Vogel, Sandra
Strikes at Vacuumschmelze trigger change in relations with employer organisation
23 November 2008
The German company Vacuumschmelze (VAC [1]), headquartered in Hanau in the
federal state of Hesse in central Germany, is a leading manufacturer of
advanced magnetic materials. VAC employs around 1,500 staff. In a press
release (in German, 22Kb PDF) [2] on 8 August 2008, the Chair of the
company’s management, Hartmut Eiseler, stated that, due to volatile
exchange rates and exploding energy and raw material prices, the company
would not be able to generate the revenues anticipated for 2008.
[1] http://www.vacuumschmelze.de/dynamic/en/
[2] http://www.vacuumschmelze.de/dynamic/docroot/medialib/documents/zusatzinformationen/presseinfos/2008/10-VAC_AusstiegTarif080808.pdf
Employment prospects positive despite slow economy
06 October 2008
On 28 August 2008, the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit,
BA [1]) published its latest labour market report (in German, 1.2Mb PDF) [2].
The report shows that the number of unemployed people in Germany fell from
3,706,000 in August 2007 to 3,196,000 in August 2008. Compared with the
previous year, employment that is subject to social security contributions
has been created mostly in the following sectors of economic activity:
business-related activities ( 6.2%), health and social work ( 2.8%),
education ( 2.7%), transport and communications ( 2.3%), and manufacturing (
1.9%). Jobs were lost, however, in sectors such as financial intermediation
– that is, banks and insurances (- 0.9%) – construction (- 0.6%) and
public administration (- 0.4%).
[1] http://www.arbeitsagentur.de
[2] http://www.pub.arbeitsamt.de/hst/services/statistik/000000/html/start/monat/aktuell.pdf
New wage agreement for ground staff at Lufthansa
14 September 2008
In April 2008, the United Services Union (Vereinte
Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di [1]) called for pay increases of 9.8% for
12 months affecting about 50,000 cabin and ground staff at Germany’s
largest air carrier Deutsche Lufthansa. Ver.di also called for the further
development of the existing agreement on a profit-related pay scheme for
employees at the company. Ver.di’s chief negotiator, Erhard Ott, reinforced
the trade union’s demands by claiming that the company had earned major
profits in 2007, while positive earning trends were anticipated for 2008 –
see WSI Tarifarchiv (in German) [2].
[1] http://www.verdi.de
[2] http://www.boeckler.de/show_chronik.html?chronik_eintrag=90947.html
Employee-oriented corporate culture boosts companies’ economic success
16 July 2008
Corporate culture can be defined as the whole system of fundamental beliefs,
norms and values that influence the effective behaviour of employees.
Companies’ main challenge is how to make best use of their employees’
skills and abilities. In this context, many enterprises have already realised
that an employee-oriented corporate culture is essential for encouraging
employee commitment and thus also boosting economic success.
Female entrepreneurs underrepresented in high-tech sector
25 June 2008
A recent study [1] by the Centre for European Economic Research (Zentrum für
Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, ZEW [2]) on developments in the
high-technology sector in Germany in 2007 was published in May 2008. The
study highlights the fact that a total of 248,000 new businesses were set up
in 2007, representing a decline of 2% compared with 2006. This negative
picture in terms of business creation, however, stands in sharp contrast to
the latest developments in the ‘high-tech’ sector. In 2007, 19,200
business start-ups were recorded in this sector, constituting a 4% rise
compared with 2006.
[1] http://www.zew.de/en/topthemen/meldung_show.php?LFDNR=985&KATEGORIE=34
[2] http://www.zew.de
Collective agreement finally reached for German engine drivers
28 May 2008
The reason for the protracted collective bargaining negotiations in the
railways sector is the rivalry between the German Engine Drivers’ Union’
(Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer, GDL [1]) and the other two trade
unions in the sector – Transport, Service and Networks (Transport, Service
und Netze, Transnet [2]), affiliated to the Confederation of German Trade
Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB [3]), and the Transport Trade Union
GDBA (Verkehrsgewerkschaft GDBA [4]), affiliated to the German Federation of
Career Public Servants (Deutscher Beamtenbund, dbb [5]). Transnet and GDBA
are united in a formal collective bargaining association
(/Tarifgemeinschaft/) based on a mutual agreement between the two trade
unions.
[1] http://www.gdl.de
[2] http://www.transnet.org/
[3] http://www.dgb.de
[4] http://www.transnet.org/
[5] http://www.dbb.de
Social partners slam proposed subsidy scheme for vocational training
29 April 2008
On 20 February 2008, the federal government announced in a press statement
(in German) [1] that the federal cabinet (Bundeskabinett [2]) had approved a
draft bill providing for a general subsidy scheme for initial vocational
training (/Ausbildungsbonus/). The bill will implement a temporary subsidy
scheme for companies which create additional apprenticeship places for
so-called ‘old applicants’ (/Altbewerber/). The latter are defined as
young people who have failed to obtain a contract for vocational training in
recent years.
[1] http://www.bmas.de/coremedia/generator/24678/2008__02__20__ausbildungsbonus.html
[2] http://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Bundesregierung/Bundeskabinett/bundeskabinett.html
New trade associations in motor repair sector pose threat to collective bargaining
06 April 2008
The German Association for Motor Trades and Repair (Zentralverband deutsches
Kraftfahrzeuggewerbe, ZDK [1]) estimates that 473,500 workers, including
apprentices, were employed in the sector in 2006. Regional trade associations
– also known as guilds (/Landesinnungen/) – have traditionally operated
as employer organisations and some continue to do so, conducting collective
bargaining negotiations with the German Metalworkers’ Union
(Industriegewerkschaft Metall, IG Metall [2]) or the United Services Union
(Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di [3]) at regional level. The
2008 collective bargaining round in the motor vehicle repair sector
(/Deutsches Kraftfahrzeuggewerbe/, Kfz-Gewerbe [4]) does not only cover pay
issues, but also the issue of a more fundamental change in the employers’
collective bargaining strategy.
[1] http://www.kfzgewerbe.de/verband/index.html
[2] http://www.igmetall.de/cps/rde/xchg/internet
[3] http://www.verdi.de
[4] http://www.kfzgewerbe.de/
Fostering the employment of older workers in the future
13 January 2008
Forecasts indicate that the size of Germany’s total population will shrink
drastically after 2020. This development, in turn, is expected to affect the
supply of labour in the long run. A recent study on demographic changes (in
German, 966Kb PDF) [1] by the Institute for Employment Research (Institut
für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, IAB [2]) analyses the effects that a
slowly shrinking and ageing population will have on the labour supply in the
future. The analysis is based on data from the 2006 IAB Establishment Panel
(/Betriebspanel 2006/), which offers a greater insight into the current
situation of older employees in the workplace. The Establishment Panel (in
German) [3] survey is regularly conducted by IAB and covers 16,000
establishments in all economic sectors.
[1] http://doku.iab.de/kurzber/2007/kb2107.pdf
[2] http://www.iab.de/de
[3] http://betriebspanel.iab.de/
Professional demands of employees in knowledge-intensive occupations
13 January 2008
The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Bundesinstitut
für Berufsbildung, BIBB [1]) and the Federal Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin, BAuA
[2]) organise an employee survey on behalf of the Federal Ministry of
Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF
[3]). The survey is conducted by the research institute TNS Infratest
Sozialforschung Munich, which carried out telephone interviews from October
2005 to March 2006; the survey covers 20,000 employees who answered on a
voluntary basis.
[1] http://www.bibb.de/
[2] http://www.baua.de
[3] http://www.bmbf.de