Germany - Union takes its pay campaign to SDP meeting
Verdi, along with other public sector unions, organised a demonstration outside the Social Democratic Party (SDP) congress on 21 June. The SDP controls the Berlin regional parliament and the unions were asking delegates to support their pay campaign. Berlin is outside the main public sector collective agreements and is now nearly 18 months since the last agreement expired.
Read more at > verdi (DE)
Spain - Union federations mobilise over decent pay and purchasing power
The three main public sector federations, FSAP-CCOO, FSP-UGT and CSI-CSIF, have begun a series of demonstrations in support of their demands for decent pay and a pay rise in 2009 that will protect workers’ purchasing power. The federations began their action on 18 June and planned a follow-up national demonstration on 26 June. They are calling for immediate negotiations with the government over the general public administration agreement and apart from pay they also want to discuss partial retirement and the government’s policy on outsourcing.
Read more at > FSAP-CCOO (ES)
And at > FSP-UGT (ES)
Czech Republic - Unions organise one-hour national warning strike
Private and public sector unions are supporting a one-hour national work stoppage on 24 June in protest at government policies on public finance, pensions and public sector pay. The demonstration will also highlight cuts in education and the threat posed to the healthcare system from under-funding and privatisation.
Read more at > CMKOS (EN)
And at > Prague Monitor (EN)
Europe - Court again asserts competition rules over labour market protection
In a new judgement the European Court has ruled in favour of European Commission challenges to the way that Luxembourg has implemented the Posted Workers Directive. The ETUC points out that the judgement follows on from the Laval and Rüffert cases in its interpretation of the way the Directive should only provide minimum protection for foreign workers. The ETUC says this marks another attack on the rights of trade unions and workers to use legislation and collective agreements to protect the employees of foreign service providers.
Read more at > ETUC (EN)
And in French > ETUC
The German DGB federation has also criticised the judgement and called on Chancellor Merkel to get European Union leaders to commit to reasserting a social agenda in response to this challenge to fundamental rights.
Read more at > DGB
The ETUI-REHS trade union research department has set up a new web page which provides briefings on the Viking, Laval and Rüffert cases.
Read more at > ETUI-REHS (EN)
Ireland - Union agrees to talks with Health Services Executive
The IMPACT public sector trade union has agreed to high-level talks with the Health Services Executive (HSE) with the aim of ending the three-week old dispute over a recruitment freeze. However, the union has made it clear that it will continue its industrial action that includes a work-to-rule and overtime ban, until the HSE has made concrete steps to end the freeze. The union also wants the Executive to re-affirms its commitment to 40 other existing agreements working conditions.
Read more at > IMPACT (EN)
Belgium - Unions mobilise over purchasing power
The three main trade union confederations, including their public sector affiliates, have been organising demonstrations across the country in protest at the erosion of purchasing power from the failure of pay indexation to keep up with rising prices and in some sectors - particularly local and regional government - the failure to implement regular indexation of salaries. Trade unions in Flanders have planned a demonstration for 24 June in Antwerp over the employers’ failure to discuss seriously the problem of purchasing power, particularly in the light of higher increases for top civil servants.
Read more at > Flanders News (EN)
And at > FGTB (FR)
And at > ABVV (NL)
Also at > CSC (FR)
And at > ACV (NL)
France - Five federations mobilise over pay in private health sector
The FO, CGT, CFDT, CFTC and CFE-CGC union federations have called on their members in the private health sector to mobilise to demand a higher pay offer. The Federation of Private Hospitals has offered pay increases in 2008 based on those for the public sector - 0.3% from 1 March and 0.5% from 1 October. It has also agreed a further 1% increase from 1 July. The unions have rejected this as inadequate bearing in mind the loss of purchasing power of health workers over the past 10 years and the levels of profits of the private hospitals. A series of strikes and demonstrations took place around the country on 18 June.
Read more at > FO (FR)
Europe - Third regional collective bargaining conference
EPSU affiliates from 11 countries have been invited to send delegates to the third and final regional conference on social dialogue and collective bargaining. The conference will take place in Verona in Italy on 9-10 September and will discuss the ETUC’s pay campaign and issues around public sector pay, the impact of recent European Court cases on collective bargaining across Europe, how to improve the sectoral social dialogue and the future of European industrial relations in the public services. The countries involved in this meeting are: Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, FYR Macedonia, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. EPSU affiliates from other countries were invited to the earlier meetings in London (3-4 March) and Berlin (13-14 May).
Read more at > EPSU (EN, ES, IT)
UK - Most unions back health pay deal
The majority of trade unions have now backed the three-year pay deal in the health service but are stressing that they will use the re-opener clause to negotiate higher pay in years two and three if inflation continues to rise. The pay rise in 2008 is 2.75% with 2.54% in 2009, this will establish a new minimum wage of £6.77 an hour for all NHS staff, 18% above the statutory minimum wage. Those on the lowest point will receive an increase of 5.7%. In the third year the proposed deal gives 2.5%. It includes a flat rate increase of £420 (worth 3.17% at the lowest point) for the bottom three grades. However, members of Unite - the third largest union in the NHS - have voted overwhelmingly to reject the deal and will be balloted on industrial action. Unite represents a range of health service professionals such as health visitors and pharmacists. Its ancillary and ambulance staff members also voted against the deal.
Read more at > UNISON (EN)
And at > UNITE (EN)
Switzerland - Health workers’ pay under threat
The VPOD/SSP public service trade union, with support from the SGB/USS trade union confederation, has attacked demands from the health insurance industry to cut hospital costs and by implication wage bills. The industry wants hospital costs across the country reduced to the lowest that currently apply in any hospital. The unions point out that with employment costs making up 70% of total costs this means an attack on pay and conditions. The unions have warned that such reductions, apart from being unfair to workers, would undermine service quality and lead to hospitals taking on less qualified staff to keep their wage bills down.
Read more at > VPOD (DE)
Europe - Annual collective bargaining conference - 9-10 December
EPSU’s main collective bargaining conference will take place on 9-10 December in Brussels. Further details will be circulated shortly and will be available on the EPSU website. The main themes will include equal pay and low pay, and European Court judgements and collective bargaining. There will also be the usual round up of social dialogue and collective bargaining developments both at cross-sectoral and sectoral level.
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