Future Perfect: From the international desk - industrial strife in Europe (Portugal, Italy and the UK)
There has been no end of industrial strife in Europe across the peak summer in recent months, with action in Portugal, Italy and the UK.
In Portugal, British Council (BC) staff took strike action in June, noting that real wages have not increased by much in over a decade. BC has countered that they pay “according to local conditions”, but that didn’t stop more than 90% of staff voting for industrial action. Further action is planned for late September.
In Italy, foreign language lecturers (called lettori) have gone on strike against both long-term employment discrimination, and a recent decree of the right-wing Italian government which further limits their rights. In July, the European Commission referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) referring to the “failure to end discrimination” against the lettori as a big reason for the referral.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the El Gazette reports that International House (IH) has been advertising summer jobs at rates below the minimum wage, noting that, while IH has been singled out, it’s highly likely that other providers were also running close to the line. For their part, IH, acknowledged that their advertised rates may have given rise to the idea that they were paying below minimum rates, and they have changed their job descriptions accordingly.
More from El Gazette:
- BC staff striking in Portugal
- Lettori lecturers strike across Italy
- Are International House (IH) summer centres paying below minimum wage?
British Council staff to strike in Portugal - the latest at EL Gazettehttps://t.co/GE1o3vRg8r pic.twitter.com/BNm5CwrfNC
— EL Gazette (English Language Gazette) (@ELGazette) May 24, 2023
Read more Future Perfect (August 2023):