Hungary : will regional service centers stay here?
Hungary is a leading destination for companies establishing regional service centers: increasingly, multinationals are moving their IT, bookkeeping, financial and call-center operations to Hungary.
Germany: minimum wage plan leads to controversy
The press review from 18 to 25 February 2006 reflects the various points of view on the government's plan to introduce a legal minimum wage. (Ref. 06181)
Austria : Austrian railways workers will strike on March 3.
At 13:00 the result of the public opinion poll will be presented at the central meeting and will be transferred to European Transport Ministers as well. Among the subjects of the ministers’...
23 February 2006
Belgium: employers call for firms to make diversity a reality
On February 22, 2006, Jean-Claude Daoust, president of the Federation of Belgian companies, launched a call entitled "diversity, a winning asset" to sensitize companies to open their doors to...
23 February 2006
Sweden : Opposition proposes a specific «First job contract»
Maud Olofsson, the leader of the Centrist party (currently in the opposition), has proposed to create a "first job contract" comparable to the one that has just been created in France. Sweden is...
22 February 2006
Finland : Trade unions protest against Finnish employers’ behavior in Baltic countries
Finland’s major trade union in the private sector, TU (Toimihenkilöunioni), which has 126 000 members, has asked the Finnish management not to use the Baltic model for collective bargaining...
Great-Britain : CBI is against compulsory employer’s contribution to staff pension schemes
The CBI rejected the Turner commission’s recommandation, made last November 30, to compel employers to contribute to staff pension schemes. The employers' organisation argues that auto-enrolment...
Spain : an agreement to reform vocational training
On February 7, 2006, social partners (CEOE and CEP for employers, and UGT and CC.OO for trade unions) and the Minister of Labour reached an agreement on vocational training for employment (AFPE)...
Germany: strike in public services continues but negotiations are suspended
The strikes which are affecting public services in several German Länders since February 6, continued, Tuesday February 21, after the failure of a first top-level negotiation held the day before...
Lithuania : real estate development and emigration lead to a shortage of contruction workers
The real estate industry will lack 8000 qualified construction workers next year. Some mesaures have been taken, in order to attract foreign workers from non EU countries. (Ref. 06162)
Estonia: it is still illegal to strike in the public sector
Trade unions keep trying to change the law. But government and Parliament do not want to give civil servants the right to strike. (Ref. 06160)
Bulgaria: trade unions act against labour law violations by an Italian company
The death of two sisters, both workers for the Euroshoes factory in Doupnitsa (small city in the south-west of Bulgaria), lead to a wave of inspections throughout the country and launched a debate...
20 February 2006
Germany: press review -February 11 to 17, 2006
The strike in the public sector extends and makes Germans angry. (Ref. 06153)
Portugal Telecom : code of conduct on social responsibility signed with Uni
While France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and Telia/Sonera are still negociating global framework agreements, the Portugsese group of telecom signed a code of conduct about fundamental rights and...
Poland: annual negotiations on salaries coming to an end
After March 10, if there is no agreement between trade unions and the employer, the latter can fix himself the rate of increase of the average salary. (Ref. 06157)
Poland: State, employers and trade unions will negotiate a new social pact
The trade unions and the employers' organisations argue in favour of a new social contract which would tackle labour and employment issues. (Ref. 06148)
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EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
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France: construction sector turns to long-term partial activity scheme
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Inditex European works council mobilises on value sharing
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