Portugal
Employees at the EDP electricity company and REN national grid network will get a 2.74% pay increase this year effective from 1 January. Shift premia will increase by 5%. Inflation in Portugal averaged 2.3% in 2005 but increased to 2.6% by the end of the year and rose to 2.8% in February 2006.
Read more at > SINDEL
Quoting a report from the Dutch Central Bank, FNV Abvakabo president Corrie van Brenk is arguing that it is time for a pay increase particularly for public sector workers who have seen their pay frozen. According to the Central Bank the average work has seen no change in their purchasing power for 15 years while overall economic output and company profits have increased. Van Brenk stresses the role that a general wage increase would play in boosting the economy. Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)
Ver.di and the other trade unions representing regional government workers in Hessen have agreed a 3% pay increase for 2008. Hessen broke away from the national collective agreement covering regional government in 2004 and is still resisting union demands to rejoin the agreement. The 2008 pay increase is backdated to 1April and a lump sum worth 3% of salary will cover the period from 1 January to 31 March. Employees will also get a further lump sum of either €100 or €150 depending on their pay grade. The agreement runs to the end of December and separate pay negotiations will take place for
The monthly minimum wage in Latvia increases to 128 euros this month. This puts it at 36% of average pay as at June 2005. However, rapidly rising earnings levels means that the minimum wage is likely to fall to only 30% of average earnings by June 2006. The report from the EIRO industrial relations observatory reveals that the minimum wage is lower now in proportion to average earnings than it was 10 years ago. Read more at > EIRO
