epsucob@NEWS November 2004
Collective bargaining developments in the public services across Europe
Welcome to the latest issue of EPSU’s collective bargaining bulletin, epsucob@NEWS. This month we highlight our successful collective bargaining conference as well as a challenging month for several of our affiliates as they gear up for demonstrations and strikes in the UK, France, Portugal and Italy. The end of the year sees major negotiations over new three-year agreements in Denmark and Sweden as well as national pay talks in Finland. We will try to keep you up-to-date with the developments in these countries as well as others where public sector agreements are up for re-negotiation.
EPSU - Collective bargaining conference report
UK - national civil service strike against job cuts - 5 November
FRANCE - Public sector unions back action on 8 November
PORTUGAL - Public service day of action - 10 November
ITALY - Four-hour general strike over government’s 2005 budget
BELGIUM - Non-profit sector strike on 22 October
NETHERLANDS -Strikes against at government pension cuts
GERMANY - Latest on new public sector pay system
GERMANY - ver.di blocks longer hours in private waste sector
GERMANY/UK - UNISON and ver.di plan joint work
ESTONIA - Agreement in healthcare sector
HUNGARY - Strikes in health sector
FINLAND - National pay talks get underway
IRELAND - Union ballots members over impact of health reforms
SPAIN - Unions agree 3.5% increase for public sector
DENMARK - negotiations begin for new municipal agreement
GREECE - Unions set out labour market polices
LATVIA - Public sector pay
ROMANIA - Pay dispute in healthcare sector
ETUC/ETUI - Collective bargaining news
ETUCO/EPSU - Course on public service unions
EPSU - Collective bargaining conference report Last month over 65 delegates from 19 countries attended EPSU’s third collective bargaining conference. There were particularly wide-ranging discussions about low pay, equal pay and outsourcing. The intersectoral social dialogue and collective bargaining co-ordination were also key themes. A full report of the conference and reports and presentations are available on the EPSU website.
UK - national civil service strike against job cuts - 5 November
Friday 5 November sees a national civil service strike in the UK against government plans to cut over 70,000 jobs. The TUC union confederation is backing the action by the PCS union and has published a detailed report arguing against the job cuts, the threat to public services and why the cuts won’t deliver the savings claimed by the government.
FRANCE - Public sector unions back action on 8 November
Unions organising civil servants in France have planned a day of action, including strikes, on 8 November in protest at the government’s failure to undertake serious negotiations on pay. Unions are due to meet the public services minister Dutreuil that day but at the moment all he is promising to do is discuss proposals for future negotiations. Unions are looking for an 5% increase in pay rates just to compensate for the loss in purchasing power since 2000 and a minimum pay level of 1,400 euros a month.
Read more at > CGT
And at > FO
And at > CFDT
PORTUGAL - Public service day of action - 10 November Public service unions in the CGTP federation have backed a day of action on 10 November in protest against government policies towards the public sector. The unions are claiming fair pay, the right to collective bargaining and and end to government plans for privatisation.
ITALY - Four-hour general strike over government finances for 2005
The three main Italian union federations have agreed on a four-hour general strike for 30 November in protest at the government’s budget for 2005. They argue for the need to invest in public services and to maintain and increase domestic demand by boosting workers’ purchasing power.
Read more at > CGIL
BELGIUM - Non-profit sector strike on 22 October
Following three national demonstrations earlier this year, employees in the non-profit sector, covering hospitals, nursing homes and home care workers, took a day’s strike action on 22 October. Union demands include an increase in pay, a reduction in working hours and an increase in employment in the sector.
NETHERLANDS - Series of strikes against at government pension cutsFollowing the massive demonstration at the beginning of October public and private sector unions began a series of strikes in opposition to government policies and in particular cuts to early retirement pensions. Council workers, health workers and the police are among the many groups involved in the action.
And at > FNV
GERMANY - Latest on new public sector pay system
Ver.di is negotiating a new public sector pay system with the Federal government and local authorities. A key part of the agreement so far is that there will no increase in weekly working hours. This was the main reason behind the decision by the regional governments to pull out of the public sector-wide agreement earlier this year. Although there will be no increase in regular hours there will be greater flexibility in the new agreement with the possibility of working up to 45 hours a week or 12 hours a day without overtime payments. Overtime will be paid if the extra hours worked in one week are not compensated through fewer hours worked in the following week. Negotiations will continue over the new simplified pay structure which will not now come into effect until 2007.
Read more at > ver.di
And at > ver.di
GERMANY - ver.di blocks longer hours in private waste sector
Several thousands workers took part in warning strikes in the German private waste sector earlier this year in reaction to employer attacks on pay and conditions. Ver.di reports that a number of the employers’ original demands, including a 42-hour week and shorter holidays for new starters, were thrown out. Overall the new agreement covering 160,000 workers will mean a 2.4% increase in pay from 1 January 2005. The agreement lasts until the end of April 2006 and along with a lump sum payment of 200 euros to cover the period September-December 2004, the effective annual increase is 1.9%.
Read more at > ver.di
GERMANY/UK - UNISON and ver.di plan joint work
UNISON and ver.di have signed an agreement to work together in certain areas, including initiatives around multinational companies. The two unions will, for example, exchange pay and conditions data on RWE in Germany and its Thames Water operation in the UK to back up their negotiating strategies.
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=1730
ESTONIA - Agreement in healthcare sector
Our Estonian health union affiliate ETTAL reports that they signed a new framework agreement in September for the years 2005 and 2006. Negotiations were between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Hospitals organisation on the the employers’ side and on four unions on the employees’ side, including ETTAL. The agreed salary increases ranged between 25% and 36%. The minimum hourly salary for doctors will be 4.32 euros, for nurses 2.18 euros and for assistant nurses 1.28 euros. In the year 2006 all medical workers will get a rise of between 14% and 15%.
HUNGARY - Strikes in health sector
EPSU affiliate EDDSZ took strike action in October in support of its demands for higher pay for health workers, proper funding for health institutions and in opposition to government plans for privatisation.
And more generally on tensions in public sector bargaining at > EIRO
FINLAND - National pay talks get underway
Delayed negotiations over the national pay policy, due for renewal from February 2005, got underway at the beginning of the month. Employer organisations were initially reluctant to take part and have been pressing for greater decentralisation of negotiations. Finnish unions want to retain the centralised negotiations that ensure solidarity-based increases across the economy based on average productivity. In the coming negotiations unions also want improvements in job security and greater guarantees for the provision of collective agreements where workers are affected by outsourcing.
Read more at > SAK
IRELAND - Union ballots members over impact of health reforms
Around 15,000 healthworkers, members of the IMPACT trade union, are being balloted over industrial action in protest at the lack of proper consultation of health service reforms. The union is not opposed to the reforms but is concerned that the major reorganisation involved will affect large numbers of staff and so far the union has only received verbal promises that pay and conditions won’t be affected.
SPAIN - Unions agree 3.5% increase for public sector Public sector unions in Spain have agreed to a 3.5% pay increase to take effect from 1 January 2005. There was also a significant joint declaration on social dialogue and the need to improve the working conditions of public service workers as part of a strategy to improve the quality of public services. This refers in particular to issues such as reducing the extent of temporary employment, taking measures to improve work-life balance and reinforcing the right to collective bargaining in the public services.
Read more at > CC.OO
And at > UGT
DENMARK - negotiations begin for new municipal agreement
The industrial relations observatory EIRO reports that the current negotiations in the Danish municipal sector could prove difficult as some unions oppose the the maintenance and extension of the “New Wage” system while employers want to see it extended with more scope for local negotiations.
Read more at > EIRO
GREECE - Unions set out labour market polices
The Greek public service workers’ union ADEDY along with the general confederation, GSEE, and the Institute of Labour (INE) has produced an annual economic assessment setting out the unions’ views on labour market policies. They argue in particular that while labour productivity has increased steadily over the last 10 years wages have not grown at the same extent. The assessment also warns that restrictions of the Stability and Growth Pact pose a real threat to the country’s continued economic growth.
Read more at > EIRO
Read more at > EIRO
Read more at > EIRO
In the light of the recent focus on corporate restructuring, relocation and the pressure to increase working hours, the ETUI/ETUC have also produced a special newsletter with examples where unions have been able to negotiate new working arrangements which help protect jobs while providing employers with greater flexibility.
ETUCO/EPSU - Course on changing role of public service unions
EPSU is working with the European Trade Union College (ETUCO) to deliver a short course (3-5 December) on the changing role of public sector unions (east/west). The course will compare and analyse the evolution of public services and public sector in both the "Euro-15" and New Member States. It will also identify and compare good practices of social dialogue in represented countries and discuss how to build trade union networks influencing the decision making process regarding public services in the enlarged European Union
LATVIA - Disparities in public sector payThe EIRO industrial relations observatory reports on how public sector pay is determined in Latvia and the problems arising from a system which has allowed large differences in pay to emerge for workers doing similar jobs.
ROMANIA - Pay dispute in healthcare sector
The Sanitas federation of health unions in Romania has organised protests against the government’s failure to stick to a key agreement reforming pay in the sector and guaranteeing improvements in other conditions.
ETUC/ETUI - Collective bargaining news
The Doorn group of unions from Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands met in Berlin in October to discuss the latest developments in wage bargaining, working time and minimum wages. The ETUC/ETUI Collective Bargaining Newsletter provides a summary of the main discussions.
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