Labour news from Europe
Albania
FSPISH Congress Places Emphasis on International Solidarity 2009-11-30 [ICEM] ICEM Strengthens Connection with Trade Unions 2009-10-05 [ICEM]
Expropriation of Trade Unions’ Property Condemned 2009-08-24 [ICEM]
Andorra
ETUC Executive Committee supports its affiliate in Andorra 2008-03-06 [ETUC]
Armenia
Cab drivers, gold traders in Armenia protest ‘tax pressures’ 2010-02-19 [Armenia Liberty] Home, but not Alone: More “guest workers” remain in Armenia due to hard times in Russia 2009-07-01 [Armenia Now]
Layoffs Carry Protest Potential 2009-02-07 [TOL]
Austria
Overworked judges to strike next week 2010-02-19 [The Earth Times] Founding Congress Takes Place of New Manufacturing Union PRO.GE 2009-12-14 [ICEM]
'Stronger together. The Joint Congress of Austrian Metallurgical and Chemical Workers Trade Unions took place in Vienna' 2009-12-04 [MMWU site]
Azerbaijan
Delegate selection campaign starts for 4th convention of Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation 2010-01-06 [ABC.AZ] Government, employers, trade unions to sign general collective treaty 2010-01-06 [News.AZ]
451 new unions enter into Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation over four years 2010-01-01 [Azerbaijan Business]
Belarus
Oppositionist registered with KGB for defence of workers’ rights 2010-02-03 [Charter 97] IFJ Protests against Legal Harassment of Belarus Association of Journalists. 2010-01-20 [IFJ]
Trade union federation suggests making fixed-term labor contracts optional 2009-12-10 [Naviny]
Belgium
Opel unions reject Antwerp plant rescue plan 2010-03-10 [Reuters] Carrefour Says Talks Continuing With Workers 2010-03-09 [KamCity]
Carrefour to cut 1670 jobs 2010-03-02 [UNI]
Bosnia
Bulgaria
Interior Ministry Employees Hit the Streets 2010-03-20 [Novinite] Labour unions say 170 000 Bulgarians lost job in 2009 2010-03-12 [Sofia Echo]
Government Ups National Health Insurance Fund Budget But Strikes Continue 2010-03-09 [Novinite]
Croatia
Unions announce possible strike after Easter 2010-03-18 [The Times] Bus company workers on strike 2009-12-28 [B92]
ICEM releases Croatian versions of its Contract and Agency Labour Guides 2009-10-20 [ICEM]
Cyprus
Civil servants union on the warpath 2010-03-20 [The Mail] Crane operators strike for more supervision 2010-02-21 [The Cyprus Mail]
Union accuses ministries of nepotism 2010-02-11 [Cyprus Mail]
Czech
Denmark
Long-term illness shouldn’t prevent working 2010-03-16 [Copenhagen Post] International squabble between SAS employees 2010-03-16 [Copenhagen Post]
Salary gap of 20 percent still exists between women and men in Denmark while Nordic neighbours steam ahead 2010-03-09 [Copenhagen Post]
Estonia
Trade unions collected signatures against raising of pension age 2010-03-11 [Estonian Free Press] Finnish trade unions would keep Estonian builders away from renovation works 2009-10-15 [Baltic Business]
Trade union: Ferry operator Tallink pockets holiday pays 2009-08-13 [Baltic Business]
Faroe
Finland
Port strike will continue to hurt industry 2010-03-20 [The Swedish Wire] Port strike to end 2010-03-20 [The Swedish Wire]
Port strike ends 2010-03-20 [The Chronicale-Herald]
France
Ratings Firm Vigeo Downgrades Sodexo to 2010-03-16 [Clean Up Sodexo] Total workers clash with police 2010-03-09 [Euro News]
Dunkirk falls after battle 2010-03-09 [The Times of London]
Georgia
Teachers determined to bring the government to the negotiating table 2010-02-21 [IE] Serious Violations of Workers’ Rights in the Name of Liberalisation, Despite GSP+ Benefits 2009-12-08 [ITUC]
Unions pressure for labor law reform 2009-11-19 [EurasiaNet]
Germany
Ver.di German union joins Australian and American unions to back BA crew 2010-03-19 [Big Pond News] Siemens plans 4,200 job cuts worldwide 2010-03-19 [The Local]
Siemens to Cut 4,200 Jobs at Computer-Services Unit 2010-03-18 [Bloomberg]
Gibraltar
Chamber of Commerce has come out in support of Unite the Union's campaign targeting illegal labour 2010-03-18 [Gibraltar Chronicle] 'Workers taken for a ride' says union 2010-01-28 [Panorama]
Gvt condemns Unite's approach to Moroccan question 2010-01-07 [Gibraltar Chronicle]
Greece
Power workers threaten to resume strike 2010-03-18 [Reuters] Strikes over proposed tax law overhaul 2010-03-18 [AP]
Nation paralyzed by strike over austerity plan 2010-03-18 [The Sun]
Hungary
Police union newsletter promotes anti-Semitic conspiracy theories 2010-02-02 [Ha'aretz] BKV strike ends, unions win 2010-01-18 [Budapest Business Journal]
Airport strike not expected to cause disruptions on Monday 2010-01-18 [Caboodle]
Iceland
Labor Unions in Iceland Criticize Fishing Company 2009-03-17 [Icelandic Review] Openly gay former flight attendant and union organiser becomes PM 2009-01-29 [Associated Press]
Public Meeting Attendees Propose General Strike 2008-12-10 [Icelandic Review]
Ireland
Aer Lingus cabin crew to vote again 2010-03-20 [Irish Times] Taxi row deepens as union mounts rolling protests 2010-03-20 [Irish Independent]
Six stage sit-in as public vents fury at passport office closure 2010-03-20 [Irish Independent]
Italy
National strike hits Italy 2010-03-14 [Press Association] Union protests continue against Berlusconi 2010-03-14 [Deutche Welle]
Trade unions, opposition protest against Berlusconi 2010-03-14 [ABC]
Latvia
Unions and students protest budget cuts 2009-12-06 [Egypt and Beyond] UNI condemns new Latvian law on pensions, social benefits 2009-07-23 [UNI]
Teachers salaries to be cut 20 percent 2009-04-20 [The Baltic Times]
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Vilnius unions threaten general strike 2010-02-13 [Baltic Reports] Massive layoffs in Lithuania as nuke plants shut as condition of EU membership 2010-01-04 [RT]
Spotlight with Sergejus Glovackas ( ITUC/PERC –Vilnius, Lithuania) 2009-12-10 [ITUC]
Luxembourg
Angry steelworkers storm ArcelorMittal meeting 2009-05-13 [Associated Press] Angry Steelworkers Mount Violent Protest At ArcelorMittal AGM 2009-05-13 [EasyBourse]
Rubber bullets fly as ArcelorMittal steel workers storm AGM 2009-05-13 [AFP]
Macedonia
Journalists Union To Stage Sunday Protest 2009-05-02 [Balkan Insight] Mavrovo workers to go on strike 2009-04-06 [Makfax]
Trade Union of Employees in Education in Macedonia opposes ethnic division in Struga school 2009-02-10 [Focus News Agency]
Malta
Family friendly measures against profit family measures 2010-03-18 [uhm.org.mt] Doctors sense political interference in proposals 2010-03-17 [The Times]
UHM orders industrial actio at Monte de Pieta 2010-03-16 [The Malta Independent]
Moldova
Global crisis affecting Moldovan migrant workers 2008-12-09 [RFE] Review of teacher salaries urgently needed 2008-09-11 [EI]
Moldovan drivers win pay agreement in Lithuania 2008-08-21 [ITF]
Monaco
Workers go on strike 2009-04-17 [Euronews] Workers take to Monaco streets in rare protest 2009-04-17 [Reuters, via Ynet News]
General strike over job cuts 2009-04-16 [AP]
Netherlands
TNT workers vote in favour of new pay deal 2010-03-16 [Dutch News] Update on the Dutch cleaners' strike 2010-03-15 [Union Renewal]
Union approves new TNT wage deal 2010-03-15 [Reuters]
Norway
Stena Drilling will not be welcomed back 2010-03-16 [Industri Energi] Nurses' strike over 2010-02-06 [The Post]
Draka´s New Year resolut 2010-01-22 [EMF]
Poland
Warsaw taxi drivers on strike 2010-03-04 [Polskie Radio] Solidarity with Striking Nurses 2010-02-23 [Pracownik]
Nationwide nursing strike imminent? 2010-02-23 [The Business Journal]
Portugal
Govt firm on austerity despite union threats 2010-03-11 [Arab News] National strike in May 2010-03-07 [Radio New Zealand]
Civil servants strike against austerity 2010-03-04 [Reuters]
Romania
Subway workers call off strike 2010-03-18 [The World Bulletin] National strike of metro workers 2010-03-09 [Focus]
Public workers plan strikes 2010-02-26 [The SE Times]
Russia
Court rules GM must reinstate and compensate ITUA St Petersburg auto union leader 2010-03-18 [International Metalworkers Federation] Russian Court Orders GM to Reinstate Sacked Union Leader :Leader says he was fired for organizing a strike at the plant 2010-03-17 [AFP]
Olympic Construction Workers Unpaid For Months 2010-03-17 [St Petersburg Times]
San Marino
Serbia
Model Pharmaceutical Plant in Balkans Mission 2010-02-22 [ICEM] Serbian lawyers, cabbies again win delay of tax controls 2010-02-12 [Earth Times]
Serbian taxi drivers end strike 2009-12-20 [SETimes]
Slovakia
Shop Opening Hours 2010-02-02 [UNI] 5th Congress of Chemical Workers 2009-12-14 [ICEM]
National Days of Mourning Following Mine Tragedy 2009-08-24 [ICEM]
Slovenia
Minimum Wage Implementation Causing Frictions 2010-03-18 [STA] Workers Move Their Hunger Strike to Ljubljana 2010-03-09 [STA]
Migrant workers in Slovenia hunger strike for unpaid wages 2010-03-08 [libcom.org]
Spain
Agreement between management and the workers committee on the General Motors plant in Zaragoza. 2010-03-16 [Barcelona Reporter] Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to Open ITUC Development Aid Conference in Madrid 2010-03-15 [ITUC]
Main unions approve GM restructure deal for Opel plant 2010-03-14 [Dow Jones]
Sweden
'51 years to shared parental leave': report 2010-03-07 [The Local] Bus driver in bitter fight for sartorial rights 2010-02-26 [The Local]
Post office considers cutting 2,000 staff 2010-02-25 [The Local]
Switzerland
Geneva Marks International Women's Day 2010-03-08 [ICEM] Geneva Marks International Women’s Day 2010-03-08 [ICEM]
Affiliates are invited to submit their films for Night of Labour Shorts Festival in Geneva 2010-02-11 [BWI]
Turkey
Strike creates chaos in transportation in Ankara 2010-03-09 [The Daily News] Female labor force participation still weighty problem for Turkey 2010-03-09 [Today's Zaman]
ICEM Says February 23 Coal Mine Explosion Needs Thorough Investigation 2010-03-08 [ICEM]
Ukraine
Minimum wages to be UAH 888 2010-03-17 [NRCU] Glavred media holding on strike protesting delays of wages 2010-02-23 [The Post]
Court orders Leoni Wiring System to reinstate union leader in Ukraine 2010-02-10 [International Metalworkers Federation]
UK
British Airways battles cabin crew strike 2010-03-20 [Canada.com] British Airways employees launch massive strike 2010-03-20 [Deutsche Welle]
Teamsters and TWU Stand in Solidarity With British Airways Cabin Crews 2010-03-20 [Red Orbit]