WageIndicator News - 2007

WageIndicator Gazette - 16 - October 2007
- Mojazarplata in Russia: hit from the start
- Call centre agents work evening hours and weekends
- Researchers: use the survey for monitoring gender pay gap
- Preparing for a quantum leap to 75 WageIndicator countries
- Equal Pay website in The Netherlands
- Paywizard.org for the USA!

WageIndicator Gazette -15-June 2007
- Job insecurity and temporary work on the increase
- Unions face ignorance amongst young workers but may harvest too
- No time to retire
- Gender pay gap to be found everywhere
- Some jobs make for having children earlier, some don't
- Research results - FP6 - 8 European countries
- Trip to Africa!

WageIndicator Gazette - 14 - April 2007
- 6-country survey shows: 3 out of 10 women in low pay jobs; longer hours, lower pay go together
- European Trade Union issues from dataset debated April 18-20, Amsterdam
- Scaling up the WageIndicator (follow up)
- Britain's Unison: how to campaign better?
- German women massively respond to publicity on gender pay gap
- New women's WageIndicators
- Woliweb ended
- Trip to Africa

WageIndicator Gazette - 13- February 2007
- WageIndicator presented at annual AAAS-meeting
- Scaling up to WageIndicator 75
- Pages for Polish migrant workers
- Launch ItPaycheck in India
- ISCO2008 to be standard for all occupation choosers
- AbangAfrica and GoinAfrica offer trips for prize winners

Amsterdam, December 18, 2007. The European Commission funds WIBAR-2 (till November 2008), carried out by the University of Amsterdam/AIAS, ETUC, EMF, ETF, WageIndicator Foundation, and with Ruskin College (UK) and WSI - DGB (DE). Its focus is on collective bargaining in study seminars grouped around (a) metal & electronics manufacturing; (b) retail; information technology; call centres and finance; (c) transport. The project includes introduction of the web survey in France.

Utrecht, December 13, 2007. CNV Internationaal, the development assistance office of the Dutch Christian Trade Union confederation, decides to fund the further extension of WageIndicator in Latin America. Early 2008 Chile and Colombia will be brought online. Parallel off line surveys, using a paper version of the online questionnaire, will be organized in Guatemala and Paraguay, with an eye to the low internet penetration in those two countries. The national WageIndicator teams in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico will take the lead and share know how and experiences with trade union colleagues selected by CNV in the joining countries.

Turin, December 12, 2007. At the invitation of the international training centre of the ILO a presentation is given on WageIndicators in Eastern Europe and Central Asia for trainees representing major trade unions from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Several delegates express interest to join the initiative. More at www.Mojazarplata.org.

Amsterdam, The  bi-annual worldwide WageIndicator conference takes place April 16 2008 in Amsterdam. April 14 and 15 workshops are planned. Topics are web marketing, web management, data management, wage calculations.

Brussels, December 3, 2007. The WageIndicator teams from Hungary, Belgium and Netherlands discuss progress of their research on the gender pay gap in their respective countries.

Helsinki, November 11, 2007. Finnish researcher Kimmo Kevätsalo presents his findings on wages of nurses, based on WageIndicator data, to the council of the Finnish nurses' union.

Bangkok, November 28, 2007. Foundation director Paulien Osse presents the WageIndicator at the National Seminar on Work, Income and Gender Equality in Thailand, organized by the regional office of the ILO. In the slipstream of this seminar a meeting is held with the ASEAN university network about the development of WageIndicators in Asia. Download handout in Thai
WageIndicator & Gender equality. Download handout in English.

Cambridge, November 15, 2007. Paulien Osse, director of the Foundation is invited by Harvard Law School Work Life programme for a session with AFLCIO and Working America on innovative trade union tools. Download handout WageIndicator and Working America.

Beijing, October 23, 2007. Three days of intense debate and training sessions at the Renmin University Beijing with the www.WageIndicator.cn team to prepare a smooth launch of the Chinese WageIndicator later in 2007.

Amsterdam, October 2007. WagIndicator Gazette 16 is sent to - by now- 90,000 subscribers. Read the WageIndicator Gazette 16.

Amsterdam, October 9, 2007. The Dutch WageIndicator data show a gender pay gap still over 18%: men earn on average 19,80 Euro gross per hour, women 16,17 Euro. Industry-specific measures show good perspectives of reducing this gap. This is a major outcome of the research project 'Close the gender pay gap!', undertaken by STZ consultancy & research and UvA/AIAS on behalf of the FNV confederation and its two largest unions, FNV Bondgenoten and Abvakabo FNV. The report recommends better training for women to hold management positions and wider entry to such positions; more career opportunities for women in large part-time jobs; supporting women not to withdraw from the labour market, and lowering the age for the adult minimum wage. Read the 'Close the gender pay gap' report.

Mexico City, October 8-10, 2007. The Brazilian, Mexican and Argentine WageIndicator teams meet in Mexico City to discuss future cooperation with Paulien Osse, director of the Foundation.

Cambridge, October 5-8, 2007. Paulien Osse, director of WageIndicator Foundation debates the future of the US-operation and extension to China with prof. Richard Freeman and his team at the Harvard Law School Worklife Program. Download presentation WageIndicator debate.

Amsterdam, September 5, 2007. The Dutch WageIndicator data have been used to shed light on labour market scarcity of young beta's and its impact on wage setting in this occupational group. Compared to young non-beta's, they find their wages of less importance for their satisfaction. The analysis shows that beta's under 28 on average earn one Euro less (gross hourly wages). Yet they are as satisfied with their wages as young non-beta's. The study was conducted by SEO, the institute for economic research associated with the University of Amsterdam. Download report: 'De arbeidsmarkt van hoger opgeleide bèta's'

Moscow, September 1, 2007. In close cooperation with www.rb.ru the Russian WageIndicator - www.Mojazarplata.ru - is launched and meets with immediate high response.

Amsterdam, August 27, 2007. Since this date the new location and addres are: Stichting Loonwijzer/WageIndicator Foundation, Plantage Muidergracht 12 (instead of number 4), 1018 TV Amsterdam, Netherlands. Just one block away from the old premises. All other contact details remain the same.

Singapore, June 6-7, 2007. WageIndicator gives presentations at the UNI web masters forum in Singapore.

Capetown, August 2007. Several meetings are held with South African WageIndicator about future cooperation. In the slipstream a contract is signed between WageIndicator Foundation and media partner ILO.co.za in South Africa.

Amsterdam, July 6, 2007. SEO, the institute for economic research associated with the University of Amsterdam, publishes its findings on international wage differentials of scientific staff. Report by Ernest Berkhout, Maarten Biermans, Wiemer Salverda en Kea Tijdens. Download report: 'Internationale beloningsverschillen van wetenschappelijk personeel'.

Amsterdam, June 2007. WageIndicator Gazette 15 is sent to 70,000 subscribers. It is a special, dedicated to three years research results of the WOLIWEB-project. Read the WageIndicator Gazette 15.

Amsterdam, April 2007. WageIndicator Gazette 14 is sent to subscribers. Read the WageIndicator Gazette 14.

conference takes place. 30 European trade unionists discuss the results of 20 reports covering nine countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Finland, UK, Hungary, The Netherlands and Poland.

Paris, April 25, 2007. Victor Beker, Paulien Osse, Wiemer Salverda and Kea Tijdens, representing the WageIndicator Foundation, give a presentation called "The WageIndicator web survey for worldwide social science research on wages" for two departments of the OECD.

Geneva, March 29, 2007. Paulien Osse and Kea Tijdens, representing the WageIndicator Foundation, give a presentation called "The WageIndicator web survey for worldwide social science research on wages" to the staff of the ILO.

Amsterdam, February 2007. WageIndicator Gazette 13 is sent to subscribers. Read the WageIndicator 13.

Amsterdam, February 23, 2007. Dutch WageIndicator data have been used to analyse the characteristics of temporary agency workers. Temp agency work is often associated with weak positions in the labour market. Yet the study shows that temp agency workers do not significantly differ from other worksers as to years of education, but they more often have general instead of vocational education. Temp agency workers are typically young, younger than the workforce of any other large branch of industry. Also migrant workers are more often employed through temp agencies. Authors: Kea Tijdens, Maarten van Klaveren, Hester Houwing, Marc van der Meer and Marieke Essen, University of Amsterdam/AIAS. Download report: 'Temporary agency work in the Netherlands'.

San Francisco, February 2, 2007. The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) organizes jointly with the European Commision a workshop dedicated to Cyber-enabled Social Science Research: New Cross-national Opportunities Promoting Sustainable Well-Being. Kea Tijdens, WageIndicator's research coordinator, presents the WageIndicator web survey.