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Netherlands: FNV calls for 2.5 percent wage increase
The largest union in the Netherlands is calling for a 2.5 percent wage increase in 2013. This is the same level as in 2012, in spite of the crisis and as the negotiations in 2012 only led to an...
Great Britain: enforcement of the reform forcing employees and employers to enroll into a workplace pension
The "auto-enrolment" reform is coming into force today for the biggest firms. With this gradual reform, which will last for six years, up to 10 million workers in the private sector will be...
Great Britain: Unite organizes conflict at the largest construction project in Europe
At the largest construction project in Europe, the Unite union is in dispute with the one of the main contractors. It has accused the contractor of victimisation of union members and suggested...
Portugal: CGTP wants to continue in the same vein after successful anti-austerity demonstration
The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP) organized a major demonstration on September 29 and received the support of civil society. Nearly 200,000 people chanted anti-austerity...
EU: ongoing legislative and social policy initiatives
Socially responsible restructuring.  Presented by S&D MEP Alejandro Cercas before the summer (see our dispatch No.  120350), the draft resolution on socially responsible restructurings should...
Canada: Chrysler reaches agreement with auto union
Representatives at Chrysler, the last carmaker still negotiating with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) finally reached an agreement with their interlocutors.  Chrysler’s 8,000 Canadian employees in...
Denmark: government of Greenland prepares bill exempting foreign investors from local working conditions for posted workers
The government of Greenland prepared a bill allowing foreign businesses engaging large-scale projects to hire, for that project, foreign workers covered by the collective agreements of their...
France: Goodyear Amiens-Nord management withdraws voluntary leave transfer program
The management told the employee representatives it was withdrawing the program after a central works council meeting which lasted just a few minutes, because they refused the draft agreement...
28 September 2012
Germany: BMW signs company agreement to recruit 3,000 agency workers in return for flexible working time
3,000 hires and no more than 8 percent temporary workers.  The IG-Metall clearly sees the agreement signed on Wednesday in Munich between BMW and its central WC as a victory.  Even though the...
27 September 2012
Germany: new head of metal employers’ organization wants to commit to an even more flexible labor market
September 14 was the transfer of power between the former and the new President of the German association of metal industries.  “He knows the metal and electrical engineering industry, he knows...
Great Britain: new benchmark on FTSE wellbeing
Confrontation tool.  Business in the Community (BITC) is an association that promotes responsible business practices.  It launched a new benchmark which will measure all FTSE 100 companies...
27 September 2012
Germany: government adopts bill improving “Riester” funded pension schemes
Make up for the wearing out of statutory retirement.  Ten years ago, the red-green Gerhard Schröder administration caused a sensation by introducing a funded supplementary pension scheme in the...
OHL: Spanish construction firm signs international framework agreement on workers’ rights and union freedoms
An agreement negotiated by the Fecoma-CCOO and MCA-UGT unions.  The agreement was negotiated and signed at the request of the Fecoma-CCOO and MCA-UGT Spanish unions representing the BWI in Spain. ...
26 September 2012
Portugal: mobilization drives government to give up amending social contributions but taxes will rise
Single social tax.  The Single Social Tax (TSU) on workers’ income should have increased by 7 percentage points, from 11 up to 18 percent, on January 1, 2013.  At the same time, employers’ TSU...
25 September 2012
Great Britain: employment appeal tribunal activities down 15 percent
15 percent decrease.  The number of cases accepted by employment tribunals decreased by 15 percent in one year according to statistics from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012 recently published by...
EU: ECJ to rule on new case on fixed-term contracts, this time about union rights
Facts.  The interested party worked for a Greek Ministry under a private law contract and a special status.  As a union member, he was authorized to take 34 days’ union leave, for which he wasn’t...
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1
France: sectors feel economic slowdown to differing degrees
The latest data on France’s occupational sectors (branches professionnelles), covering the year 2023, show how employment trends are shaping workplace dynamics. After a more favourable period for...
2
Germany: apprenticeship openings fall sharply in manufacturing and chemicals
From 1 January 2026, Dutch collective agreements for temporary employment agencies will alter the employment conditions of temp workers. Agencies will be required to pay these workers at least the...