EPSUcob@NEWS September 2004

EPSU - pay and conditions survey
EPSU - collective bargaining conference 20-21 October
SWITZERLAND - Public service unions plan day of action
UK - local government pay deal
FRANCE - EDF/GDF pay increase
FRANCE - EDF/GDF agreement on sex equality
SPAIN - Public sector pay
ROMANIA - Dispute over civil service pay
GERMANY - Strike action at university clinics
UK - Equal pay victory in prison service
SWEDEN - Pay deal in private health
ITALY - private health strike
FRANCE - Decentralisation and job cuts in public service
UK - civil service pay dispute rumbles on
GREECE - Olympic unrest among public service workers
UK - Northern Ireland pay dispute: consultation on “final offer”
WORKING HOURS - debate intensifies and spreads across Europe
ITALY - Unions concerned over government inflation estimates and spending cuts
SOCIAL DIALOGUE - EPSU backs stress agreement

EPSU - pay and conditions survey - STILL TIME TO REPLY

There has been a fairly good response to the EPSU surveys on pay and conditions in the public services. We have received 45 responses from 16 countries. However, there are still some significant gaps with no replies from one or two major countries.

We have sent out two questionnaires - a very short, basic questionnaire aimed at the national administration and health sectors; and a more detailed questionnaire covering pay and conditions in local government and the utilities.

There is still time to send in your responses. If you want to check if your union has replied or would like copies of the questionnaries please contact rpond@epsu.org

EPSU - collective bargaining conference 20-21 October

Social dialogue, co-ordinating collective bargaining, low pay, performance pay and outsourcing will all be up for discussion at this year’s EPSU conference on collective bargaining. Details have already been sent to all epsucob@ correspondents and all affiliated organisations. If you have not seen these please contact rpond@epsu.org

SWITZERLAND - Public service unions plan day of action

EPSU affiliate VPOD and other public service unions in Switzerland are planning a nationwide day of action next month over government plans for spending cuts which would hit a wide range of public services and threaten public sector jobs. The action is planned for 23 September and EPSU has sent a solidarity message (see website).

UK - local government pay deal

Local government unions have accepted a new three-year pay deal. Back-dated to 1 April 2004 the agreement will mean pay increases of 2.75% this year, 2.95% in 2005 and 2.95% in 2006. The third year increase could be higher if inflation is above 2.95%. Employers rejected union proposals for higher increases for the lower paid.

FRANCE - EDF/GDF pay increase

Management at the French energy company implemented a 0.5% pay increase on 1 August following the 2.5% increase that came into effect on 1 May this year. Unions are looking for a minimum rise of 6% for the two years 2004 and 2005.

FRANCE - EDF/GDF agreement on sex equality

Management and unions at EDF/GDF signed a new agreement on sex equality in July which involves further measures to reduce the gender pay gap, proposals to ensure that the gender balance in recruitment reflects the gender balance at each level of qualification, encouragement of further training for women and the provision of more information about the importance of gender equality for individual and company performance.

SPAIN - Public sector pay

At a meeting with trade unions in July the government proposed an increase of 2% in public sector salaries for 2005. Unions rejected the offer and called on the government to open up a proper process of negotiations in September and in particular to address its electoral commitment to compensate public service workers for loss of purchasing power over recent years.

ROMANIA - Dispute over civil service pay

The industrial relations observatory EIRO reports that civil service unions in Romania have rejected government proposals for a new pay system. Civil service pay is well below the national average and while the government proposals would have meant increased pay the unions objected to the introduction of a wide range of discretionary elements and called for a more predictable wage system.

GERMANY - Strikes and protests in clinics and councils

Public services union ver.di has been organising demonstrations and strike action in university clinics and local and regional authorities in protest at employers’ plans to withdraw from or undermine existing collective agreements. Workers are looking at cuts in holiday and Christmas bonuses as well as an increase in the working week from 38.5 to 41 hours.

UK - Equal pay victory in prison service

The PCS public services union is celebrating an important equal pay victory. The union lodged the first of 1,957 equal pay claims in 1999 identifying pay gaps of up to 7,000 euros a year for women office and managerial staff in comparison with prisons officers and governors.

SWEDEN - Pay deal in private health

In June public sector union Kommunal negotiated a 3.5% pay increase for around 15,000 assistant nurses in private hospitals and nursing homes, according to European Industrial Relations Review magazine (August 2004). The agreement runs for 13 months from 1 June. The pay increase took effect on 1 August and workers get an 87-euro lump sum payment to cover June and July.

ITALY - private health strike

Unions organising the 100,000 workers in the Italian private health care sector are planning a day’s strike action on 24 September in support of negotiations over their collective agreement.

FRANCE - Decentralisation and job cuts in public service

As the French government announces public spending cutbacks and pushes through its plans for decentralisation, unions in the public services are facing up to potentially 10,000 job cuts and the transfer of 120,000 staff from the central adminitration to regional and departmental authorities. With a 0.5% pay increase for 2004 workers in the public services are also seeing their purchasing power eroded. Other planned changes include the much wider application of performance pay which currently only covers a relatively small groups of managerial staff.

UK - civil service pay dispute rumbles on

The PCS public service union has been continuing its campaign of strike action in the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), the largest civil service agency in the UK. The dispute is not just over the latest pay negotiations but also encompasses PCS’s opposition to management imposed changes to the DWP performance pay system.

GREECE - Olympic unrest among public service workers

Several groups of public service workers took action in the run up to the Olympic Games to try to ensure they were properly paid for the additional hours they were expected to work. Police, firefighters, health workers and local government employees were all among those staging protests.

The magazine European Industrial Relations Review reports that contract workers in the public sector also took action at the end of July in support of their demands for permanent contracts (EIRR August 2004).

UK - Northern Ireland pay dispute: consultation on “final offer”

NIPSA, the main civil service union in Northern Ireland, is recommending that its members reject the “final offer” from the employers to settle the dispute which began at the end of last year. The employers have failed to meet the union’s demands for cost-of-living increases from April 2003 and NIPSA now says that all-out industrial action may be needed to win the dispute.

Working hours - debate intensifies and spreads across Europe

With high-profile agreements in Germany and France, other employers across Europe are trying to push longer working hours up the agenda. Employer organisations in Austria and Belgium want a debate on the issue and in France the government has joined with the employers in calling into question the 35-hour week. German public services union ver.di continues to try to put forward alternative arguments in the face of pressure from regional authorities to increase working hours. The union highlights recent research by the US bank Citygroup showing that an increase in working time without compensatory pay increases will have a devastating effect on jobs. The German Economic Research Institute (DIW) also warns of the deflationary dangers of such a policy.

ITALY - Unions concerned over government inflation estimates and spending cuts

Althought the trade unions have welcomed the resumption of social dialogue over government spending plans they are concerned about the implications of proposals on inflation and public spending that could affect forthcoming pay negotiations in the public sector.

SOCIAL DIALOGUE - EPSU backs stress agreement

Following the rules for consultation on inter-sectoral agreements, EPSU has voted in favour of the ETUC-UNICE/CEEP agreement on stress. The quorum was reached and a qualified majority expressed itself favour.