The legal basis of collective bargaining in Austria is laid down by the Labour Constitution Act (ArbVG). According to the ArbVG, collective agreements can be concluded only between collective organisations of employers and employees. Therefore, the Austrian labour law systematically benefits multi
The legal basis of collective bargaining in Germany is laid down by the Collective Agreements Act, 1949. Collective agreements can be concluded between employer associations (or individual employers) and trade unions. In contrast, works councils – statutory employee representation bodies elected at
In January 2000, the national tripartite "Alliance for Jobs" (Bündnis für Arbeit) adopted a joint statement on "employment-oriented bargaining policy" which contains recommendations for the 2000 collective bargaining round (DE0001232F [1]). Among other items, the document called for longer-term
On 3 March 2000, the German-based manufacturer of writing, drawing and painting products, Faber-Castell, signed a framework agreement on workers' rights [1] in the company's worldwide operations. The trade union side signatories were the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW)
On 13 March 2000, after more than nine weeks of industrial action at the measurement and control technology producer Foxboro Eckardt GmbH, the works council and the management reached an agreement on future production at the company's location in Stuttgart, under which around 130 of the current 190
From 22 to 25 February 2000, at the invitation of the president of the German Federation of Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB), Dieter Schulte, a high level delegation from the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) chaired by its president, Washio-san, visited Germany in order
On 3 February 2000, the management boards of the UK-based mobile phone group Vodafone AirTouch and the German telecommunications and engineering group Mannesmann AG reached an agreement on terms for a recommended merger [1] which brought a three-month takeover battle to an end. In November 1999
On 11 January 1999, the IG Metall metalworkers' union presented its 2000 bargaining demands, calling for an overall increase of 5.5%, to include both pay rises and a financial contribution to the introduction of a new early retirement scheme at 60 (DE9910217F [1]). IG Metall justified its claims on
On 2 February 2000, the presidents of Germany's four main top-level employers' and business associations sent a joint letter to the federal Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, in which they called for changes in the Collective Agreement Act (Tarifvertragsgesetz) (DE9905200F [1]). The letter was signed by
A majority of German managers consider the continuation of the current Alliance for Jobs (Bündnis für Arbeit [1]) - the national-level permanent tripartite structure set up in December 1998 with the aim of promoting employment (DE9812286N [2]) - as not being useful, following the announcement by
In the 1990s, Germany saw only moderate pay increases which lagged clearly behind the overall development of the economy, according to a recent study by the Institute for Economic and Social Research (Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut, WSI) ("Tarifpolitik und Bündnis für Arbeit"
On 12 December 1999, leading representatives of the federal government, trade unions and employers' and business associations met officially for the fourth round of top-level talks within the framework of the "Alliance for Jobs, Training and Competitiveness" (Bündnis für Arbeit, Ausbildung und