004 epsucob@NEWS March 2008

Germany - Public sector negotiations break down

The fifth round of negotiations between unions and employers in the federal and local government sectors broke down as the employers sought to link a deal on pay with an increase in working time. Ver.di was very pleased at the level of support for a second round of warning strikes from 4-6 March that included airports. The failure of the latest round of negotiations has led to the dispute now being referred to an arbitration committee that will report before the next round of bargaining gets underway on 29 March. Read more at > ver.di (DE) And see and listen to more at > Streik TV

France - Government fails to meet key trade union demands

The government has made some concessions towards public sector unions but not enough to get some of the main unions to sign an agreement that would end their campaign over pay. The government has moved on the need for annual negotiations and for a review of the public sector pay scale. However, the unions are unhappy about the failure to address the loss of purchasing power for public sector workers over recent years and the government’s response is to offer a pay increase in 2008 worth around 0.5% when inflation is forecast to reach 1.6%. The actual increases will be 0.5% in March and 0.3% in October which the government is trying to present as 0.8% for the year as a whole. The government is talking about providing an individual guarantee of inflation protection rather than one achieved through a general pay increase for all workers. Read more at > CGT (FR) And at > FO (FR) And at > CFDT FR)

Portugal - National strike and demonstration on 14 March

The FNSFP public sector trade union federation has called a national strike and demonstration on 14 March as part of its long running campaign against government reforms of pay, employment rights and pensions in the public sector. The Federation is opposed to the government plans to overhaul the public sector salary and career structure, introduced individual contracts, reduce pensions and increase the retirement age. Read more at > FNSFP (PT)

UK - First ever coastguard strike

The PCS public services union organised the first ever national strike in the coastguard service on 6 March. The dispute is over pay and the union argues that workers in coast guard control centres are paid well below comparable jobs in other emergency services and little more than the minimum wage. The union is also continuing its dispute over pay in the Department for Work and Pensions. PCS has rejected the Department’s pay offer for 2008 that would leave up to 40% of staff with no increase at all this year. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Spain - Justice ministry strike continues

The four trade unions involved in the Ministry of Justice dispute - CCOO, UGT, CSI-CSIF and STAJ - have decided to continue their strike as the government has failed to make an adequate response to their demands. The main issue at stake is the significant pay disparity between workers directly employed by the Ministry and those who have been transferred to the regions. Unions estimate that over 60,000 legal cases have been postponed as a result of the all-out strike that began on 4 February. Read more at > FSAP-CCOO (ES) And at > FSP-UGT (ES)

Europe - ETUC outlines response needed to Viking and Laval cases

The ETUC has responded to the recent European Court of Justice cases - Laval and Viking - that pose a threat to collective agreements across Europe. The ETUC has suggested three initiatives to support workers rights: a “Social Progress Clause” to be issued in anticipation of the EU Reform Treaty that would establish the rights of workers and their representatives to take collective action to improve their working and living conditions above minimum standards; strengthening of the Posted Workers Directive; and speedy implementation of the Temporary Agency Workers Directive which has been blocked in the Council of Ministers. Read more at > ETUC (EN) And in French at > ETUC

Denmark - State workers get 12.8% over three years

The three-yearly negotiations over collective agreements in the state sector were concluded at the end of February with a 12.8% increase over the next three years. The actual increases may vary as pay rises in the state sector are linked with pay increases in the private sector. The agreement also includes an extra paid day off to look after sick children. A more detailed report on the new agreement will be circulated to EPSU collective bargaining contacts shortly. Read more at > LO (EN)

Europe - First regional meeting on social dialogue and collective bargaining

Forty delegates from nine countries met in London on 3-4 March in the first of three regional EPSU meetings to discuss social dialogue and collective bargaining. The initiative is part of a European Commission funded project set up to provide affiliates a new way of debating the issues, to get greater participation in debates and consider some more strategic issues in the run up to the EPSU Congress in 2009. The participants had a chance to exchange ideas and experiences on how to make the European social dialogue more effective. One key proposal was to allow more time in EPSU meetings, including the standing committees, to discuss how social dialogue agreements are implemented at national level. Part of the discussion on collective bargaining focused on the key debates at this year’s collective bargaining conference. Participants agreed that a session on the implications of the Viking and Laval European Court cases would be invaluable and it was suggested that a number of simultaneous workshops could be organised to give participants more choice in the issues that they could discuss at conference. The next regional meeting will take place in Berlin on 13-14 May and participants have been invited from Germany, Austria, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Poland. Read more at > EPSU (in seven languages)

Austria - Unions take to streets over deregulation of social care

Unions are concerned that planned legislation on 24-hour care will lead to unqualified and underpaid workers looking after the sick and elderly. The unions argue that mistakes are inevitable if untrained workers are entrusted with medical care and that in the worst case these mistakes could be fatal. The unions have organised a march to and demonstration outside the health ministry building in Vienna no 11 March. Read more at > GDG (DE) And at > GPA-DJP (DE)

Latvia - Public sector earnings outstrip increases in private sector

Latest figures from the Central Statistics Bureau reveal that average earnings in the public sector in Latvia rose by 35.8% in 2007 compared to a 30.4% in the private sector. Overall average earnings rose by 31.5%, well ahead of the increases in average earnings in Lithuania (20.9%) and Estonia (20.1%). Read more at > Latvia Statistics (EN)

UK - UNISON wins equal pay case and continues campaign

Public services union UNISON has won up to £35,000 (€46,000) for 300 women working for Kirklees Council. The union proved that the women, working in home care and catering, had lost out in terms of bonuses when compared to male workers in similar jobs in areas like parks maintenance. UNISON is maintaining a combined strategy of using collective bargaining and legal cases to secure equal pay for women across the public services. The union has just submitted its 40,000th equal pay claim. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Europe - Commission consults over European Works Council Directive

On 20 February the European Commission finally initiated the long-awaited consultation over possible revisions to the European Works Council Directive. The social partners have until 3 April to respond to a number of specific issues set out in the Commission’s consultation document. They are being asked to comment on information and consultation rights - the process of consultation and the need for a clear response from management, the timing of the process and the subjects that should be covered. The consultation document also asks about specifying a role for the trade unions and the legal rights of EWC reps. Read more at > DG Employment and Social Affairs

Europe - ETUC highlights campaign against gender pay gap

To coincide with International Women’s Day, the ETUC has published a survey that shows that women make up an increasing proportion of trade union membership but have yet to secure a proportionate share of leadership positions. The ETUC is also stressing the pay equality element of its new pay campaign. The first main event in the campaign is the demonstration in Ljubljana on 5 April. Read more at > ETUC (EN) And in French at > ETUC

Greece - Pension reform plans meet resistance

Unions are taking strike action in protest at government plans for pension reform. The GENOP electricity sector union is the latest to join the action forcing the PPC power company to import electricity from abroad. The key reforms will mean a higher retirement age and incentives for workers to remain at work longer. Pension arrangements at the PPC are affected but the main public sector schemes are not covered by the current proposals. Read more at > Reuters (EN) And at > The Guardian (EN)