Publications

On 6 November 2006, the committee of social partner representatives published
its recommendations to reduce sickness absenteeism (in Norwegian, 437Kb PDF)
[1] in Norwegian working life. As a result of the committee’s work, there
will be no changes to the existing national sick pay scheme. The
committee’s recommendations will serve as a basis for a proposal to be put
before the Norwegian parliament (/Stortinget/) in the near future.

[1] http://odin.dep.no/filarkiv/297065/Sykefravarsutvrapport.pdf

The Estonian Tax and Customs Board (Maksu- ja Tolliamet [1]) has stated its
disapproval of the actions of employers who force their employees to become
formally self employed while continuing to work solely for the same employer.
The board considers that this gives employers an unfair competitive advantage
in the economy and puts employees at a disadvantaged position in the labour
market.

[1] http://www.emta.ee/?lang=en

On 29 September 2006, the Union of Professionals and Self-Employed Workers
(Unión de Profesionales y Trabajadores Autónomos, UPTA [1]), affiliated to
the General Workers’ Confederation (Unión General de Trabajadores, UGT
[2]) and the National Federation of Self-Employed Workers (Asociación de
Trabajadores Autónomos, ATA [3]) have approved the Self-Employed Workers’
Statute, which was subsequently presented to the Council of Ministers as a
draft bill for further discussion. However, the Spanish Federation of
Self-Employed Workers (Federación Española de Autónomos, CEAT [4]),
affiliated to the Spanish Confederation of Employer Organisations
(Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales, CEOE [5]) and the
Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Confederación
Española de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, CEPYME [6]) have rejected the
draft. Moreover, the Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions
(Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras, CC.OO [7]) has criticised
some substantial aspects of the text and the bargaining process which based
on consultation between the associations rather than the trade unions.

[1] http://www.upta.es/default.aspx
[2] http://www.ugt.es
[3] http://www.autonomos-ata.com/
[4] http://www.ceat.org.es/
[5] http://www.ceoe.es/
[6] http://www.cepyme.es/
[7] http://www.ccoo.es

During the night from 2 to 3 November 2006 – when the social partners in
the metalworking industry met for the fourth bargaining round – the Union
of Salaried Employees, Printing, Journalism and Paper (Gewerkschaft der
Privatangestellten, Druck, Journalismus, Papier, GPA-DJP [1]) and the
Metalworking, Textiles and Food-Processing Union (Gewerkschaft Metall,
Textil, Nahrung, GMTN [2]) on the employees’ side and the various branch
subunits of the Chamber of the Economy (Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, WKO
[3]) on the employers’ side signed a new collective agreement covering
about 180,000 metalworking employees.

[1] http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/Index&n=GPA_0
[2] http://www.gmtn.at/
[3] http://portal.wko.at/wk/startseite.wk

Around 3,000 workers employed by Aker Yards shipbuilding company, which is
part of the Nowegian multinational Aker Group [1], and its subcontractors
went on strike at the Turku shipyard against the treatment of workers and the
level of wages paid to employees of foreign subcontractors. The
government’s labour inspectors informed the local union division of the
Finnish Metalworkers’ Union (Metallityöväen Liitto, Metalli [2]) that
several foreign subcontractors do not respect the minimum working standards
at the Turku shipyard. Various violations with regard to safety at work,
healthcare services and working hours have been identified. One of the most
striking cases at the yard related to a Lithuanian subcontractor paying just
€1.51 per hour to their employees. Moreover, this subcontractor has failed
both to provide insurance cover for employees and to keep records on work
rosters. The dispute ended three days later when Aker Yards and the local
trade union agreed that the company would guarantee that all subcontractors
adhere to Finnish legislation and collective agreements in the industry.

[1] http://www.akerasa.com/omoss.cfm?setlanguage=3
[2] http://www.metalliliitto.fi/portal/english/

On the morning of 19 November 2006, cabin crew members of the Finnish
national airline, Finnair, decided to take strike action when a proposal by
the national conciliator, Juhani Salonius, to postpone the start of the
strike was rejected by the trade unions. The dispute began when Finnair
announced its intention to hire 500 new cabin crew members for its Asian
routes through its associated Estonian company, Aero Airlines, which pays its
cabin crew staff about 30% less than Finnair (*FI0609029I* [1]). Finnair’s
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jukka Hienonen, stated that the company aims
to reduce its labour costs to the same level as its domestic competitors. To
achieve this, Finnair wants to hire its new employees according to the
employment terms of Aero Airlines. Mr Hienonen stated that Finnair needs new
staff to cover its expanding Asian services and European connections.
Moreover, he predicts that by 2011, Finnair’s Asian services could lead to
the creation of 2,000 new jobs.

[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/restructuring-dispute-at-finnair

On 28 June 2006, the American pharmaceutical group Ely Lilly [1], based in
Indianapolis, announced the closure of three of its European plants: two of
its research and development (R&D) centres located in Mont-Saint-Guibert,
Belgium, and in Hamburg, Germany, as well as its production plant in
Basingstoke, United Kingdom. These closures will affect respectively 330, 150
and 450 staff members. All of these activities will be relocated to the
company headquarters in the US. Thus, only two R&D centres will remain in
Europe – Erl Wood in the UK and Alcobendas in Spain.

[1] http://www.lilly.com

On 6 November 2006, the European Commission [1] published the results of a
special Eurobarometer survey on ‘European employment and social policy’
in a summary (563Kb PDF) [2] and full report (1.05Mb PDF) [3]. The report
focuses on European citizens’ perceptions of the European Union’s role in
employment issues and social affairs (especially in relation to the European
Social Fund and the topic of flexicurity), the employment situation of
European citizens and their perception of labour market policies, job seeking
and training. The survey was carried out in the 25 EU Member States and in
the two acceding countries to the EU, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as in two
candidate countries, Croatia and Turkey.

[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/european-commission
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/news/2006/nov/euro_baro_summary_en.pdf
[3] http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/news/2006/nov/euro_baro_report_en.pdf

Allianz, one of the largest financial services providers in Europe, with more
than 160,000 employees in over 70 countries worldwide, adopted the legal form
of a European company [1] (/Societas Europea/SE/) by merging with its Italian
subsidiary RAS (EU0511203N [2]).

[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/european-company
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/allianz-to-become-european-company

The Federation of Allied Industries affiliated to the General Workers’
Confederation (Federación de Industrias Afines-Unión General de
Trabajadores, FIA-UGT [1]) and the Federation of Textiles-Leather, Chemical
and Allied Industries affiliated to the Trade Union Confederation of
Workers’ Commissions (Federación de Industrias Textil-Piel, Químicas y
Afines-Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras, FITEQA-CC.OO [2]) have
accused the Spanish Confederation of Fuel Vendors (Agrupación Española de
Vendedores por Menor de Carburantes y Combustibles, AEVECAR) and the Spanish
Confederation of Service Station Entrepreneurs (Confederación de empresarios
de estaciones de servicio, CEEES [3]) of hindering the bargaining process
seven months into negotiations.

[1] http://fia.ugt.org/
[2] http://www.fiteqa.ccoo.es/index2.html
[3] http://www.mundopetroleo.com/asociaciones/ceees/ceees.asp?cod=255