Industrial relations

The European Trade Unions Confederation, ETUC, in its September statement marking the World Day of Decent Work, has condemned the Serbian railway carriage manufacturer Gosa for not paying its workers their wages, breaking the collective contract and refusing to negotiate with unions.

Albania's Confederation of Trade Unions, KSSH, is pressuring the government to raise the minimum wage by 17 percent within a year, alongside other requests that would improve the conditions of working people.

KSSH chief Kol Nikollaj told BIRN that they intend to use any democratic means in order to achieve this objective.

The umbrella union representing Greece's civil servants, known by its acronym ADEDY, on Friday called on public sector workers to continue boycotting an evaluation scheme being carried out at the behest of Greece's international creditors.

ADEDY called on trade unions to conduct meetings to coordinate their action to block the evaluation scheme.
 

The government sealed the collective bargaining deal with the union confederation of public workers and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on July 3. 

The contract includes a 7.5 percent raise for the first half of 2017 and a 5 percent raise for the second half of the year, to be followed by a 3.5 percent raise in each half of 2018, plus wage improvements.

Transport workers in Athens are on Wednesday taking part in the second of three 24-hour strikes to object to legislation that will allow the transport organization to make commercial use of stations.

Metro, electric railway (ISAP) and tram workers are taking part in the walk-out, leaving a build-up of traffic in the Greek capital.

The Athens and Piraeus hospital doctors' association (EINAP) announced Tuesday that it would join Thursday's 24-hour general strike called by the country's biggest labor unions - representing public and private sector workers - to protest plans for labor reforms and tax hikes.

A total of 340 workers from İZBAN, a commuter rail system connecting the western province of İzmir's suburban area to the metropolitan area, went on strike on Nov. 8 due to disputes in collective bargaining talks with their employers.

The two major Greek workers’ unions, the General Confederation of Workers (GSEE) and the state Executive Civil Servant’s Associations (ADEDY), have declared a 48 hour nationwide general strike for May 6 and 7, protesting against the unexpected introduction to Greek parliament of the new social security bill.

Greece's public sector umbrella union ADEDY on Thursday called a 48-hour strike for Friday and Saturday, to protest the government's social security reform plans, following an announcement that the legislation was expected to be debated in Parliament on Saturday before being put to the vote late on Sunday.

Trade unions decided not to organize protest rallies on May 1, Labor Day in Serbia, due to the fact the holiday coincided with this year's Orthodox Easter.

However, they issued statements announcing their "continued struggle for the rights of workers and their improved standard of living."