Tej Gonza’s Post

Another WAPES Managing Board meeting has been held once again. It is a powerful feeling and an honour from the point of view of Eesti Töötukassa to be part of such a network and organisation. The two days in Paris were filled with substantive overviews of recent activities, sometimes heated discussions and disputes on next steps and possible reorganisations. All with a view to taking forward the development of the labour market field worldwide with good ideas together uniting different continents. What better place to do this than in a global network of public employment services. #WAPES #globalcooperation #PublicEmploymentServices

A recent #survey in Lithuania revealed that competitive salaries are no longer the main priority for employees when changing jobs or choosing a new employer. While earning potential and competitive pay remain very important factors, an overwhelming majority of respondents emphasized the importance of respectful treatment by employers, work-life balance, and social guarantees. According to Raimonda Jurgelaityte, The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a fundamental shift, with employers offering much more flexibility to balance work and personal commitments after building greater mutual trust.  "When it comes to skilled roles, employers tend to trust employees and primarily focus on the value they create. This significantly contributes to employees feeling happier," remarked the recruitment expert.   Our client, Adform, HR Director Dalia Buinickaitė-Struckienė, discussed the growing importance of respect in organizations. She stated that Adform invests substantially in training managers to recognize difficult circumstances and "grow" individuals across differences, including cultural diversity.   For further information, see the article: 

💹 As economic pressures rise, the outlook on wage growth is increasingly cautious in Hungary. 💸 Despite government intentions to increase the minimum wage by 12% next year, recent GDP data reveals a challenging reality for both employers and the labor market. 1️⃣ Current Economic Situation Hungary's GDP fell by 0.7% in Q3, marking a technical recession after two consecutive quarters of decline. This unexpected contraction places significant pressure on companies' financial resilience. 2️⃣ Opportunity Constraints With the economy under strain, the Hungarian Employers’ and Industrialists’ Federation (MGYOSZ) has indicated that a wage increase exceeding 10% is currently unfeasible for most companies, suggesting instead an approximate 6% wage adjustment as more viable. 3️⃣ Future Outlook While labor organizations endorse the 12% target, the economic outlook suggests that modest wage growth may better align with realistic corporate capacity, emphasizing cautious optimism and fiscal responsibility. ♻ Sustained economic recovery remains crucial for achieving ambitious wage growth, as balanced economic and workforce support will drive a more resilient future. #EconomicOutlook #WageGrowth #GDP #MinimumWage #LaborMarket #BusinessResilience #FutureOfWork #HungaryEconomy #CorporateResponsibility #SustainableGrowth Source: https://lnkd.in/dCxYnUzN

It's often said that LinkedIn and politics don't mix ... but this happens to be an important issue that needs consideration by all of us, so please bear with me. I'm Pākehā - my people came from Ireland and England and Scotland, from the 1840s onwards. And what has given them and me the ability to build our lives in Aotearoa New Zealand is Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the foundational agreement between Māori and the Crown. Now, our Pākehā history with Te Tiriti is mixed, to say the least. But over the decades, one of the things that has encouraged me about our country is the slow progress towards recognising and honouring that contract between two peoples. And there has been a growing cross-party political consensus about the need to move forward together: Treaty settlements have progressed under both National and Labour, and there have been long-lasting initiatives that have survived changes of Minister and changes of government, to good effect. But the rhetoric changed at the last election, and there now seems to be a small but vocal faction that wants us to return to the middle of last century, when the Treaty and all it implies could be ignored in both word and deed. I am opposed to this. Our future as a nation lies in embracing the Treaty, not in denying it. So on Thursday, I am going to go and be a full and proper Treaty partner to tangata whenua, and stand my ground with Māori at the nationwide Toitū Te Tiriti hikoi. Our Treaty partner is rightly concerned about how Māori are being marginalised by the policies and actions of the coalition government, so it is fair and right that they call on the support of tangata tiriti to stand alongside. I respect that others may have different views - but this is mine: we are in this together, and I will take my place at the hikoi. I encourage all my Pākehā allies to do the same. https://lnkd.in/gBVtYwSQ

Some trends are better left unfollowed. The practice of national competition authorities in the European Union shows that a new type of agreements are increasingly being penalised - those are non-solicitation agreements of employees or agreements where several companies jointly decide on the working / wage conditions of employees. Let´s acknowledge two sides of this. On one hand no-one wants to be holding this hot-potato when Estonian Competition Authority hops on board on this trend. On the other hand, these types of agreements are sometimes necessary and can be fair-and-square.

I don't think journalists should be forced to be objective, but if they take a point of view in their stories, they should be able to back it up. I don't think this report in the Stornaway Gazette does the job. It's about an #FOI request to Caledonian MacBrayne, the state-owned ferry operator in Scotland, asking which ports the company's non-executive directors had visited and when. I don't claim to be an expert, but even if you're only looking at it via the lens of Scottish FOI requests, CalMac is plainly not the most popular institution north of the border. CalMac's response is that the information is not held centrally and to find it would exceed the cost limit. It's possible that this is not true for two different reasons - there is a central register which is being kept secret or that finding the information wouldn't really take that long. But the story offers no evidence of either. Nevertheless, the headline reads "FoI refusal over board engagement is “dishonest”, though as far as I can see, the "dishonest" quote isn't attributed in the story. The author is vexed by the fact that directors of CalMac are not islanders, and says that the movements of Erik Østergaard, the company's Danish chair would be better understood "if the FoI request had been answered honestly". I'm not here to defend CalMac particularly; estimates when doing cost refusals can be overly generous and I think it's often reasonable to test whether they've been done correctly. But the premise of this story is that CalMac are lying; without any evidence, it seems a bit shabby. https://lnkd.in/ezH_K5gF

After a big week of disappointing news, this one really topped it off. Modern slavery legislation is officially "Not a priority" for Brooke van Velden and this government. To say this is just so disheartening to hear is a massive understatement. Kudos to the years of work from Rebekah A., Gary Shaw and Rob Fyfe for working so hard for so long to advocate for this legislation. Not only is this madness to deliberately keep New Zealand businesses - businesses who want and are asking for this legislation - out of step with the rest of the world, it goes without saying it keeps our most vulnerable people in unthinkable hardship, willfully. As Gary says himself: “Modern slavery is a fundamental challenge to our definition of success, and if our trade, prosperity and growth is built on the backs of people in slavery, what kind of success are we celebrating in New Zealand?” There is no counter-factual to the elimination of slavery; anywhere, at any time. No-one on earth should be "pro-slavery". Knowing this, having the modern slavery legislation ready to go under the last government, and now calling this "not a priority" is shameful at best. If it is true that the standard you walk past is the standard you set, then we have set the bar far too low to protect our NZ businesses from being woefully out of step with the rest of the world, and the most exposed and undermined people in those supply chains from being seen. https://lnkd.in/gN5HpE2s

FSE Lifestyle’s CFO Samuel Chan interviewed by RTHK “Bucket of Gold”   FSE Lifestyle Services Limited’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Company Secretary, Mr. Samuel Chan, attended the “Bucket of Gold” podcast hosted by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), sharing his insights on the business opportunities brought by the Chief Executive’s latest Policy Address.   Samuel analyzed that withdrawing the three stamp duties on residential property transactions may effectively enhance market liquidity. It may also bring in business opportunities to FSE Lifestyle when the property developers enhance their interests in investing in land whereas the government may then have reserves to develop different infrastructural projects. When discussing the development projects in the Northern Metropolis, Samuel believed that this would initiate many business development opportunities for various sectors; for instance, 豐盛機電工程集團有限公司, a business unit of FSE Lifestyle, has a number of service contracts at hand in the Kwu Tung area.   As a service conglomerate, Samuel stressed on 3 key factors in serving the community: Safety, Talent Development and Stakeholder Engagement.   Under the strategic directive of FSE Lifestyle, which dedicates to providing the best service to its clients, the company’s core earnings grew by 13% despite a reduction in government subsidies and the additional incomes from epidemic-related projects.   Looking ahead, FSE Lifestyle will keep exploring new business opportunities to maintain its leading position in the market.   Check out the full interview to learn more about FSE Lifestyle’s latest financial movements and future plans. https://lnkd.in/gUyPtxcV   #FSELifestyle #RTHK #Interview #Listed #Company #Business #Development #Corporate #PolicyAddress

The Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly (VSCA) on Municipal Amalgamation held its first meeting on Sept 21. Visit victoriasaanich.ca to read a summary of the meeting and view the presentations and other materials provided to the Assembly. There are 3 ways for residents to get involved in the Citizens’ Assembly: ➡️ Make a Public Submission to the Assembly: provide your perspective on the question of amalgamation or raise an issue you would like the Assembly to consider. ➡️ Register for one of the Public Meetings (Nov 20 and 21): learn more about the Assembly’s process and the work of local government, provide your perspective on the issues and learn what your fellow residents think. ➡️ Sign up for Assembly Updates: receive copies of the presentations, reports, meeting summaries and other resources, so you can follow the Assembly’s work. Learn more at victoriasaanich.ca. #CitizensAssembly #Victoria #Saanich #VSCA

The Victoria-Saanich Citizens’ Assembly (VSCA) on Municipal Amalgamation held its first meeting on Sept 21. Visit victoriasaanich.ca to read a summary of the meeting and view the presentations and other materials provided to the Assembly. There are 3 ways for residents to get involved in the Citizens’ Assembly: ➡️ Make a Public Submission to the Assembly: provide your perspective on the question of amalgamation or raise an issue you would like the Assembly to consider. ➡️ Register for one of the Public Meetings (Nov 20 and 21): learn more about the Assembly’s process and the work of local government, provide your perspective on the issues and learn what your fellow residents think. ➡️ Sign up for Assembly Updates: receive copies of the presentations, reports, meeting summaries and other resources, so you can follow the Assembly’s work. Learn more at victoriasaanich.ca. #citizensassembly #victoria #saanich #VSCA