Developments in working life in Europe - Q4 2019

What has taken place during the fourth quarter of 2019 in the industrial relations and working conditions landscape in European countries? There is no need for readers to look further: you can get up-to-date information as reported by our Network of Eurofound Correspondents who, on a quarterly basis, chart the latest developments in those fields of observation. What are the changes included in the revised Danish law on the working environment?  Why is the French reform on pension so contested? What steps have been taken on climate action in the Netherlands? To what extent does the new law in Italy protect platform workers?

Be informed at a glance about the following issues and actions: • recent developments on minimum wages in a few countries • the results of the employer survey on pay and workplace trends in Ireland • the new law for platform delivery workers in Italy • developments in the Netherlands on solo self-employed workers. Read these updates and more in the following areas:

Actors and institutions

• Denmark: New state employer agency created
• Germany: Unions discuss social-ecological transformation
• Greece: Register of trade unions and employer organisations
• Luxembourg: Transport sector trade union integrates into OGBL
• Malta: Trend of lower trade union density

Collective bargaining

• Bulgaria: New collective agreement for Road Infrastructure Agency
• Greece: Changes to extension mechanism for sectoral collective agreements
• Latvia: General agreement signed in fibreglass industry
• Lithuania: Collective agreement in education sector signed
• Portugal: Government proposes common reference for wage bargaining
• Slovenia: Collective agreement signed for the construction sector
• Sweden: Bargaining round coordination fails among blue-collar unions in the manufacturing sector

Individual employment relations

• Czechia: Social partners conclude informal agreement on Labour Code change
• Netherlands: Consultation on proposed law for solo self-employed workers

Industrial action

• Croatia: Strike in primary and secondary schools
• Cyprus: Electricity Authority of Cyprus employees go on strike
• Finland: Government reshuffle following postal dispute
• Greece: Changes to mediation and arbitration systems for collective labour disputes
• Latvia: Healthcare workers protest over pay
• Poland: Teachers back at work, but tensions remain

Labour market and employment

• Italy: Access to employment of people with disabilities remains challenging
• Spain: Derogation of 2012 labour market reform is priority for new government

Labour law/Labour rights

• Belgium: Employer organisation seeks to reduce dismissal protection of trade unionists
• Bulgaria: Union launches campaign to protect labour rights
• Sweden: Trade unions split over employment protection reform
• United Kingdom: Question mark over workers’ rights in new employment bill

Pay and income

• Malta: Changes to the cost of living allowance
• Portugal: Poverty rate goes down while working poor rate rises

Pay developments

• Finland: Wage agreement in the technology industry

Minimum wages

• Austria: Minimum wage of €2,000 in metalworking
• Belgium: Minimum wage negotiations stalled
• Croatia: Minimum wage for 2020 in effect
• Czechia: Government approves increase in minimum wage for 2020
• Estonia: National minimum wage increase
• Ireland: Minimum wage increase
• Romania: Living wage to be standard for setting wage policies
• Slovakia: Change in minimum wage law
• Slovenia: Companies prepare for new minimum wage

Social dialogue

• Germany: Social partnership alliance for fiscal policy reform
• Lithuania: Bipartite Social Partner Commission established
• Luxembourg: National tripartite negotiations under pressure

Social protection and reforms

• France: Bonus–malus system for unemployment insurance
• Hungary: Controversial new social insurance law
• Italy: New law for platform delivery workers
• Norway: Norwegian residents wrongfully accused of welfare fraud
• Slovakia: Increases in social benefits
• Spain: Court ruling sanctions dismissal for justified sick leave

Pension reforms

• Estonia: Second pension pillar to become voluntary
• France: Pension reform hotly contested

Working environment/Working conditions

• Denmark: Revision of law on working environment
• Hungary: Union report sheds light on auto industry work conditions
• Ireland: Employer survey on pay and workplace trends
• Netherlands: Climate action progress
• Norway: Workplace violence in long-term nursing homes