Schulten, Thorsten
German and Austrian food sector unions sign cooperation deal
27 Eylül 2000
On 15 August 2000, the German Food and Restaurant Workers' Union
(Gewerkschaft Nahrung Genuss Gaststätten, NGG), the Austria n Union of
Agricultural, Food, Beverage and Tobacco Workers (Gewerkschaf t Agrar-
Nahrung – Genuss, ANG) and Hotel, Restaurant and Personal Services Workers'
Union (Gewerkschaft Hotel, Gastgewerbe, Persönlicher Dienst, HGPD) signed a
new agreement on closer cooperation and mutual recognition of union
membership. As a result of the agreement, employees from Austria who work in
Germany will have access to the full services of the German trade union and
vice versa.
New collective agreements signed in printing and paper processing
27 Haziran 2000
On 11 May 2000, the sectoral employers' association, Bundesverband Druck und
Medien (BVDM), and the German Media and Printing Union, IG Medien, signed new
collective agreements for blue-collar workers in the west German printing
industry. The deals include the following provisions:
New collective agreements signed in west German construction
27 Mayıs 2000
On 30 March 2000, the construction workers' trade union IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt
(IG BAU) and the sector's two employers' associations, Hauptverband der
Deutschen Bauindustrie (HDB) and Zentralverband des deutschen Baugewerbes
(ZDB) concluded new collective agreements for about 780,000 employees in the
west German construction industry. The new construction agreements include
the following provisions:
German multinationals agree codes of conduct with unions
27 Nisan 2000
On 3 March 2000, the German-based manufacturer of writing, drawing and
painting products, Faber-Castell, signed a framework agreement on workers'
rights [1] in the company's worldwide operations. The trade union side
signatories were the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers
(IFBWW) and the German metalworker's union IG Metall (which took over union
representation with Faber-Castell in Germany after merging with the former
Wood and Plastic Workers Union (Gewerkschaft Holz und Kuntstoff, GHK)). The
pencil producer has about 5,500 employees working in more than 100 countries
in all continents. In the new agreement, Faber-Castell has committed itself
to establishing employment and working conditions which respect the main
Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labour Organisation
(ILO) in all its production and sales companies.
[1] http://www.ifbww.org/~fitbb/INFO_PUBS_SOLIDAR/FaxNews_157.html
Innovative industrial action succeeds at Foxboro Eckardt
27 Nisan 2000
On 13 March 2000, after more than nine weeks of industrial action at the
measurement and control technology producer Foxboro Eckardt GmbH, the works
council and the management reached an agreement on future production at the
company's location in Stuttgart, under which around 130 of the current 190
jobs will be safeguarded. The reduction of the workforce will be managed by
voluntary departures or early retirement based on a "social plan" which was
worked out by the IG Metall metalworkers' union and the regional metalworking
employers' association, Verband der Metallindustrie Baden-Würtemberg, (VMI).
Overview of trade union demands for 2000 bargaining round
27 Mart 2000
On 11 January 1999, the IG Metall metalworkers' union presented its 2000
bargaining demands, calling for an overall increase of 5.5%, to include both
pay rises and a financial contribution to the introduction of a new early
retirement scheme at 60 (DE9910217F [1]). IG Metall justified its claims on
the grounds of an assumed increase in prices of 1.5%, a predicted increase in
productivity of 3.5% and a small "redistribution component" of 0.5% which is
justified by the high profits in the metalworking industry.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/social-policies-undefined-industrial-relations/ig-metall-proposal-for-early-retirement-at-60-is-strongly-disputed
Mannesmann agrees on friendly takeover by Vodafone
27 Mart 2000
On 3 February 2000, the management boards of the UK-based mobile phone group
Vodafone AirTouch and the German telecommunications and engineering group
Mannesmann AG reached an agreement on terms for a recommended merger [1]
which brought a three-month takeover battle to an end. In November 1999,
Vodafone had announced for the first time its intention to make a takeover
bid for Mannesmann (DE9911220F [2]). After the Mannesmann management had
refused the bid, Vodafone addressed its offer directly to the Mannesmann
shareholders. When it became clear that Vodafone's attempt at a hostile
takeover might succeed, the Mannesmann management changed its strategy and
agreed to negotiate the terms for a "friendly takeover". The final agreement
is based on an improved offer for Mannesmann shareholders to exchange their
shares in the ratio of 58.96 Vodafone AirTouch shares for one Mannesmann
share (the previous offer 53.7 to one). Furthermore, the agreement defines
some terms for the integration of the two companies and their further
strategic development. Thereby, it has been determined that, for example,
Düsseldorf will be retained as one of two dual European headquarters with
responsibility for Mannesmann's existing continental European mobile and
fixed-line telephone business.
[1] http://www.vodafone-update.com/press/press040200.html
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/vodafones-hostile-takeover-bid-for-mannesmann-highlights-debate-on-the-german-capitalist-model
Pay increases lag behind overall economic development
27 Şubat 2000
In the 1990s, Germany saw only moderate pay increases which lagged clearly
behind the overall development of the economy, according to a recent study by
the Institute for Economic and Social Research (Wirtschafts- und
Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut, WSI) ("Tarifpolitik und Bündnis für
Arbeit", Reinhard Bispinck and Thorsten Schulten, in WSI-Mitteilungen Vol.
52, No. 12 (1999) [1]. As tables 1 and 2 below indicate, between 1992 and
1999 the average increase in wages and salaries was, in six years out of
eight, below the so-called "cost-neutral distributive margin"
(kostenneutraler Verteilungsspielraum) – that is the increase in prices
plus the increase in productivity. As a result, the share of labour income in
the national income (the "wage ratio") declined from 75% in 1993 to 72.2% in
1998.
[1] http://www.boeckler.de/ebib/volltexte/WSI_Mitteilungen-1999-12-p870n.pdf
New company agreement signed at Jenoptik AG
27 Ocak 2000
On 15 December 1999, the executive board of the largest east German
technology corporation Jenoptik AG and the IG Metall metalworkers' union,
together with the German White Collar Workers' Union (Deutsche
Angestelltengewerkschaft, DAG), concluded a new company agreement for the
employees of the Jenoptik administrative centre and the Jenoptik
establishments in Jena (Thuringia). The negotiations over this new company
agreement [1] took more than 15 months and were accompanied by various
disputes and workers' protests.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/efemiredictionary/company-agreement-4
Innovative package of agreements to safeguard production sites at Sartorius AG
27 Aralık 1999
In October 1999, a package of company and works agreements was signed at the
filtration and weighing products manufacturer, Sartorius AG, which is located
in Göttingen (Lower-Saxony). The core of this package was a new company
agreement [1] to safeguard production sites (Standortsicherungstarifvertrag),
which was concluded by Sartorius management and the Lower-Saxony district
organisation of the IG Metall metalworkers' union. The agreement is
backdated, running from September 1999 until 30 August 2001.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/efemiredictionary/company-agreement-4