Dear readers, In implementing the EU’s Minimum Wage Directive,  more Member States are taking steps to promote collective bargaining between trade unions and employers. In this edition of National Updates we focus on the benefits for workers, and some of the gains that have been achieved recently as a result of union negotiations.

A deal between the Austrian union of postal and telecommunications employees (GPF) and the management of  Österreichische Post will mean a record 10% salary increase from January 2024 for workers covered by the new collective agreement. For July to December 2023, every full-time employee will receive a tax-free cost-of-living bonus of €300 per month, totalling €1,800, with a proportional payment for part-timers.

The British Trades Union Congress’s ‘Roots, Culture, Identity’ project, launched 10 years ago, offers a platform for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME) artists to express their ideas about life in the UK.

A new labour law framework, known as the Decent Work Agenda, came into force in Portugal in May following months of negotiation with the social partners.   It contains some 70 measures that are designed to improve working conditions and the balance between personal, family and professional life. New provisions include:

Italian trade unions have recently secured important agreements with leading banking and finance institutions to improve pay and conditions for staff.

Workers in the mental healthcare sector in the Netherlands will get an additional 10% in their pay packets thanks to a deal negotiated by the FNV union. The increase, which will benefit more than 100,000 workers, comes on top of wage rises already set in the current collective agreement.

Romania’s RADJP road construction company has concluded a new collective agreement with the Constanta County Roads Union. Employees with more than five years’ experience will benefit from two extra days off, while those who work in difficult, dangerous or harmful conditions, as well as young and disabled workers, will benefit from an additional three-day holiday.

In Belgium, trade unions are uniting to defend the right to industrial action in the face of a proposed law that would restrict public protests. Civil society and NGOs have joined with the unions in raising the alarm about the impact of the measure.

As the summer season boosts demand for seasonal agricultural workers to harvest fruit, vegetables and other crops, Germany’s Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) trade union federation is demanding better protection and working conditions.

The Estonian Trade Union Confederation (EAKL) has concluded a goodwill agreement with the Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology and the head of the Estonian Employers' Confederation, setting out a framework for minimum wage growth rate until 2027, when it should reach 50% of the average salary. The minimum wage level will rise in phases: 42.5% of the average wage in 2024, 45% in 2025, 47.5% in 2026 and 50% in 2027.

Workers in German companies where trade unions have concluded collective agreements enjoy significantly better employment conditions than those in firms with no such deal. For example, in companies sharing similar size, economic sector, staff qualifications and technical systems, full-time employees without agreements work on average 54 minutes longer per week and still earn 11% less than those in companies with collective agreements.

Dear readers, As European countries count the cost of the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, trade unions have scored successes in defending workers’ livelihoods, as illustrated for example in our top story in this edition, from Germany. Elsewhere, unions continue to negotiate for higher pay and improved conditions, such as reduced or flexible working hours and a better quality of life. Joining a union is of real benefit to working people. 

The Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) has put together a list of the steps it  has taken to safeguard workers’ living standards in the face of rising prices and skyrocketing gas and electricity costs across Europe. “Many of the support measures politicians have introduced would not have existed without pressure from the DGB and its member unions” confirms the federation’s website.

Romania has adopted a new law on social dialogue giving trade unions greater powers and establishing an easier procedure for setting up and representing employees. The change follows the requirement for national governments to promote collective bargaining, under the EU Directive on minimum wages. The law has been described as “a game-changer” and brings four significant reforms:

In different countries around Europe, trade unions are examining four-day week experiments and assessing their benefits for workers.

Social partners in France have concluded an agreement on value sharing, to promote profit-sharing and incentive schemes as well as tax-free bonuses in all companies. Following a Convention on Value Sharing in February 2023, the French government has promised to formalise the terms of the accord in law.

From 1 May, all private-sector workers who cycle to work in Belgium will have the right to higher mileage allowances, under a deal between trade unions and employers. The compensation per kilometre will increase from €0.24 to €0.27, indexed annually.

The British Trades Union Congress (TUC) has launched a Black Network – the first-ever national database set up to capture the contribution of black workers across the trade union movement and create a space for growth, empowerment and progress. “The TUC Black Network will be a powerful tool to connect, amplify and support the work of black activists, reps, organisers and trade union employees and officials,” says the Congress.  

Two of Italy’s major energy companies have agreed with trade unions on new measures to improve parental rights, wellbeing of workers, purchasing power and recruitment.

The first collective agreement between unions and management of the Chinese-owned Zijin Copper mine in Serbia has secured a wage increase and better working conditions.

The Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) of Macedonia has been working with international trade union organisations to help young journalists address the challenges posed by digital media and understand the benefits of joining a trade union.

Spanish trade unions organising care workers in the Balearic islands have won a substantial pay increase in the first collective agreement covering residential and day-care centres.

Trade union OS KOVO has won an 8% wage increase at Korean-owned Nexen Tire, Bitozevs in Žatec, Czechia. Following industrial action and negotiations between union leaders and company representatives, a significant number of trade union demands were met. 

Dear readers, As regular readers of National UPdates will know, we usually try to highlight some of the less obvious trade union activities at national level. However, the current cost-of-living crisis has led to strikes and demonstrations across Europe, as workers see the value of their wages plummet. So, in this issue we also summarise some of the trade union actions, in different countries, designed to defend workers and their families. 

Across Europe, trade unions are fighting together to help their members meet soaring energy bills and rising living costs. Workers are paying the price for austerity, the war in Ukraine and the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic.