Trade union

The Mitsotakis government on Friday evening tabled a landmark draft bill envisioning reforms in much of the country's labor sector, changes that the pro-business and pro-market government underlined as long overdue, but which are expected to generate heightened criticism by the political opposition and Greece's still formidable unions.

Ljubljana – Trade union confederations said they had decided to leave the Economic and Social Council (ESS), the country’s industrial relations forum, because the government had practically abolished social dialogue and thus deprived them of the seats at the negotiating table. They warned the government’s action was leading to a conflict.

Ljubljana – Trade union confederations decided on Thursday to leave the Economic and Social Council (ESS), the country’s main industrial relations forum. The main reason is the “government’s systematic violation of rules on the functioning of the ESS”. More detail is to be presented at a press conference on Friday.

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor hosted a Labour Day reception on Saturday at which the head of the ZSSS trade union association Lidija Jerkič said the holiday should be an opportunity to reflect on workers’ rights, and assessed that the government was ignoring social dialogue with trade unions. Many officials also marked the holiday with their messages.

Ljubljana – The International Workers’ Day, 1 May, will this year again be marked by epidemic-related restrictions. Trade unions call for job security, decent pensions, social security but also for safety at work, so that workers are not exposed to infection. Traditional celebrations with big bonfires on the eve of the holiday will not take place.

Ljubljana – The Constitutional Court has stayed the implementation of provisions of the seventh economic stimulus law under which employers may unilaterally and without grounds terminate the employment contract when a worker meets old-age retirement criteria. The constitutional review was initiated by trade unions.

Ljubljana – The government has presented to public sector trade unions a preliminary proposal overhauling the public sector pay system. The sector is to be split into two groups, allowing more autonomy in terms of salaries to institutions funded not only by the state but also by other sources. Unions believe this would lead to disintegration of the pay system.

Women in Europe doing jobs requiring the same skills as jobs done by men are still being paid significantly less, according to a study by the the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša has announced that the “operative part” of the police force would be extracted from the single public sector pay system to make pay ratios fairer. Public sector trade union representatives expressed disagreement and called for social dialogue.

Romania cannot afford freezing workers' wages and abandon the goal of economic and social convergence with developed states in the European Union, say representatives of the Meridian National Trade Union Confederation, dissatisfied with the measures taken by the Romanian Government "that will determine the living and working conditions of workers in 2021".