A 24-hour protest on 20 February by unions representing private and public sector workers has disrupted flights, halted ferries and crippled public services, in a renewed confrontation between labour representatives and the conservative-led government. The trade unions protest against the job cuts and tax rises being demanded by the country's international lenders. A wave of early retirements has likely satisfied creditors’ demands for cutbacks in the state sector. But the troika has also pushed for layoffs. In addition the government is considering making changes to labour regulations that will make it more difficult for unions to call strikes. The unions are also angry at a government decision to scrap collective wage agreements across the public sector as part of an overhaul of state pay scales that will usher in further salary cuts.
English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21515012
http://www.globalnews.ca/canada/world/greece+hit+by+new+strikes+as+jobless+rate ...
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles ...
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Mariya Nikolova mnikolova@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.