by-products will be subject to greater monitoring. However, milk producers remain unhappy with the prices agreed and are continuing to strike.
- 25 Sep 2009
Portugal: Autoeuropa workers reject works council ‘pre-agreement’In June 2009, the majority of workers at the Portuguese Volkswagen plant Autoeuropa rejected a proposal for new solutions of labour flexibility, which had been negotiated by the company’s management and works council. At the core of the agreement is the reduction of pay for overtime on Saturdays in the context of working time accounts. As Autoeuropa is widely considered a particularly successful case of negotiated change towards greater competitiveness, the case is of major significance.
- 25 Sep 2009
Slovakia: Anti-crisis measures help to maintain employmentThe global economic crisis has led to increased redundancies in Slovakia in 2009. In May, the number of registered unemployed persons reached nearly 336,000 workers, compared with 235,000 in November 2008. Companies have announced mass dismissals of more than 37,000 employees in that period. However, only 9,147 of these workers have registered at the labour offices so far, due to the implementation of measures adopted in order to maintain employment.
- 16 Sep 2009
Finland: Social partners criticise stimulus package in draft 2010 budgetThe Finnish Ministry of Finance has unveiled the country’s draft 2010 budget, which includes a separate stimulus package with the aim of preventing an economic recession. With this budget, the government hopes to foster employment in 2010. However, both the trade union and employer sides have criticised the stimulus package as they believe that it will not have a significant impact on boosting employment.
- 16 Sep 2009
EU Level: Agreement on preventing sharp instrument injuries at work in healthcare sectorThe social partners in the healthcare sector have signed an agreement that aims to set minimum standards for preventing needle stick and other sharp instrument injuries at work. The new agreement covers all hospital and healthcare workers in the public and private sectors. It promotes the safest possible working environment by introducing risk assessment, prevention, training and awareness raising initiatives. The agreement is the outcome of consultations that began in 2006.
- 16 Sep 2009
Poland: Employers held to account for late payment of wagesThe National Labour Inspectorate has found that, in the first half of 2009, the scale of delays in remuneration payments has increased. This is another factor suggesting that the cash flow of Polish employers is lower than in recent years. Employers who are in arrears with paying wages will be charged a fine. Small companies are experiencing particular problems regarding payments, especially in the retail, manufacturing and construction sectors.
- 16 Sep 2009
Netherlands: Social partners agree wage increase despite economic crisisIn the latest collective agreements, the social partners agreed on an average wage increase in line with the inflation rate of 1%–1.5%. Meanwhile, the Central Planning Office emphasises that wage moderation could be counterproductive in light of the serious economic downturn facing the Netherlands. Employers in construction, however, demonstrate that they are thinking beyond the recession and want to remain attractive for young workers, by agreeing a wage increase of 2%.
- 01 Sep 2009
Sweden: Conflict between social partners over proposed work environment changesA letter issued by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprises proposing changes to the Work Environment Act has led to a heated debate among the social partners. Trade unions are opposed to the suggestion of reduced power for safety representatives and increased power for the employers. The employer organisations, on the other hand, want more individual responsibility for the work environment, in addition to new measures to deal with abuse of safety representatives’ role.
- 31 Aug 2009
Luxembourg: Interprofessional agreement on harassment and violence at workIn June 2009, the Independent Trade Union Confederation of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Christian Trade Union Confederation and the Union of Luxembourg Enterprises signed an interprofessional agreement on harassment and violence at work. The agreement aims to transpose into Luxembourg law the European framework agreement on harassment and violence at work concluded by the European social partners on 26 April 2007.