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November 2000

• 28 Nov 2000
  Austria: First agreements signed in bargaining round

  October 2000 saw the opening of Austria's annual autumn bargaining round, with major agreements signed in metalworking and the federal public sector.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Austria: Report issued on social security reforms

  An expert group set up by the Austrian government to examine the social security system issued its report in September 2000. The report, which was mainly motivated by the government's wish to cut welfare expenditure, contains a number of proposals for cost-cutting reform. The social partners have given the proposals a mixed reception, with employees' organisations strongly opposed and employers generally in favour.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Belgium: Talks start on 2001-2 intersectoral agreement

  In late October 2000, the Belgian social partners commenced negotiations over a national intersectoral agreement for 2001-2. Prior to the talks, representatives of employers' associations and trade unions had held a final meeting with members of the federal government with a view to obtaining clarification on decisions announced by the Prime Minister on 17 October in his "federal policy statement".

• 28 Nov 2000
  Belgium: Flexible career options introduced in the Flemish not-for-profit sector

  In late October 2000, a deal was reached between the Flemish Minister of Employment, trade unions and employers' organisations on the implementation of an earlier agreement covering employees in the not-for-profit sector (welfare, healthcare and social-cultural activities). There will now be regulations on the introduction of a number of schemes allowing employees to take periods of time off (eg for family care purposes or sabbaticals), and on allowing older workers to move to part-time work. The aim is to give employees the flexibility to reconcile their work and family lives.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Germany: New agreements signed for journalists

  In September and October 2000, new collective pay agreements were reached for journalists and freelancers on German newspapers, as well as for editorial staff on magazines. Decisions concerning partial retirement and the status of online editors were postponed to a later date.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Germany: Working-life time accounts agreed in steel industry

  In October 2000, Germany's first sectoral agreement on "working-life time accounts" was signed in the steel industry. The agreement essentially offers employees the possibility of saving overtime pay over a long period by paying it into an account. This money can be used to finance a period of time off, or for early retirement or an additional pension. The concrete details of the agreement will be worked out at company level.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Germany: Protestant Church awards prize to companies for good employment policies

  In October 2000, the Protestant Church in Germany awarded the "Arbeit Plus 2000" prize to eight companies, in recognition of their good employment policies and their role in designing and securing jobs and supporting employees' interests.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Germany: Creation of unified service sector union suffers setback at ÖTV congress

  In November 2000, the congress of Germany's Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union (ÖTV) failed to give sufficient support for the trade union's participation in the foundation of a new Unified Service Sector Union (Ver.di). About one-third of the delegates expressed criticism of the current conditions for the planned merger of five unions to create Ver.di. ÖTV will take its final decision on the issue at an extraordinary congress in March 2001, where the support of at least 80% of delegates will be required to approve the merger.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Germany: New law passed on part-time work and fixed-term employment contracts

  In November 2000, the German parliament passed a new Act on part-time work and fixed-term employment relationships. Among other provisions, the new law introduces a right for workers in companies with more than 15 employees to reduce their working time, as long as no internal company reasons prevent such a reduction, and restricts the possibilities for concluding fixed-term employment contracts.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Denmark: New working time rules agreed for telework

  An agreement signed in October 2000 by the social partners in the Danish commerce and services sector makes it possible for employees to work at home without complying with the normal statutory "11-hour rule" on rest periods. The agreement, which seeks to obtain a higher degree of flexibility for teleworking, applies only if the employees concerned wish it to do so and if it is possible for these employees to organise their work themselves.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Denmark: New bargaining structures and flexibility in finance

  In autumn 2000, the social partners in the Danish finance sector agreed a new bargaining structure, providing for greater flexibility and allowing the development of individualised agreements. The next sectoral bargaining round occurs in spring 2001, but an agreement has already been signed at an internet-based stock-broking firm, E-trade, which gives employees the possibility of choosing between the terms of the normal collective agreement or a personal tailor-made agreement where part of their salary is paid in the form of shares and/or a bonus. These developments in finance can be seen as the first step in the direction of a new bargaining structure in Denmark.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Denmark: Collective bargaining coverage increases

  Since the mid-1990s, the level of coverage of collective bargaining has been increasing in Denmark, and four out of five employees are now covered by a collective agreement. The increase in coverage is most marked among private sector white-collar employees, while the level of coverage is also increasing within some of the "new economy" and information technology sectors. These are among the findings of a major study undertaken by the Confederation of Danish Trade Unions (LO), published in November 2000.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Spain: Preliminary agreement reached at Sintel

  In October 2000, a preliminary agreement guaranteeing the payment of unpaid wages and the maintenance of jobs was reached between the management and workers' committee of Sintel, the beleaguered Spanish telephone installation company.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Spain: Contractor imprisoned over fatal accident to building worker

  In October 2000, a building contractor in Spain was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment following the death of a worker in an industrial accident. The court ruled that the contractor committed homicide by failing to fulfil health and safety obligations. The sentence is seen as setting an example in dealing with the very high accident rate in the construction sector.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Spain: Another reform of the labour market?

  During October 2000, debate intensified in Spain over the possibility of a new reform of the labour market, to follow the major changes introduced by the intersectoral agreements of April 1997.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Spain: Pre-retirement under debate

  A report published in summer 2000 finds that large Spanish companies are increasingly using the mechanism of "pre-retirement" for older workers, even when they are not in a situation of crisis. Such schemes affect workers over the age of 50 and are seen as a way to reduce workforces that is fairly uncontroversial and profitable in the medium term. Workers' committees in the companies concerned try to make pre-retirement as advantageous as possible for the workers and to obtain job creation in exchange. The government sees this mechanism as having an unacceptable cost for society and for the social security system, and in late 2000 is considering making it a less attractive option.

• 28 Nov 2000
  EU Level: Commission proposes Directive regulating occupational pension provision

  In October 2000, the European Commission proposed a Directive which seeks to create a European framework for institutions offering occupational pension provision, in order to ensure a high level of such provision in the future.

• 28 Nov 2000
  EU Level: Biarritz Council approves Charter of fundamental rights

  The informal European Council held in Biarritz in October 2000 approved the contents of the draft EU Charter of fundamental rights. The Council agreed to adopt the Charter as a political declaration at the Nice summit in December 2000, but there is still pressure from organisations such as the European Trade Union Confederation, European Commission and European Parliament to make the Charter legally binding. It has been suggested that a decision on legal status could be deferred and resolved under the Swedish Presidency in 2001.

• 28 Nov 2000
  EU Level: Dispute over union recognition at ECB

  A row has erupted over the issue of trade union recognition at the European Central Bank (ECB). European finance unions stated in September 2000 that if the ECB management continued to refuse recognition, a legal challenge could be mounted.

• 28 Nov 2000
  EU Level: Advocate-General delivers opinion on first EWC case to reach European Court of Justice

  In September 2000, the European Court of Justice published an Advocate-General's opinion on the first case concerning the European Works Councils (EWCs) Directive to have reached the Court. The opinion, which is not binding on the Court, seeks to clarify management's responsibility to provide employee representatives with information about the number and distribution of employees and the structure of the undertaking/group, including the disclosure of relevant documents, prior to any employee request for negotiations about a possible EWC.

• 28 Nov 2000
  EU Level: Economic Policy Committee reports on state pension systems

  In November 2000, the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council discussed a report drawn up at its request by the advisory Economic Policy Committee, investigating the impact of the ageing population on public pension systems across the EU. The report highlights the characteristics of current state pension systems and provides an assessment of current and future pension provisions.

• 28 Nov 2000
  EU Level: Strengthening social dialogue in the graphical industry

  A new report, issued in September 2000, looks at ways in which European graphical sector trade unions could strengthen social dialogue and cross-border trade union networks in their industry.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Finland: Protest strike at Finnair

  On 1 November 2000, the Finnish Air Transport Union (IAU), representing airport workers, held a protest strike against the personnel policy of the Finnair airline and planned structural changes in the company. Finnair considered the strike illegal and has referred the matter to an arbitration tribunal. Negotiations aimed at resolving the dispute are under way between IAU and the Association of Support Service Industries.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Finland: New centralised incomes policy agreement concluded

  The Finnish central social partners - except AKAVA, the trade union confederation representing professionals with a high level of education - successfully concluded negotiations over a new centralised incomes policy agreement on 17 November 2000. The two-year wage agreement will mean an increase in labour costs of 3.1% in 2001 and 2.3% in 2002. The deal, which is by nature a recommendation, will now be implemented in sector-level bargaining.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: Romanian forestry workers win unpaid wages case

  In October 2000, 122 Romanian workers employed by a German company in France won an industrial tribunal case over unpaid wages. The French government subsequently stepped in to pay the workers' wages when the company failed to do so.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: 1998 works council election results published

  The results of the works council elections held in France in 1998 were published in October 2000. The main trends observed were a fall in turn-out among employees and a drop in the vote for non-unionised independent candidates. Nevertheless, independents still constitute the largest single group of works council members. The election results highlighted a number of problems in collecting data and in using these figures as a means of measuring the representativeness of trade unions.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: Employee savings schemes reformed

  A law to reform France's employee savings schemes was presented to parliament in October-November 2000. There are two parts to the law: the first overhauls the existing company savings scheme and extends it to cover smaller companies; while the second creates a new voluntary longer-term savings scheme. The new provisions have met with little enthusiasm and have, indirectly, reawakened the debate on pension funds.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: 2001 social security funding bill passed

  The 2001 social security funding bill was passed by the French parliament in October 2000. The key provisions include a cut in social security contributions for low-wage earners, as well as increases in pensions and family allowances. Trade unions have opposed the trend towards greater government involvement in social security, and a major debate has arisen over controlling healthcare spending.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: Workforce elections held at La Poste and France Télécom

  In October 2000, employees at France Télécom and La Poste - France's national telecommunications and postal services operators - elected their representatives on the companies' administrative boards and on various joint committees. The result of these elections showed an increase in support for the independent SUD trade union at the expense of CGT. CFDT made gains, whereas CGT-FO lost ground and support for CFTC and CFE-CGC remained stable.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: Bill on new anti-discrimination measures

  In October 2000, the French National Assembly adopted at first reading a bill seeking to extend and strengthen legislation against discrimination in employment. If passed by the Senate, the new law would apply anti-discrimination legislation to a wider range of grounds and employment situations and amend the rules on the burden of proof.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: Officers bring prisons to two-week standstill

  French prisons were brought to a standstill in October 2000 by industrial action called by three prison officers' trade unions in a protest over shortages of staff and funding. After a two-week dispute, an agreement was reached by the two majority unions and the Ministry of Justice.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Ireland: Gender wage gap examined

  A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), published in October 2000, concludes that the "gender wage gap" has narrowed somewhat across the Irish labour market over the past decade or so. In 1987, women earned 80% of average male earnings, while in 1997, the gap had narrowed slightly to 84.5%. The ESRI suggests that the persistence of a gender wage differential can primarily be explained by variations in labour market experience and participation levels between men and women. In addition, the remainder of the gap is deemed to be partly attributable to the overall increase in wage inequality between low- and high-income groups in recent years. This has had a disproportionate impact upon women, who constitute a large proportion of low-paid workers.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Ireland: Aer Lingus workers strike over pay issues

  In October 2000, Ireland's national airline, Aer Lingus, was grounded by strike action by cabin crew for the first time in 20 years, as part of a wider wave of unrest over pay among most of the company's major employee groups.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Ireland: Teachers plan strikes as rest of public sector watches

  In what is effectively a major challenge to Ireland's current national wage agreement in the public sector, one of Ireland's three teaching trade unions was due to hold a one-day strike on 14 November 2000, followed by further action.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Italy: Transport workers hold new form of solidarity strike

  On 23 October 2000, Italian public transport workers held a strike as part of a dispute over the conclusion of a new sectoral collective agreement. However, for the first time in Italy, the action took a new form - a "solidarity strike". During the strike, the employees worked as usual but their pay for the hours worked will be used to create a solidarity fund for flood victims in the Piedmont and Valle D'Aosta regions.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Italy: First strike by McDonald's workers

  In October 2000, employees of a McDonald's franchise in Florence went out on strike in protest against an alleged "intimidatory climate" - the first time that industrial action has hit the restaurant chain's Italian operations. The strike was followed by a similar protest at a McDonald's restaurant in Rome.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Italy: New initiatives on health and safety at work

  The increasing level of accidents at work has raised concerns among the Italian social partners in late 2000. The poor health and safety situation has been attributed to factors such as a failure to apply legislation, the spread of illegal work and, above all, the absence of a "health and safety culture". The government has announced a new health and safety plan, while trade unions have launched a major campaign on the issue.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Italy: Moves to regulate freelance coordinated work through law and bargaining

  "Atypical" work is an increasingly important component of employment in Italy, accounting for around two-thirds of all new jobs created. Legislation to regulate one form of non-dependent atypical work, consultancy and freelance work "coordinated" by an employer - which involves around 1 million people - is under discussion in parliament in late 2000, while collective bargaining has already led to the conclusion of significant agreements on this type of work.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Italy: Demand for immigrant workers increases

  The number of non-EU immigrant workers continues to increase in Italy, with this group accounting for nearly a quarter of all recruitment in 1999 and 2000. This has enabled Italian firms, particularly those located in the North, to meet their personnel requirements, especially for lower-skilled jobs. Collective bargaining is beginning to concern itself with the issue of immigration: for example, an agreement on the provision of training for immigrant workers was signed in October 2000 in the Veneto region.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Luxembourg: OGB-L criticises Clearstream over employee representation

  In October 2000, Clearstream, a Luxembourg-based finance group, attracted severe criticism from the OGB-L trade union confederation over its employee representation arrangements. The company is accused of "interfering" with the operation of the law on employee committees and joint company councils.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Luxembourg: Doctors take industrial action

  In early November 2000, doctors and dentists in Luxembourg went on strike in protest at a government plan to increase their contribution to the financial equilibrium of the sickness insurance scheme.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Luxembourg: Overwhelming majority of employers represented by new organisation

  The formation was announced in October 2000 of a new employers' structure in Luxembourg. The Union of Luxembourg Enterprises (UEL) brings together organisations representing 34,000 enterprises with 200,000 workers, accounting for 85% of GDP. It aims to act as an "influential new partner in the economic and social arenas".

• 28 Nov 2000
  Luxembourg: Administrative Tribunal awards ALEBA trade union nationally representative status

  In October 2000, following an appeal initiated by the ALEBA bank workers' trade union against the Minister of Labour, Luxembourg's Administrative Tribunal awarded the union "nationally representative" status, thus allowing it to conclude collective agreements. This decision ignores earlier case law which required a nationally representative trade union to represent members in several sectors of the economy.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Netherlands: New proposal to reduce influx of disability and unemployment benefit claimants

  In October 2000, the Dutch Secretary of State for Social Affairs announced a plan aimed at restricting the number of claimants of unemployment benefit and WAO occupational disability benefit. The duration and amount of benefits would in future be based on the employment history of claimants, rather than their age. The parties in the coalition government and social partners are divided in their response. Meanwhile, a committee established by the government is looking elsewhere for a workable solution to problem of the increasing influx of WAO recipients.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Netherlands: Supervisory control in large companies due to change

  The debate in the Netherlands on supervisory control within large companies resulted in a provisional compromise in October 2000 within the tripartite Social and Economic Council (SER). The Council has recommended changes to the current system whereby shareholders and works councils nominate members of the supervisory board. Although supported by trade unions and employer organisations, as well as a majority of the Lower House of parliament, the compromise triggered much opposition elsewhere.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Norway: Green light for new union confederation

  In autumn 2000, the national conferences of the four Norwegian trade unions considering the creation of a new confederation gave their leaders a mandate to take the process further. In October 2000, the two teachers' unions involved also decided to continue their parallel process of considering a possible merger.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Norway: Future of Statoil provokes controversy in labour movement

  In October-November 2000, Norway's governing Labour Party and the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) came out in favour of a partial privatisation of the Statoil oil company and of the "State's Direct Financial Interest" in petroleum operations. However, in both organisations the decisions were controversial and caused significant disagreement, indicating that the labour movement remains divided on the issue.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Norway: Director of Labour resigns over falsification of employment data

  The Norwegian Director of Labour, Ted Hanisch resigned in October 2000 after an inquiry found that the Labour Market Administration has routinely reported exaggerated figures for the number for people helped to find jobs. Jon Blaalid has been appointed temporary director, with a view to initiating a "clean-up" operation within the Administration.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Portugal: Health and safety in construction under the spotlight

  In autumn 2000, a number of major construction projects in Northern Portugal have highlighted health and safety problems in this sector, which trade unions attribute partly to precarious and illegal employment and the use of large numbers of immigrant workers. Negotiations between the social partners took place in October over ensuring compliance with legal standards and improving safety standards.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Portugal: Teleworking under debate

  A recent study indicates that teleworking is still extremely limited in Portugal - a fact that may explain why this form of work has only recently begun to make its appearance on the social partners' agendas and why businesses have not shown any evidence of taking a strategic viewpoint on the issue. However, in late 2000 teleworking is starting to come under debate by trade unions, with some seeking bargaining on the issue and others taking a more negative view.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Portugal: New ways forward for collective bargaining?

  Debate over the need to resolve the "crisis" of Portuguese collective bargaining has intensified in 2000. In November, a seminar was held to discuss possible ways of unblocking the moribund bargaining system, while two recent studies have highlighted particular problematic features of Portuguese industrial relations and the failure of bargaining to deal with employment and training issues.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Sweden: Rehabilitation reform proposed

  In August 2000, a government-appointed commissioner presented his final report on the rehabilitation of incapacitated employees in Sweden. The report proposes active and coordinated rehabilitation measures, focused on the individual, as a way of reducing the current high levels of sickness absence.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Sweden: New agreement for blue-collar temporary agency workers

  In September 2000, a first sectoral collective agreement was concluded for blue-collar workers employed by temporary work agencies in Sweden. The deal was signed by the affiliates of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) and the Swedish Service Employers' Association (Almega).

• 28 Nov 2000
  Sweden: Government defeated on change in redundancy rules

  In October 2000, the Swedish parliament defeated the government and passed an amendment to the rules in employment protection legislation concerning the order of priority in redundancy situations. Companies with 10 or fewer employees will have the right to exclude two employees from the normal "last in, first out" rules.

• 28 Nov 2000
  Sweden: Government backs down on expected working time reduction legislation

  The Swedish government had been widely expected to propose a bill on the reduction of working time in the near future. However, it announced at the end of October 2000 that possible legislation on this issue would not now be considered until 2003. The minority Social Democrat government had not received the support on this issue of both of the parties with which it cooperates in parliament, the Left Party and the Green Party, and did not want to risk endangering its cooperation with either of them.

• 28 Nov 2000
  United Kingdom: School Teachers' Review Body gives green light to performance-related pay

  A report published in October 2000 by the School Teachers' Review Body has endorsed the government's controversial performance-related pay scheme for teachers in England and Wales. In obtaining a number of concessions, teachers' trade unions also claim to have won a victory. This feature considers the implications of the report and the possible consequences of the introduction of the government's pay reforms.

• 28 Nov 2000
  United Kingdom: Government seeks employer and union involvement in productivity initiative

  In October 2000, the chancellor of the exchequer invited the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress to engage in joint discussions on boosting the UK's productivity.

• 28 Nov 2000
  United Kingdom: Mixed reaction to agreement on EU anti-discrimination Directive

  There has been mixed reaction in the UK to the EU Employment and Social Policy Council's agreement in October 2000 to adopt a Directive to combat discrimination in employment on grounds of religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.

• 28 Nov 2000
  United Kingdom: Employers and unions highlight opposing views on regulation

  The November 2000 annual conference of the Confederation of British Industry was the occasion for renewed public debate with the Trades Union Congress about the role and impact of business regulation, particularly in the area of employment relations.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: Bill on new anti-discrimination measures

  In October 2000, the French National Assembly adopted at first reading a bill seeking to extend and strengthen legislation against discrimination in employment. If passed by the Senate, the new law would apply anti-discrimination legislation to a wider range of grounds and employment situations and amend the rules on the burden of proof.

• 28 Nov 2000
  France: Officers bring prisons to two-week standstill

  French prisons were brought to a standstill in October 2000 by industrial action called by three prison officers' trade unions in a protest over shortages of staff and funding. After a two-week dispute, an agreement was reached by the two majority unions and the Ministry of Justice.