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August 2008

• 20 Aug 2008
  Germany: Interim report on 2008 bargaining round

  In June 2008, the Institute of Economic and Social Research presented its interim report on Germany’s 2008 round of collective bargaining. The study evaluates the collective agreements concluded in the first half of 2008, affecting about 25% of all employees covered by such agreements. Calculated on an annual basis, the average increase in wages and salaries will amount to about 3.3% in 2008, which is above the average pay increase of 2.2% in 2007.

• 20 Aug 2008
  Lithuania: Higher education staff threaten strike action

  Dissatisfied with the government’s higher education policies, employees of Lithuanian universities and colleges launched a number of protest actions in May 2008, organised by the Association of Trade Unions of Lithuanian Higher Education Schools. The workers issued a resolution setting out their demands, which include a 10-year programme of pay increases, and threatened to go on strike if the authorities do not respond satisfactorily.

• 20 Aug 2008
  United Kingdom: Fuel tanker drivers win 14% pay increase after strike

  In June 2008, fuel tanker drivers employed at Hoyer and at Suckling Transport, two companies contracted by the multinational oil group Shell to deliver fuel throughout the UK, won a pay rise of 14% over two years. The above-inflation award followed highly publicised industrial action, which lasted for four days and led to a fuel shortage in the UK. The agreement has been welcomed by the parties to the dispute.

• 20 Aug 2008
  Ireland: EU temporary agency work directive boosts union bargaining position

  Recent agreement at European level on an EU directive for temporary agency workers has strengthened the bargaining position of Irish trade unions on this issue in the latest national social partnership negotiations. Employers were looking for concessions in this area, while trade unions were likely to seek a trade-off in exchange for any derogations from the terms of the directive. In the end, however, the social partnership talks collapsed, primarily over pay issues.

• 20 Aug 2008
  France: Government forges ahead with pensions reform plans

  Following discussions with the social partners, in late April 2008 the French government announced reforms of the state pensions system, including an increase in the number of years of contributions required for a full pension, from 40 to 41 years. This move is strongly opposed by the trade unions. In June, the government proposed a series of measures promoting the employment of older people, to accompany the changes to the pension scheme.

• 20 Aug 2008
  Austria: Telekom Austria employees oppose job reduction plans

  Financial difficulties have prompted Telekom Austria’s management to call for workforce reductions which would affect up to 2,500 of the company’s public service employees. The company plans to transfer these employees to a special ‘employee pool’, from which they could be hired out to other private sector companies. However, the Union of Post and Telecommunications Employees and staff representatives are strongly opposed to these plans.

• 11 Aug 2008
  Slovakia: Slovakia: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  Slovakia, as an inland country, has no coastal water transport. Since 2002, there have been practically no sea transport related activities performed in the country. No sector related trade union and employer organisations operate. Trade union and employer organisation density is zero. Because of the absence of social partners, no sector related collective bargaining takes place. Sectoral water transport related tripartite consultations do take place in Slovakia, however, sea transport is not included in it.

• 11 Aug 2008
  United Kingdom: United Kingdom: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The number of UK owned and registered ships dropped from more than 50 million dead weight tonnes (dwt) in 1975 to just 2.4 million dwt by 2000. However, UK shipping has staged a spectacular recovery since the introduction of Tonnage Tax in 2000 and a positive Government maritime policy. British Shipping’s turnover increased from £4.7bn in 2002 to £11.6bn in 2005.In 2006 the number of UK owned and registered ships rose to 12 million dwt; there were 23.5 million international sea passenger journeys to and from the UK and 3.5 million domestic passenger journeys; whilst British shipping was the UK’s 3rd largest service sector earner after financial services and travel and contributed £3.3billion to the net balance of payments in 2005. In 2005 British shipping was the third highest earner of export earnings in the UK services sector. Total export earnings in 2005 were £9.4bn, a 100% increase from 2002. The Merchant Navy is a vital industry for an island nation like the UK. More than 90% of international trade is carried by shipping and around 95% of the goods that come in and go out of the UK go by sea.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Slovenia: Slovenia: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The sea and costal water transport sector is very small in Slovenia. There is no collective bargaining at the level of the sector, but the majority of workers in the sector are covered by the collective agreements concluded in the biggest employer in the sector (and its subsidiaries). Smaller employers in the sector are not covered by these collective agreements. In addition to the trade unions that are members of bigger Slovene trade union associations, there are two independent trade unions in the sector that cover seamen and are representative for the sector. Although some trade unions have been proposing collective bargaining at the sectoral level, it is hard to predict whether agreements will be concluded in the near future. It is expected that further collective bargaining will be oriented towards improvement of working conditions (higher than minimal ILO standards), higher wages and the payment of social security and pension contributions.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Poland: Poland: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  In recent years, the sea and coastal water transport sector has experienced a series of setbacks. Employment in the sector has shrunk by over 150,000, the influence of the shipowners has declined, the work and employment conditions of the seamen have deteriorated. Fortunately, two higher schools training qualified seafarers have managed to survive. The growing popularity of this type of education and a dramatic upturn in the sector economy gives hope that the sector will recover its losses and improve its labour relations.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Malta: Malta: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  A total of 679 persons work in the sea and coastal water transport sector in Malta, representing less than 1% of the total employment in the economy. Women comprise 14% of this number. Both major general unions, namely the General Workers’ Union and the Union of United Workers are involved in the sea and coastal water transport sector. Membership of the unions is on a voluntary basis and there are no particular criteria to be met in order to become a member. Unions claim that although their domains overlap no rivalries exist between them. The union representing more than 50% of the employees enjoys the right to represent the workers and hence negotiate collective agreements. Currently, both unions have standing collective agreements with different enterprises in the sea and coastal sector. All collective agreements in this sector are single employer agreements and are carried out on a voluntary bi-partite basis. Although the relevant authorities in sector specific matters consult unions, it is felt that more proactive involvement is needed. The Malta International Shipping Council, the only employers’ association in Malta, is a member of the European Community Ship Owners Association.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Latvia: Latvia: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  It is difficult to estimate the quantitative relevance of the sea and coastal water transport sector in Latvia’s economy. First, its identification among other transport activities (distinguishing it from transport support activities) is difficult. Sectoral development indicators are not reported separately in the statistical reports. Secondly, sea transport services are organised in a complicated way. In 2005, 206 ships with 100 and over gross registered tonnage were registered in the Latvian Shipping Register. At the same time the process of gradual re-registration of Latvian cargo ships under foreign flags took place until 1998 therefore data on cargo transportation by these vessels are not collected. In the fleet there are 7 passenger ships, yet information on passenger water transportation by Latvia ships is not available. From the employment point of view, the sector is important. About 18,600 active seafarers from Latvia are employed on Latvian and foreign ships around the world. Company level collective bargaining is developed in the sea and coastal transport sector. At the sector level, three trade unions represent employees. A sectoral employers’ organisation has not been established. Sector level collective bargaining does not exist.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Luxembourg: Luxembourg: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The Luxembourg maritime sector is defined by code NACELUX revision 1.1 and was composed of 280 companies in 2007. The Commission of the Maritime Businesses of the Ministry for the Economy and Foreign Trade listed 15,735 sailors since the creation of the Luxembourg flag. According to a trade-union estimate, 1100 people were employed on a permanent basis in the sector in 2006. The sector represents 0.35% of the interior employment of the Luxembourg economy. There are 2 collective agreements in the sector: the collective agreement for sailors who are European Union citizens sailing under the Luxembourg flag, and the collective agreement for officers who are European Union citizens sailing under the Luxembourg flag. The collective agreements were signed by the employers' association A.L.I.M. and the trade unions OGB-L, FNCTTFEL, LCGB and FCTP-Syprolux. The A.L.I.M. employs 10.8% of the workers active in the sector. The two sides of industry were invited by the government to take part in a tripartite assembly concerning the maritime sector in order to sign the collective agreements. There are no social elections in the sector.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Italy: Italy: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  Italy has over 7,000 kilometres of coastline, 14 shipping ports and numerous harbours for tourists and pleasure boating. The maritime sector has always played an important role in the Italian economy and offers employment to many inhabitants of Southern Italy and the islands. Passenger transport between the islands, and cargo shipments, which often take the place of rail transport are highly developed. Defining the organizational boundaries of the maritime sector trade unions is a very complex matter, as they often include many other related businesses (handling of shipments, agencies and terminals, etc.). There is a very high rate of worker unionisation: approximately 90% of the workers belong to one of the confederated unions, but possibilities for contact between unions and workers are hindered by the geographic dispersion of the workforce. The maritime workers’ union recruits members and provides assistance in those areas from which the workers come (Genoa, Trieste, Reggio Calabria, Naples, etc.). Workers’ representatives on board ships are not elected but rather named by the union organizations.Checks and controls for safety purposes are highly developed. There are numerous commissions, set up by law, which have the right to oversee and, if necessary, to block work, even during the construction of a ship.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Latvia: Trade unions win support for referendum on people’s right to dissolve parliament

  On 19 April 2008, the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia concluded its signature collection campaign which sought changes to the country’s Constitution in relation to the right of the people to dissolve parliament. During the campaign, over 250,000 signatures were gathered, 30% more than the figure required to bring about a referendum. The achievement was recognised as a milestone in the development of trade unionism.

• 08 Aug 2008
  United Kingdom: Transatlantic agreement creates first ‘global union’

  In July 2008, Unite, the UK’s largest trade union, and the US-based United Steelworkers union announced the establishment of a new global union body. The new organisation will represent some three million members in the UK, Ireland, North America and the Caribbean. The move is a response to the challenges of globalisation, and is intended to enable the coordination of collective bargaining in multinational companies and joint political campaigning.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Cyprus: Social partners sign framework agreement on work-related stress

  In June 2008, the main social partner organisations signed a framework agreement on work-related stress. The agreement, which effectively adopts the relevant framework agreement signed by the social partners at European level in October 2004, is accompanied by a policy statement referring to actions which seek to successfully implement the new agreement as soon as possible. The social partners have identified numerous potential workplace benefits of the agreement.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Luxembourg: Primary school teachers threaten strike action over new pay status

  For several months, the teachers’ trade unions in Luxembourg have been in talks with the authorities regarding the upgrading of primary school teachers’ pay status. Neither negotiations nor demonstrations have proved successful in brokering an agreement between the government and trade union representatives. The teachers have now appealed to a mediator. Failing that measure, the trade unions are planning a strike for the start of the school year.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Czech Republic: Large-scale strike in protest at public finance reform

  Trade unions continue to be dissatisfied with public finance reform in the Czech Republic. The Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, the country’s largest trade union organisation, held an hour-long strike on 24 June 2008. Points of controversy remain the same: low salaries in the public sector, pension reform and the privatisation of health insurance companies and university hospitals.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Spain: Barcelona transport drivers reach preliminary agreement on working time directive

  Following a series of intermittent strikes, drivers at Barcelona’s Metropolitan Transport Company reached a preliminary agreement in April 2008 on the application of weekly rest periods, as laid down in the EU working time directive. The agreement meets the workers’ demand to be entitled to two days of rest a week, in return for a reduction in working days of 26 days a year.

• 08 Aug 2008
  United Kingdom: Local authority workers strike over pay

  Workers in the UK public sector at local government level staged a two-day strike in England, Wales and Northern Ireland during July 2008, having rejected a 2.45% pay increase. Elsewhere in the public sector, trade union reaction to the government’s policy of pay restraint has varied, with deals in the healthcare sector but threats of further industrial action in the civil service and in schools.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Estonia: Trade unions contest law making annual reports publically available

  In July 2008, an amended Non-Profit Associations Act came into effect, requiring trade unions and other non-profit organisations to present their annual report to a special register from 2010. This will make the trade unions’ financial situation publicly available to all persons interested, including the employer. However, the Confederation of Estonian Trade Unions claims that this will harm trade union rights and its collective bargaining position.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Malta: Social partners criticise lack of consultation on utility surcharge

  Trade unions and employer organisations have expressed concern that the revised water and electricity surcharge will adversely affect Maltese families and industry, and have complained about the lack of consultation. Social partners represented on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development agreed to present the government with a set of proposals on how to reduce the burden of the new tariffs.

• 08 Aug 2008
  Slovakia: Employer group for transport and post returns to national tripartism

  The Association of Employers of Transport, Post and Telecommunications left the National Union of Employers in April 2007. Due to insufficient membership, the association – renamed the Union of Employers of Transport, Post and Telecommunications – was excluded from the national tripartite dialogue. Efforts to increase membership were unsuccessful and the employer organisation has now decided to join the national-level Federation of Employers’ Associations.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Ireland: Ireland: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  This study examines representativeness, employment, and industrial relations in Ireland’s sea and coastal water transport sector as of May 2007. Union representativeness, density levels and collective bargaining have decreased in recent years, notably after Irish Continental Group/Irish Ferries, perhaps the largest company in the sector, became more or less totally de-unionised in early 2006.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Hungary: Hungary: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  Hungarian sea and coastal transport has been of little consequence since the end of the second world war and it has basically ceased to exist since the beginning of the 1990s, hence the sector is not present in the country's economy today. The core activities of Hungarian Shipping Company (Magyar HajózásiRészvénytársaság, MAHART), which was a state company operating water transport services, today include river navigation and tourism.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Greece: Greece: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The existence of strong representative organisations of workers and employers has a long history, which along with sectoral corporatism, created through the establishment of a permanent system of cooperation of the state, ship owners and workers, are the two main features of the system of representation in the sector of sea and coastal water transport in Greece. In 2006 the Greek owned merchant fleet contributed €14.3 bn in foreign currency to the Greek economy. The sea transport system is also of vital importance for Greek society and the Greek economy, given the presence of population groups and the nature of economic activity (income from tourism) in the Greek islands. Furthermore, the sea route between Greece and Italy is essentially the main gateway for the movement of goods to the Greek market or from Greece to other countries. The importance ascribed to sea transport, based in part on the considerations noted above, has been the decisive factor in the creation of a historically stable system of cooperation.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Finland: Finland: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  In 2005, 235 companies employing almost 8,000 employees were operating in the sea and coastal water transport sector in Finland. In the sector, there are three employers’ associations and three trade unions. The employers’ associations are The Finnish Shipowners’ Association (Suomen Varustamoyhdistys, SVY), the Cargoship Association (Rahtialusyhdistys) and the Aland Shipowners’ Association (Alands Redarföreningen, AR). Trade unions in the sector are the Finnish Seamen’s Union (Suomen Merimies-Unioni, S-MU), the Finnish Ship’ Officers’ Association (Suomen Laivänpäällystöliitto, SLPL) and the Finnish Engineers’ Association (Suomen Konepäällystöliitto, SKL). Both employer density and the union density in the sector are high. Five collective agreements in the sector are considered generally binding. The coverage is therefore nearly 100 %. At the moment, two tripartite bodies are dealing with sector-specific issues (the Advisory Committee for Seamen’s Affairs and the Advisory Committee of Navigation). One important sector-specific tripartite organisation is the Finnish Seamen's Service (Merimiespalvelutoimisto, MEPA which is established in 1973) which is based on ratified ILO Convention (No. 163) concerning Seafarers' Welfare at Sea and in Port. The sea and coastal water transport sector in Finland is well-established and there is no jurisdictional disputes or problems of this kind

• 07 Aug 2008
  Estonia: Estonia: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The sea and coastal water transport sector is not large in Estonia and is on the decline. In 2005 the sector’s 4,500 employees made up about 0.7% of total employment. There are also many Estonians employed on foreign ships that are not included in Estonian statistics. The exact number of such employees is not available which makes it difficult to give accurate estimates of density and collective agreement coverage. The collective bargaining in the sector is built upon single employer bargaining .According to good practice the agreements are extended to the whole ship crew. About one third of the sector’s employees are members of trade unions.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Denmark: Denmark: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The social partners in the sector are strongly represented and coverage of collective bargaining is high, i.e. close to 90% according to the social partners. According to the provisions of the Danish International Ships’ Register (DIS) Danish shipping associations or shipping companies can enter into collective agreements with both Danish and foreign unions. Collective agreements entered into by Danish unions can only apply to persons domiciled in Denmark. Non-domiciled seafarers will be covered by collective agreements entered into by the union in their country of domicile.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Germany: Germany: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The sea and coastal water transport sector plays a minor part within the German economy. According to the dataset of the Federal Statistical Office (destatis), 21,392 employees are employed in the sector. Most of them are male (male employees: 17,021; female employees: 4,371). The sea and coastal water transport sector is the domain of the United Services Union (Ver.di). The unions TRANSNET and GDBA are furthermore united in a formal collective bargaining association (Tarifgemeinschaft) based on a mutual agreement between the two unions. Involvement by TRANSNET and GDBA relates to Deutsche Bahn subsidiary Scandline, i.e. excluding the outsourced catering services at Scandline ferry-boats which is the domain of the Trade Union of Food, Beverages, Tobacco, Hotel and Catering and Allied Workers (NGG). The German Shipowner Association (VDR) conducts bargaining negotiations for the employers in the sector. The sector is covered by a framework collective agreement and a collective wage agreement concluded by Ver.di and VDR.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Bulgaria: Bulgaria: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  According to the Labour Code, collective bargaining and the conclusion of Labour Agreements are only possible in those companies with established trade union organisations. Currently there is an established trade union only in the Navigation Maritime Bulgare company . At company level, all trade union organisations are legitimate. At national level – branch/sector - representativeness criteria exist. Minimum wage bargaining covers all companies in the sector.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Belgium: Belgium: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  This study reports on the representativeness of the Belgian social partners in the sea and coastal water transport sector. After some difficult years, this maritime sector is again in expansion. In terms of tonnage, the Belgian fleet is the 17th largest in the world. Multi-employer collective bargaining is legally organised by a specific joint sector committee. Representativeness is as a result not an issue of debate.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Cyprus: Cyprus: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  Despite the fact that Cyprus’s merchant fleet is among the ten biggest in the world, with 1,802 ships with a total tonnage of 21,094,415 GRT entered in the Cyprus register in 2005, the importance of the sector for employment is negligible, and substantial difficulties exist regarding coverage of people employed in the sector by collective labour agreements.

• 04 Aug 2008
  EU Countries: Pay developments – 2007

  The review of pay trends in Europe in 2006 and 2007 finds that average collectively-agreed nominal wage increases across the EU rose from 5.6% in 2006 to 7% in 2007. However, taking into account rising inflation, the rate of real increase fell from 2.7% in 2006 to 2.3% in 2007. During the period under review, differences between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ EU Member States, in terms of both pay trends and the level of pay increases, persisted and indeed widened. The report also looks at collectively-agreed pay increases in three selected sectors (chemicals, retail and the civil service), current wage rates and minimum wage increases, increases in average earnings, and the extent of the gender pay gap across all countries.

• 01 Aug 2008
  Bulgaria: Social partners discuss flexicurity-related changes in labour legislation

  In March 2008, the Bulgarian government and social partners started a process of discussing what changes need to be made to labour and employment legislation in order to implement the ‘flexicurity’ principles recently adopted at EU level. Issues such as temporary agency work and working time are likely to be prominent in the talks.

• 01 Aug 2008
  Greece: Increase in workplace inspections and number of fines imposed

  The annual report of the Greek Labour Inspectorate (SEPE) finds that its inspectors carried out over 13% more workplace inspections in 2007 than in 2006, and imposed nearly 12% more fines on employers breaching the law. The number of workplace accidents remained fairly stable, but the number of fatal accidents fell. In 2008, SEPE is focusing on areas such as temporary employment agencies and the construction sector.

• 01 Aug 2008
  Greece: Largest employer organisation holds annual general meeting

  In May 2008, the Association of Businesses and Industries (SEV), Greece’s largest employer organisation, held its annual general meeting. Members renewed the two-year term of Dimitris Daskalopoulοs, the SEV chair, who is credited with the recent successful conclusion of a new National General Collective Labour Agreement (ΕGSSΕ) for 2008-2009. Representatives of employers in growing service sectors increased their representation in the SEV’s governing structures.

• 01 Aug 2008
  Ireland: Dispute over bonus payment resolved at Bank of Ireland

  In July 2008, the Chief Executive of the Labour Relations Commission, Kieran Mulvey, averted a threatened 24-hour work stoppage over a disputed bonus payment at Bank of Ireland, one of Ireland’s largest banks. After suspending his involvement in June, Mr Mulvey re-engaged his role in the dispute, advising that the trade unions should accept a one-off non-pensionable payment of 3% for eligible staff from October 2008.