Collective Bargaining

Workers organised a protest outside the main gate of Aviano Air Base in demand of the air base to honour long-standing agreements regarding employment on base. According to the union, there are American civilians holding jobs on base they shouldn’t have under decades-old basing agreements between the U.S. and Italy. Furthermore the workers are angry with the base for changing days and hours worked for Italian employees without negotiating and using contractors for jobs that Italian workers on base have traditionally done or could do instead. The unions also state that the base has hired more than a dozen local workers on a temporary basis instead of offering them permanent jobs. The workers and their union don’t rule out strike actions.

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Given that pensions in the country are only 1.2 times the poverty line workers might have to delay retirement if they want to maintain living standards. Government is keen to launch a discussion of additional measures to encourage elderly workers to stay in the workforce but there are other ways to solve this problem. Government could also substantially increase pensions. In comparison, in Spain pensions are on average 1.7 times the poverty line.

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T In a public hearing on low pay trade union SIPTU has called for the national minimum wage to be increased from 9.80 to 10.20 per hour next year. According to SIPTU this increase in the minimum wage is necessary because of research indicating a lack of “wage progression” for low paid workers, unacceptable levels of in-work poverty and that such an increase could be paid by employers due to the improving economy. The union also stated that the hourly minimum wage based on full time hours required to deliver a minimum essential standard of living was 11.90 euro per hour in 2018.

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This national report examines the use of social dialogue in wage setting in the country and offers an overview of the trajectory before and after the 2008 economic crisis. Furthermore the report provides a justice-based evaluation of two social dialogue mechanisms: collective bargaining and the tripartite Low Pay Commission advising the Government on minimum wage rates. Results include that post-crisis developments reinforced and deepened pre-crisis trends. This effect is manifest in the continuation of the decline in collective bargaining coverage and unionisation. These developments are complemented by new legal reforms placing additional constraints on unions’ already heavily circumscribed ability to act as effective collective bargaining and political actors. However, the minimum wage has gained strength in terms of value and legitimacy in recent years.

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As part of an ongoing pay dispute around 25.000 private sector workers threaten to go on strike that will start at April 1 2019. With the strike the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and the smaller Confederation of Vocational Unions urge employers to meet their demands for higher wages in the sector. While the unions start with a strike in which 25.000 private sector workers will partake, they could extent this to some 190.000 workers. Government has appointed a mediator in order to try to prevent strike action.

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According to the report Benchmarking Working Europe 2019 published by the European Trade Union Institute countries affected by the combination of austerity and erosion of collective bargaining show sharp declines in the share of wages over GDP. This is one of the main elements of a scenario in which wage performance, at various levels and in many countries, has not reflected the economic growth situation. The report highlights that the Spain is the country with the highest rate of temporary employment, and that this is undesired in 85% of the cases. Furthermore the report shows a downward evolution of real wages, with a decrease of 0.7% in 2018.

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After the labour court ruled that the process was fully legal, several hundred workers in hotel and guesthouse cleaning and laundry services in Reykjavík and the surrounding area went on a one day strike on 8 March 2019. The hotel workers organised the strike to protest low payment in the sector and was part of a broader union campaign (see our February newsletter). A 48-hour strike action, in which bus drivers would also participate and that was planned for the end of the month, was cancelled the day before the strike action would take place. However, the cancelled strike doesn’t mean that the threat of industrial action in the country is over. Trade union Efling has planned more strikes in the coming weeks in order urge employers to meet their demands for a living wage. The unions also wants tax relief, rent control, and actual penalties for companies which violate labour contracts and the law.

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Union Ver.di reached a deal with Ryanair about pay and working conditions for some 1100 Ryanair employees in the country. According to the union with the new deal cabin crew employees will receive an increase of €600 per month and separate increases of up to €250. The employees will also be given a minimum of flight hours. The company will in the future apply national labour laws. Ryanair refused to comment.

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A number of flights was cancelled as a result of a meeting of air control employees. The unions Vida and GPF (Gewerkschaft der Post und Fernmeldebediensteten) are unsatisfied with the offer the employers made. The main issue is about workload and hence recruiting new employees is necessary the unions claim. In the meantime airline companies urge that parties go back to the negotiation table. They and their passengers are the ones who suffer from the conflict involuntarily.

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The European Committee of Social Rights has published its annual conclusions on the articles of the European Social Charter relating labour rights. Some of the key conclusions of 2018 were that only a relatively low number of European countries have ratified the right of workers and their families to have a decent standard of living. In a number of states the statutory minimum wage is too low in comparison with the average wage. With regard to the right to organise and the protection against sexual harassment at work the Committee concludes that several countries still have a long way to go in order to comply with labour rights. Conclusions per country are also provided.

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