EpsuCOB@ News March 2004

Welcome to the first edition of a new-look newsletter from EPSU. We aim to keep our collective bargaining contacts informed about the latest developments in the public services across Europe.

We will try to keep up-to-date with pay negotiations, pay deals, strikes and reports and research that we think will be of interest to those involved in collective bargaining.

We want to hear from you. Let us know your news. Let us know what you would like to see in the newsletter.

Italy - health workers strike over pay freezes
France - professional firefighters strike over retirement age
Belgium - 15,000 join demonstration over new agreement in non-profit sector
UK - strike action across public services
Slovakia - new public services agreement signed
Slovakia - increasing pay inequality
Ireland - pay increase for public service workers
England, Wales and Northern Ireland - local government workers aim for 4%
Co-ordinated collective bargaining - Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - the Doorn Group

Germany - union confederation calls on government to implement fair wages clauses
Germany - pay deals in 2003
Germany - ...and one of first major settlements in 2004
Germany - ...and in the energy sector

Italy - health workers strike over pay freezes

Over 150,000 healthworkers took a day’s strike action on Monday 9 February in protest at budget cuts and pay freezes. The action involved doctors, surgeons, vets, administrative staff, chemists and biologists. Emergency services were maintained. This was the first ever co-ordinated action by the 42 unions organising health staff. Further action may follow in March if the government doesn’t make any concessions.

France - professional firefighters strike over retirement age

French firefighters took strike action on Thursday 25 February. They took action in protest over a number of issues including a demand to be able to retire from 50, as is currently possible in the police force. Firefighters also want special payments in official recognition of of their work as a difficult and dangerous occupation. The action was backed by four of the unions representing the 33,500 professional firefighters - CGT, FO, SNSPP/CFTC and FASPP.

Belgium - 15,000 join demonstration over new agreement in non-profit sector

A coalition of unions (CNE-SETCa/BBTK-CGSLB/ACLVB/LBC-NVK/CCSP-CSOD) representing workers in the non-profit sector organised a major demonstration in Brussels on Monday 16 February. Staff from hospitals, nursing homes and home care workers joined the march in support of demands for pay rises to catch up with other sectors, higher rates for irregular hours and for the introduction of a 13th month salary. Other demands cover pensions, moving to a 36-hour week and getting commitments to keep out private sector operators.

UK - strike action across public services

Following two days of strike action in four government departments last month, more civil servants took industrial action this month. Around 85,000 workers in the Department for Work and Pensions were on strike on 16 and 17 February over their annual pay claim. They were joined by workers in the Driving Standards Agency (DSA). The DSA employees are angry over pay differences which mean that some DSA workers are paid 6,000 euros a year less than workers in the Ministry of Transport doing the same job. Workers at three of the UK’s leading museums also took industrial action on 16 February in protest at a three-month delay in implementing their pay deal.

Slovakia - new public services agreement signed

The European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) reports that some public service workers in Slovakia will see pay rates increase by 7% in August 2004 as a result of a new agreement signed last October. Teachers, other workers in education, cultural workers and nature protection workers are among those who will benefit from the 7% rise. Municipal employers did not sign the agreement while other public service workers like scientific research staff and healthworkers are covered by different pay scales.

Slovakia - increasing pay inequality

EIRO also reports that the gender pay gap in Slovakia is increasing. The most recent figures (2002) show women’s gross monthly earnings as 71.7% of men’s compared to 74.5% in 1996. Slovakian unions are addressing the issue. KOZSR, the Slovakian trade union confederation set up an equal opportunities commission in the first half of last year and met with employers’ representatives and the National Labour Inspectorate in October to discuss what trade unions could do to tackle the problem.

Ireland - pay increase for public service workers

Irish trade union Impact reports that public sector workers will get a 3% pay increase backdated to 1 January 2004 plus half their pay benchmarking awards. This will be the first increase since October 2002 and is part of the Sustaining Progress national agreement. Most public sector jobs are benchmarked against jobs in the private sector and pay increases are awarded once it has been confirmed that groups of workers have co-operated with modernization programmes within the public sector. The final 25% of the benchmarking awards will be due in July 2005.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland - local government workers aim for 4%

Unions representing council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are looking for a 4% pay increase this year plus 300 euros. They also want to see the lowest points of the pay scale abolished to establish a minimum pay rate of nine euros an hour. Other demands include: completion of equal pay audits and pay and grading reviews in every council within two years; an increase to the basic annual leave entitlement to 25 days per year; and an increase in paid maternity leave to eight weeks full pay and 14 weeks half pay, and a reduction in the qualifying period from 52 weeks to 26 weeks.

Co-ordinated collective bargaining - Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - the Doorn Group

Between 1999 and 2003 wage settlements remained below the “inflation-plus-productivity” target for Doorn group countries with the exception of Luxembourg.

This is one of the main findings of an European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) summary report of last December’s meeting of the technical working party of the Doorn group of trade unions. This looks at key developments in collective bargaining in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands along with France.

Some of the main points include:

bargaining in Netherlands focuses less on contractual wage after pay freeze agreement but deals on bonuses, pensions and complementary social security mean unions can still get effective increase of 2.5%-4% overall;
wages in Belgium set to rise by 2.4% in 2004, pre-set levels of indexation in some sectors will mean workers may lose full protection gainst price inflation
report suggests German unions are on defensive, trying to defend sectoral collective bargaining against radical reform;
in France increasingly important minimum wage (SMIC) limited to annual revisions in line with inflation; government has announced pay freeze for public servants, abolition of a public holiday and new legislation to allow enterprise-level agreements to deviate from sectoral agreements.

Germany - union confederation calls on government to implement fair wages clauses

The DGB trade union confederation has called on the federal government to fulfill its commitment to legislation requiring public authorities to award public works and transport contracts only to employers who comply with the pay agreements covering these sectors. They argue that the legislation is needed to prevent further worsening of working conditions and to try to tackle illegal employment, the black economy and wage dumping, particularly in view of the impact of imminent EU enlargement. The DGB has called on opposition parties in the Senate to back legislation in the face of resistance from the CDU/CSU conservative majority.

Germany - pay deals in 2003

The WSI research institute reported on pay developments in Germany earlier this month, noting an overall average increase of 2% for the year. This rises to 2.4% when earlier settlements with 2003 increases are included. This means that there was a small increase in real pay with inflation at 1.1% and overall the 2% increase matched inflation plus national productivity (1.1%+0.9%).

...and one of first major settlements in 2004

Earlier this month engineering union IG Metall agreed a two-year pay deal covering around 840,000 workers in the Baden-Wurttemburg region. This major agreement is likely to set the pace for pay negotiations across Germany for the rest of the year. The previous agreement expired at the end of 2003 but there was no increase for the first two months of this year. Pay rates will increase by 1.5% from 1 March 2004 and then by 2% from 1 March 2005. The agreement runs to the end of February 2006. The agreement includes an extra 0.7% a year allocated to pay restructuring with a view to harmonising pay between blue and white-collar workers.

...and in the energy sector

Pay deals were agreed at the Thuega and Vattenfall Europe energy companies at the beginning of February. Pay rates and training allowances at Thuega were increased by 2% (backdated to 1 January 2004) while employees also received a 50 euro lump sum. At Vattenfall Europe rates were increased by 3% from 1 January 2004. There will be a further rise of 2.4% from 1 November 2004 and then 2% from 1 July 2005. Employees will get a lump sum of 400 euros in their March pay packet. The company has also agreed to discuss the introduction of a 14-month salary (to be paid in April) worth 10% of an individual’s pay.