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izations – SAK for blue collars, STTK for white collars, AKAVA for university-level trades – and the confederation of Finnish industries (EK) reached an agreement on a major social...

9 February 2009

EU: the European Commission focus its compromise efforts on working time directive on on-call time

their stand in preparation for the conciliation phase between the European Parliament and the Council of EU Ministers on the working time directive, last phase of the legal process. Whereas...

6 February 2009

Netherlands: outcry after the announcement of double bonuses for ABN Amro managers

mplained after a double bonus was awarded to about 500 managers for the second year in a row. It is suspicious as to the fairness of this bonus, awarded to the highest levels of the hierarchy...

5 February 2009

Spain: unions and employers’ organizations fight about the inflation rate to take into account for wage increases

nion confederations, defined the threshold for wage increases to 2%, while the CEOE employers’ confederation draws the line at 1%. After seven years of consensus on the prices defined in the...

5 February 2009

Italy: the CGIL mobilizes against the separate agreement on the reform of the conventional system

he largest union confederation in Italy unanimously approved a strategy to object to the January 22 separate agreement on the reform of the conventional system (see our dispatch No. 090080) signed...

5 February 2009

Slovakia: government proposes measures to support labor market

agged up a labor market support plan which introduces three new benefits for Slovak maintaining employment despite production cuts. These benefits could be available from March 2009, under certain...

5 February 2009

Belgium: the Minister of Labor proposes to open talks on extending partial unemployment to employees

the Minister of Employment, Joelle Micquet, questioned on February 5, 2009 about the need to extend partial unemployment – currently reserved to employees with the status of blue-collar...

5 February 2009

Brazil: several metalworkers’ and mining unions accept wage reductions to save jobs

jobs, more and more unions sign agreements with businesses to reduce wages. The phenomenon, coming at a time when the government announced a 12% minimum wage increase, particularly concerns the...

5 February 2009

EU: the 27 open timid discussions on maternity leave

U27 opened, on Tuesday, February 3, discussions for the revision of the directive on the protection of pregnant women, the main measure being to extend the maternity leave from 14 to 18 weeks...

4 February 2009

France: the social partners unanimously sign the national interprofessional agreement on vocational training

anizations involved in the negotiation process since September 2008 (CFTC, CFDT, CFE-CGC, CGT-FO, CGT) as well as the Medef, CGPME and UPA for employers committed to sign the interprofessional...

4 February 2009

Netherlands: working time reduction hardly extended

cial Affairs rejected half of the 90 requests for the extension of working time (Werktijdverkorting – WTV) sent by businesses after the first six weeks to which they were entitled. (Ref...

4 February 2009

EU: the European Trade Union Confederation revives the debate on posted workers

y factory (see our dispatch No. 090112) in Great Britain revived the debate on posted workers. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called, on Monday, February 2, for the adoption of new...

3 February 2009

Netherlands: more flexible procedures facilitate the entry of highly-skilled workers

ts entering the Netherlands come from India, the United States and China, respectively 3.000, 1.850 and 1.170 people since January 1, 2007. These foreigners met the Dutch immigration...

2 February 2009

United States: President Obama’s first measures for working conditions and union rights

lated by the Bush administration, American unions’ influence and members have considerably decreased in the last eight years. A few months ago, they put their faith in Barack Obama, and...

2 February 2009

Luxembourg: linguistic leave to be enforced soon

anently adopted, on January 21, 2009, the law concerning the introduction of a linguistic leave to enable all employees, from all countries, provided they have been working for the same employer...

30 January 2009

Luxembourg: new law amends partial unemployment

mber of Deputies adopted a law amending the partial unemployment system. This text, enforced on January 1, 2009, is aimed at improving this method for businesses, notably to make it more efficient...

30 January 2009

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