Collective Bargaining

At the end of 2007, a new sectoral collective agreement was concluded in Estonian road transport, after intense negotiations and just before the unions were about to announce strike action. Partners in the agreement are the Union of Estonian Automobile Enterprises and the Estonian Transport and Road Workers' Trade Union (ETTA). The new agreement took effect on 1 February 2008 and is valid until 31 December 2009. This is one of the two sectoral collective agreements currently valid in Estonia.
The new collective agreement provides for increases in the minimum monthly wages effective from 1 February 2008. In the case of standard working hours, bus drivers and highly qualified repair mechanics will earn a minimum monthly amount of EEK 7,060 (?451), drivers EEK 6,560 (?419), and unskilled repair workers EEK 5,470 (?350). Minimum wages will be increased further on 1 January 2009, for which agreement has to be reached by 1 October 2008. Yet, according to ETTA, the agreement affects mainly bus drivers working outside the capital city Tallinn, by increasing their monthly wages by EEK 1,500 to EEK 2,000 (?96 to €128). ETTA declared that the agreement on the minimum wage levels will hopefully help to reduce the share of undeclared work in the sector, thereby promoting fairer competition.
(English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2008/01/articles/ee0801019i.htm)

Bulgarian trade unions threatened to call a general strike in spring if the country's parliament passes a controversial amendment bill that would severely curtail the unions' rights to strike. The threat came from the chairman of KNSB, one of Bulgaria's two union confederations after a meeting with labour ministry officials and representatives of the Socialist party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition, and was supported by the chairman of the other major confederation, Podkrepa.
Te amendments, authored by four Socialist MPs, would severely curtail unions' power to call strikes, requiring all labour disputes to go through an arbitration court with the labour ministry. The two confederations are demanding new legislation to establish the right to bargain collectively and to go on strike in compliance to international labour standards.
(English: Watson Wyatt Data Services, New Industrial Relations Europe, 1/2008; http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=89185)

At the end of 2008 the PCS civil service union secured a framework agreement with the government that allowed efficiency savings to be taken into account in pay negotiations across the civil service. However, the union is keenly aware that the agreement is only the beginning of the process and the challenge now is to monitor what takes place at local level to determine whether individual ministries, agencies and other employers shift their bargaining positions accordingly. The union has decided to organise a round of regional campaign forums during January 2009, to discuss the national agreement and consider the next stage of the union campaign (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No.'s 6, 7, 9 and 10).
(English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/281; http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/news_centre/index.cfm/id/B51C3238-C9C0-4881-8122A073DADA5CFC)

On November 24 the three Lithuanian union confederations ((Lithuanian Labour Federation, Trade Union Confederation Solidarumas, and Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation) together with non-governmental organisations organized a major demonstration over pay and against the increasing consumer prices. The demonstration called for a significant increase in the national minimum wage (NMW) and for the government to adopt a target for the NMW to be increased to the equivalent of 60% of national average wages. It also called on the parliament of Lithuania to pass the law on wages indexation. Some of the main mottos for the action were: ,European prices - European wages" ,We do not want to beg, we want to have European wages".
Obviously the union pressure has had its impact. Following a recommendation from the Labour Ministry, the government has implemented a 14.3% increase in the national minimum monthly wage from 1 January 2008, three months earlier than originally scheduled and six months earlier than normal. The new monthly rate is LTL 800 (Euro 232).
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=244; www.ldf.lt/index.php?cid=935; Watson Wyatt Data Services, New Industrial Relations Europe, 1/2008)

The Belgian union confederations, ABVV and ACV, have urgently asked the new interim government (Verhofstadt III) to maintain purchasing power and solidarity. According to the confederations, the new government should show three priorities: support the development of purchasing power; carrying out plans in the social field that have been waiting for quite some time; and strengthening solidarity and communication between the Belgian communities (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels). Concerning purchasing power, the union movement states that the intentions of lowering tax burdens for notably employers are clear, in contrast with to those concerning the indexation of pensions and wages. Taxes on wages should be lowered. The government is urged to put the brakes on the rise of energy prices and to enable energy saving for every citizen.
(Dutch: http://www.abvv.be/code/nl/c04_0000.HTM)

In the National Labour Council three important collective agreements have been signed, regarding:
`Bridge pension' from the age of 56 on, after a career of 40 years
Medical `bridge pension' from the age of 58 on, after a career of 35 years (including handicapped persons, workers exposed to asbestos before 1993, and workers with recognized severe physical problems)
Prolongation of the `bridge pension' from the age of 56 on, after 20 years in night shift in industries without functioning union representation
The ACV union confederation comments that, compared to earlier negotiations, a number of improvements have been reached, especially for workers that started working at a very young age.
(Dutch: http://www.acv-online.be)

The three main public sector union federations - FSAP-CCOO, FSP-UGT and CSI-CSIF - organized a national demonstration on 19 December in Madrid to push the government to implement new rules on partial and early retirement. Over 7,000 braved the rain and cold weather to join the march. The unions argue that this is the best way for public services to renew their human resources while still retaining the skills and knowledge of experienced workers.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=244; Spanish: http://www.fsap.ccoo.es/webfsap/menu.do?Actualidad:Sindical:Actualidad:12959)

On December 17, trade unions and employers have unanimously requested the (future) government to increase the minimum pensions and the pensions entering over four years ago by 2% per January 1, 2008. The union confederations, ABVV and ACV, urge a new government to quickly implement this advice, as with rising consumer prices for food and energy the financial situation of many pensioners is growingly untenable.
(Dutch: http://www.abvv.be/code/nl/PersBerichten/2007/c04_07e36.HTM)

An agreement on wage developments for 2008 between the biggest state-owned company, Hungarian Post (Magyar Posta, MP), and the unions was finalised the day before strike action was due to take place. The government used the agreement reached at Hungarian Post to facilitate consensus among social partners at the National Interest Reconciliation Council on recommendations for annual wage increases; it also served as a benchmark for national-level negotiations.
On 13 December 2007, the 2008 wage agreement for postal workers was concluded as a result of the National Property Management Council, a public body exercising ownership rights over MP, accepting the company's business plan for 2008. The deal provided for an average pay rise of 7.5% in 2008. It will result in a higher percentage of pay for low-paid workers - a 10% pay rise for the two lowest earning groups - and a smaller (5%) rise for the highest earning group. The agreement was signed by seven out of nine trade unions representing workers at MP, including the two main unions, affiliated to MSZOSZ and MOSZ.
(English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2008/01/articles/hu0801049i.htm)

Through a number of actions of cleaners, the FNV Bondgenoten has successfully put pressure on Dutch Railways (NS) to accept responsibility for wages and working conditions of the cleaners working (via subcontractors) for NS. After having received the `Golden Turd' for `cheapest employer', a NS Board member let the negotiators of the employers' association in cleaning know `that the cleaners should have good wages and working conditions, as to improve their future'. Indirectly, NS is the largest employer of cleaners in the Netherlands.
(Dutch: http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl/nieuws/actueel/627591)