24 September 2020
On 22 September a group of workers announced on Twitter and in the press, the foundation of the first British trade union dedicated solely to the technology sector. The United Tech and Allied Workers (UTAW), is a new branch of the Communications Workers Union (CWU- postal services) and is aiming to have at least one hundred people join in the first two months, including employees from Google and Microsoft.
21 September 2020
As is now the accepted rule in most Nordic countries, negotiations over collective pay agreements on a confederation level in Norway have given way to bargaining on an industry branch level, followed by local agreements in companies negotiated on the basis of the branch agreement. Negotiations commenced in the industry sector, which sets the tone as it is an export industry subject to...
17 September 2020
On 16 September the social partners in the rubber & plastics sector signed an agreement to renew their national collective agreement (NCA), which covers approximately 130,000 workers, including employees of multinational tyre companies such a Pirelli, Michelin, and Bridgestone. The previous NCA expired on 30 June 2019. Subject to employee approval, the agreement will run until 31 December 2022 and in it is a provision for a €63 increase in minimum salaries, health and safety advances as well as minor...
17 September 2020
On 16 September, the employers’ organisation Assodelivery, which includes the main food delivery platforms (Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Glovo, Just Eat and more), and the ‘Unione Generale del Lavoro’ (UGL) trade union signed Italy’s first ever collective agreement on the gig economy. The three nationally representative unions (CGIL, CISL, UIL) denounce the agreement, which does not deal with the real problems according to them.
15 September 2020
On July 17 and following the same route as Safran (c.f. article No. 12041 and No. 11856, in French), an agreement for Bosch France was unanimously signed by the trade unions that sets the framework for the use of new official long-term short-time working provisions, which aim to enable companies to reduce their business over the long-term while benefiting from a more advantageous salary subsidy, on the proviso that they negotiate an agreement and commit to maintain jobs.
15 September 2020
“Strong worker representation can make America stronger. Unfortunately, our nation’s Great Depression–era labor laws no longer provide an effective framework, many unions have become unresponsive to workers’ needs and some outright corrupt, and membership has fallen to just 6 percent of the private-sector workforce.” These excerpts from a letter published on 07 September – US Labor Day could well have been penned by Alexandria Ocazio Cortez – AOC, the New York elected member the House...
14 September 2020
With the main collective bargaining in the Austrian economy – that of the metalworking industry – set to kick off on 24 September, Christian Knill, negotiator for FMTI, Metaltechnology Austria, the largest employer organisation in the sector, said on Monday 14 September that he would ask trade union partners, from the first meeting, to postpone the annual collective bargaining for a year. He said: “One thing is clear: there is nothing to redistribute this year. From a purely economic point of view, it would...
14 September 2020
ING Italia claims to be the first bank in Italy to launch such a flexible smart working model. In an announcement on 31 August, the bank promised its staff the “maximum freedom of choice on how to organise their work according to personal and professional needs”. This policy, which is valid until the end of the year, though the management has already announced its intention to implement the system on a permanent basis, is based on an agreement reached with trade unions at the beginning of August, which...
8 September 2020
Germany’s automotive industry is suffering and, according to its companies, does not envisage a return to pre-pandemic production levels before the 2023-2025. Considered too rigid over the long term, many now deem short-time working as no longer being tenable. As such, companies such as ZF Friedrichshafen, Bosch, and Daimler have undertaken to negotiate reduced working hours agreements with the IG Metall union in exchange for job security committments. However, not everyone agrees with this solution, preferring...
8 September 2020
On 07 September, and for the first time since May, Carlo Bonomi, president of the employers’ organization Confindustria, met with the general secretaries of the trade unions Cgil, Cisl, and Uil, thereby marking an easing in social relations, following several difficult months. Since his election as head of Confindustria, Mr. Bonomi has repeatedly issued statements that seem to...
