Study highlights trend to narrower focus of collective bargaining

The ETUI trade union research institute has published it annual analysis - Benchmarking Working Europe. The report covers a broad range of developments in the labour market, labour law, health and safety, worker participation, inequality and collective bargaining. The chapter on collective bargaining chapter focuses on public sector developments listing the pay freezes in 17 countries, pay cuts of up to 10% in eight countries and of between 15%-30% in five countries while in seven countries there have been cuts to bonuses and other special payments. The section also looks at pay trends between

The latest ETUC analysis of collective bargaining across countries in the Eurozone finds little evidence of any upward trend in pay increases, suggesting only a modest rise to 2.5% from 2.3% last year. The ETUC argues that wage moderation has failed to make any significant contribution to employment growth and that the European Central Bank is wrong to use pay trends to justify an increase in interest rates. The ETUC round-up also indicates a recent increase in working hours in Germany, France, Italy and Austria, ending a long downward trend in hours worked. [Read more at > ETUC (EN)->http:/