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EU Council: Agreement reached on EWCs and maritime labour Directive
The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council has reached agreement on the revised EU Directive on European Works Councils and on a Directive on maritime employment standards.
European parliament: Amendments proposed to draft Directive on working time
The European parliament voted on 17 December 2008 to amend the draft Directive revising the 1993 Directive on working time, rejecting a compromise text agreed by the Council of the EU.
France: Short-time working benefit scheme to be revised
The French government announced plans in November 2008 to reform short-time working benefit, with the aim of making it a more effective means of avoiding redundancies during the present economic downturn.
Germany: Trade union institute highlights danger of German export bias
Germany’s success in holding down labour-cost growth in recent years has boosted export competitiveness, but raised the risks of an increased exposure to fluctuations in world trade, according to a November 2008 analysis of labour costs by a trade union-linked research institute.
Ireland: Construction employers reject national pay deal
The Construction Industry Federation rejected the national pay agreement endorsed by Ireland’s main social partner organisations and called for a 10% pay cut in the building sector in late November 2008.
Spain: Minimum wage increases by 3.5%
The Spanish government has increased the national minimum wage by 3.5% from January 2009, to €621 per month.
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