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)
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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)
In early December, a negotiation result was reached concerning the collective agreement for the general banks, for 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. This CLA covers those banks in the Netherlands, mostly small, that do not have a company CLA. The largest union involved, FNV Bondgenoten, advises the members to agree upon this result. The agreements provides in structural wage increases of 3% per March 1, 2008, and 1% per March 2009, and a lump sum of 0.5% per September 1, 2008. Two studies will be undertaken: one concerning employability and one concerning the functioning of the BASYS job ranking system. Moreover, the CLA has been made much more accessible and readable.
(Dutch: http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl/branches_bedrijven)
The members of the largest union involved, ABVAKABO FNV, as well as the constituency of the employers' negotiators, have agreed upon the basic agreement underlying a new, integrated collective agreement for nursing and residential homes and mobile care. The agreement will be in force from January 1, 2008, till March 1, 2010. The agreement provides pay increases of 3.25% from January 1, 2008, and a further 3.0% from March 1, 2009, which partly compensation for the lagging behind of wages in this sector in recent years. Jointly, nursing and residential homes and mobile care in the Netherlands employ about 360,000 workers.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=244; Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht)
On November 19, the Executive Council of TEHY, the nurses' and healthcare professionals' union, approved a negotiated pay deal by a mediation board in which negotiation parties were represented. A week later, the main negotiating parties in the municipal sector agreed too. The agreement meant that the industrial action was avoided: coordinated by TEHY, in October about 12,000 nurses and other health care professionals threatened to start a nationwide resignation campaign. Before it came to that, many nurses had already taken action by banning overtime. Their position was supported earlier in November, when researcher Kimmo Kevtsalo presented his findings based on WageIndicator outcomes for a TEHY audience, proving that the wages of Finnish nurses in international perspective were quite low.
The four-year contract gives TEHY's members pay increases of 22-28%. Job-related pay will be increased between Euro 350-650 per month, but members will also get a Christmas bonus of Euro 270 in December. Altogether, in the first two years the agreement will mean that TEHY members' wage increases will be 3-5% higher than those agreed for the other municipal workers. This means a further contribution to the catching up of the development of wages in female-dominated fields with those of others.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/r/173; http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2007/11/articles/fi0711019i.htm; http://www.jhl.fi; report of Kevtsalo in Finnish accessible via: http://www.wageindicator.org/main/publications/publicationsfolder_2007)
The Estonian Confederation of Trade Unions (EAKL) and the Estonian Employers' Confederation (ETTK) agreed on an official minimum monthly wage of EEK (kroons) 4,350 (Euro 278) for 2008. Compared with 2007, this represents an almost 21% increase in the minimum wage. Thus, the agreement paved the way for the biggest minimum wage increase in recent years. Nonetheless, this minimum still only represents 33% of the national average wage.
EAKL's chairman, Harri Taliga, stated that the offer of 4,200 kroons per month with which the employers came up earlier was disappointing, as the confederation had understood from media reports that the employers were ready to conclude the agreement at 4,500 kroons. Considering the large public interest of the outcome of the negotiations, the unions saw it as irresponsible to delay the accord for one more month. The official minimum wage in Estonia in 2007 was EEK 3,600 per month.
(English: http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/19353; http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2007/12/articles/ee0712019i.htm)