Hungary
The EIRO industrial relations observatory reports that major changes to legislation have meant that it will now be easier for the government to implement job cuts in the public sector. It will also mean that public service workers will lose severance pay if they obtain another job before the end of the notice period.
Read more at > EIRO (EN)
The latest data from the Ministry of Employment and the INE statistics agency show that the number of workers covered by collective agreements in the year to October - at 4.2 million - was the lowest for many years. The unions are warning that many workers are now without the protection of a collective agreement. The statistics also show widespread pay freezes and pay deals averaging 0.55% when inflation is at 1.7%. Read more at > El Pais newspaper (ES)
The JHL public services union has welcomed the statement by the coalition government that a five-year job security agreement will apply to municipal workers who face the prospect of major restructuring in the near future. The union emphasises the fact that the agreement will help ensure the trust of employees and their commitment to develop municipal services. Read more at > JHL (EN)
The government has refused to sign a job security agreement covering central government workers. The unions will take the matter to arbitration and in the meantime will try to secure agreements at ministry level in order to provide protection for their members. The government is also taking a hard line on pay, saying it wants another two years of pay freeze on top of the two-year freeze in 2011 and 2012. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/centraal-overleg-rijk-definitief-geklapt-bonden-naar-aac] [And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (NL)->http://www.mijnvakbond.nl
