Local government
Protest planned over further austerity
Unions in the CGTP confederation are organising a national demonstration on 25 May in protest at the latest austerity measures being imposed by the government under pressure from the the troika of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. Included in the measures are 30000 public sector job cuts, an increase in weekly hour for public sector workers from 35 to 40 without any increase in pay and an increase in retirement age to 66. Read more at > STAL (...)
Unions call for negotiations over pay and jobs
The public sector federations FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT along with the CSI-F federation have called on the government to open negotiations with the unions. The immediate issue to be resolved in repayment of the Christmas bonus. The unions say that the courts have supported the unions’ claim that cutting the payment was unconstitutional and they want to ensure the government deal with the question. They are also concerned about the impact of job cuts across the public sector and lack of (...)
Unions campaign against public sector pay cut
Public sector unions are consulting their members over organising a major day of action to protest at pay cuts and attacks on collective bargaining. The unions began their anti-government campaigning at this year’s May Day rally and are planning an action that would effectively blocked key services to demonstrate the importance and value of public services to citizens and the economy. Read more at news website > Dalje (EN) And further at > Dalje (...)
Low paid worse affected by cutbacks
The JHL public sector union reports that temporary lay-offs are on the increase, with employees affected in some 20 municipalities and new plans for similar measures are reported every week. Municipalities are also trying to save money by attempting to remove the holiday bonus pay for holidays, offering unpaid holidays instead and privatising services. The union warns that those hit hardest are those with the lowest income, the majority of whom are women and so this is also a question of (...)
Big step towards equality in new agreement
Following mediation the Kommunal local government union has endorsed a new agreement which it sees as a great success. The main pay increase will be SEK 1700 (€200) up from the employers’ initial offer of SEK 1500 (€175). Kommunal sees this as an important step in preventing any increase in the pay gap between male-and female-dominated industries. The agreement involves a number of other improvements including initiatives to reduce split shifts; better conditions for temporary workers; (...)
Difficult negotiations in local government
The results of negotiations in the municipal and regional sector in Denmark was very poor according to the unions in the sector. It is still being debated whether the members will see their wages rise in line with the inflation. But because of the economic crises and the very low wage development in the private sector all unions in the public sector have recommended their members to accept the results. The collective agreement will be renewed for two years with a 0.7% general wage increase (...)
Local government employers make final offer
Local government unions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been given a final offer by employers in this year’s negotiations. This includes a 1% pay increase for all workers backdated to 1 April 2013 followed by abolition of the lowest point on the pay scale from 1 October 2013. This would mean around 28000 mainly women, part-time workers moving up the scale and would represent an additional increase for them of 1.4%. Unions are consulting over what would be the first pay increase (...)
Union members reject Croke Park II
Following membership ballots, public service unions have voted to reject the recently negotiated national public sector agreement - Croke Park II. The deal involved further changes to pay and conditions in response to the government’s claim that it needed to cut €1 billion from the public sector pay bill. Leaders of the biggest unions, IMPACT and SIPTU, recommended the deal as the best possible under difficult circumstances but other unions, including the CPSU civil service union and the (...)
JHL launches "good working day" campaign
The JHL public services union has begun a nationwide campaign of consultation to find out what workers think makes for a good working day and good working conditions. Union officers and shop stewards will be taking part in meetings all around the country, beginning in the north and ending in the south in December this year. The union says that these meetings will be a good opportunity to listen to and try to resolve workplace problems and will provide useful information for the development (...)
Four-year agreement for municipal white-collar workers
Vision, the union representing mainly white-collar workers in local government, has agreed a new four-year deal which it says breaks new ground. There are general increases of at least 2.6% and 2.2% in the first two years but then in years three and four the focus will be on individual wage increases. The union believes that individual increases will allow workers to secure higher pay increases and will reduce the structural pay gap. Vision also secured improved benefits for working (...)
Municipal union plans strike action over pay
The Kommunal local government union, representing mainly nurses and blue-collar workers in health, cleaning and catering is planning a campaign of industrial action beginning on 29 April. A pay increase of 6.8% over three years is on the table in line with developments in industry. However, Kommunal wants a flat-rate increase of 1740 SEK (€205) as a way of providing lower paid workers with a higher increase. Kommunal argues this is vital step in tackling the lower pay levels in sectors where (...)
Unions in joint call to restart collective bargaining
The public service federations of CGIL, CISL and UIL have issued a joint statement calling on the government to unblock negotiations in the public sector. The unions were reacting to a report on pay and jobs from the ARAN agency that negotiates with public sector unions on behalf of the government. The report shows a 1.6% fall in public sector pay. Taking into account inflation during the 2010-2012 period this amounts to a 7.2% cut in real terms. The report also reveals that 265000 jobs (...)
Home care workers protest over massive cuts
Over 6000 home care workers joined a demonstration in the Hague and formed the number 100000 to indicate the jobs at threat from government proposed cuts to the sector. The FNV Abvakabo trade union was very pleased at the turn out noting that this is a sector where many carers work alone and so is often a challenge to organise. The protesters delivered a petition signed by 137000 people rejecting the cuts which amount to €1.1 billion, effectively 75% of what local authorities spend on home (...)
Unions call for revised offer for local government workers
UNISON is urging local councillors to put pressure on the local government employers’ organisation to come up with an improved offer. The initial offer was for 1% increase with changes to conditions or a 1% increase for lower paid workers and 0.6% for higher paid. The union says the offer is wholly inadequate and fails to go any way towards compensating for the effective 16% fall in real pay over the past three years’ pay freeze. The negotiations cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland (...)
Unions reject extension of pay freeze
The main federations in the public services from CGIL, CISL and UIL have all expressed their concern about the threat to extend the freeze on negotiations in the public sector. FP CISL highlights the impact on pay after three years of pay freezes with average pay in the sector at €26600 and even lower in local government (€22000) and health (€23000). Read more at > FP CGIL (IT) And at > FP-CISL (...)
National protest over pay and cuts in services
The STAL local government union and other public sector unions in the Frente Comum mobilised thousands of workers in a national demonstration on 15 March. The demonstration was not just about the pay and conditions of public sector workers but also about protecting services. Read more at > Frente Comum (PT) And at > STAL (PT)
New national agreement put to vote
Public sector workers are voting on whether or not to accept a revised national agreement on pay and conditions. The "Croke Park" agreement was originally negotiated in 2010 and included a substantial package of savings agreed by the unions in order to protect basic pay. The government began negotiations over a new agreement after threatening to impose a further €1 billion in cuts to the public sector pay bill. IMPACT reports that unions managed win concessions on a number of measures (...)
Municipal unions open to negotiations
The main public sector union, JHL, reports that unions in the municipal sector are willing to get involved in negotiations on a new framework agreement. Although the national agreement doesn’t expire until October or even early 2014 in some parts of the public sector, JHL says that early negotiations may be important in order to facilitate local government reform with the government aiming to merge some municipalities. But any new agreement would have to take account of the fact that public (...)
5.6% increase in regional government over 2 years
Ver.di has concluded a deal with the regional government (Länder) employers that provides a 2.65% pay increase for 2013 (backdated to 1 January) and a further 2.95% from 1 January 2014. Prices rose by 2.1% in the year to January 2013. The agreement covers around 800,000 employees and ver.di is calling on the Länder to ensure that the agreement is also applied to civil servants across the regions. Other elements in the deal include a commitment to take on apprentices after qualification and 30 (...)
Minister refuses to budge on pay and waiting day
Public service trade unions have taken action in recent weeks in the lead up to a meeting with the public services minister on 7 February over a range of issues related to pay and conditions. Although the Minister, Marylise Lebranchu, made positive moves on some issues the unions were disappointed that she refused to budge on two key points. The government is insisting on another pay freeze this year while also maintaining the waiting day that applies in cases of sickness absence. Read (...)
Municipality agrees to pay living wage
Barking and Dagenham local authority in east London has agreed to pay a minimum living wage of £9.00 (€10.50) an hour to all workers - making the annual minimum £16425 (€19100). The £9.00 rate is in fact 45p (€0.52) more than the official living wage rate calculated by the Greater London Authority. It will apply to all directly employed workers as well as agency staff working for the council. Read more at > (...)
General strike call for 20 February
The ADEDY and GSEE public and private sector trade union confederations have called a general strike for 20 February in protest at the continuing pressure for cuts coming from the Troika of European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. Civil servants are the target of next round of cuts with the Troika wanting to see 25000 dismissed or transferred to other areas. Trade unions have also reacted angrily to the government’s actions to prevent transport workers from (...)
Unions aim for 6.5% increase in regional government
Ver.di and other public sector unions have submitted a demand for a 6.5% pay increase for the 800000 employees and civil servants working for regional government. A guaranteed job for qualified apprentices is also part of the package. So far the employers have yet to put forward their proposals. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
Government promises end to cuts
The government has said that current proposals for cuts in the public sector pay bill will be the last call on public sector workers. Negotiations are underway for an extension of the "Croke Park" national agreement that dates from 2010. The government has threatened to impose €1 billion in cuts if a deal isn’t reached. Unions are still waiting for some of the details of the proposals but have already rejected a five-hour increase in weekly working hours. They say that they want to see (...)
Getting the facts straight on public sector pay
The FP-CGIL, UIL FPL and UIL PA public sector federations have come together to produce data on public sector employment and pay. The aim is to try to counter much of the anti-public sector propaganda that has emerged in recent years. The data is included in a powerpoint presentation that looks at pay trends, overall public sector pay spending as a percentage of GDP and in relation to population. The figures show Italy as comparable with EU averages and other countries and that negotiated (...)
Public sector workers strike over 10% pay cut
Public sector workers in Bosnia’s Serb Republic went on strike on 21 January in response to the government’s imposition of austerity measures including a 10% cut in pay. The government had offered a pay rise later in the year if the unions didn’t go on strike. The austerity measures are in response to International Monetary Fund loan conditions. Read more at > Reuters (EN)
Public sector strike against pay cuts
Workers across the public sector in Slovenia took strike action on 23 January in protest at government plans to cut jobs and reduce pay by 5%. This follows a pay cut of 3% in 2012. An estimated 100000 workers supported the strike while up to 15000 people joined a national demonstration in Ljubljana. Read more at > Reuters (EN) And at > Sky News (EN)
Public sector pay in line with other countries
Public service trade union Impact argues that public sector pay in Ireland is line with that in other countries. The union quotes figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as well as its own data from a detailed comparison with public sector jobs in Germany. It also points out that comparisons are often made without taking account of the 7% "pensions levy" imposed by the government in 2009. Read more at > Impact (...)
Day of action over pay and jobs on 31 January
Three public service trade unions - CGT, FSU and Solidaires - have called a day of action, involving strikes, on 31st January. The protest is to put pressure on the government to stop job cuts in the public sector and to agree an across-the-board pay increase for all public sector workers. The unions point out that nearly a million civil servants and public sector employees are on pay rates close to the national minimum wage. Read more at > CGT (...)
Unions calls for overtime ban across local government
The STAL local government union has called for an indefinite ban on overtime work from 1 January in protest at cuts in overtime pay as part of the government’s austerity measures. Overtime rates have been reduced by half to only 12.5% for the first hour, 18.75% for subsequent hours and to only 25% for work on rest day and holidays. Read more at > STAL (PT)
More workers get living wage
Public services union Unison reports further successes in ensuring that outsourced workers are paid at least the living wage as opposed to being stuck on the lower official minimum wage. The living wage is calculated on the basis of the cost of living and there are different rates across the country. The new rate in London is £8.55 (€10.50) compared to the national minimum wage for adult workers (21 and over) of £6.19 (€7.60) an hour. Read more at > Unison And at > Unison And at > (...)
Union looks to establish new social partnership
The GDG-KMsFB union representing local and regional government workers is working to establish new bargaining arrangements in response to the government’s reluctance to negotiate a public sector wide pay increase. In recent years some regional governments have also refused to implement the increase negotiated at federal level. The union will work towards establishing a new social partnership involving regional and local government employers. It wants to see this happen by 2015 but will also (...)
Study looks at impact of outsourcing
A new study commissioned by FIPSU, the group of nine public sector unions, finds that in many cases any cost savings arising from outsourcing have been at the expense of employees. The report also found that workers affected by outsourcing end up being covered by inferior collective agreements. The reasons for outsourcing are often political and ideological and many public sector employers were reluctant to reveal what kind of cost savings or quality changes the outsourcing had brought. (...)
Local government union submits pay claim
The Kommunal municipal union has submitted its main collective bargaining demands to the SALAR and PACTA employer organisations. The union is looking for a 2.8% pay increase with a minimum guaranteed increase of SEK 700 (€81). It is also calling for a reduction in the use of temporary contracts in the local government sector where there are currently around 140000 fixed-term workers. Kommunal’s other claims include an end to split shifts and higher additional payments for weekend and night (...)
Union calls for 6.5% increase for regional government workers
Public service union ver.di has called for a 6.5% pay increase for employees of regional government. The pay claim is based on the need to close the pay gap with the private sector and to keep pay increases in line with those negotiated in the local and federal government agreement signed earlier this year. Ver.di is also calling for jobs for those qualifying from apprenticeships and for an increase of €100 in the apprentice allowance. The union wants to negotiate improvements in employment (...)
Statistics show high level of temporary work and pay gap with permanent workers
The latest data from Statistics Finland show that there continues to be widespread use of fixed-term contracts in the public sector with 23% of workers on temporary contracts. The statistics also show that two-thirds of fixed-term workers would prefer to have a permanent contract. Temporary workers in both public and private sectors are paid less than permanent staff although the pay gap in the public sector is lower at 9% in central government and 8% in local government. Read more at > (...)
Unions coordinate pay claims to tackle low pay
Municipal union Kommunal has welcomed the decision by the LO blue-collar trade union confederation to target low pay in the next bargaining round. LO and Kommunal argue that this will also mean improving pay in sectors dominated by women. The aim will be for all workers paid less than the monthly average industrial wage (SEK 25000, €2910) to get the same monetary amount as the percentage increase for those on more than the average. This would also apply to minimum wage rates. Read more at > (...)
Confederation organises demonstration over collective bargaining rights
Trade unions in the KESK confederation organising the municipal police and firefighters held a national demonstration in Ankara on 28 September in protest at the continuing lack of proper collective bargaining rights in the public sector. Read more at > KESK (TK)
Local government employers respond to unions’ pay claim
UNISON has welcomed the employers’ response to the union’s claim for a substantial pay rise for council workers, indicating their willingness to break the three year pay freeze. However, the union warned against any attempt to introduce local bargaining. The three-year pay freeze in local government has been unique in the public sector. Public sector workers earning under £21,000 were promised a £250 increase in the Chancellor’s first budget – local government workers did not get that increase. (...)
Unions will continue to mobilise against cuts
The public sector federations of CGIL and UIL were pleased at the level of support for the public sector-wide strike and the 30000 who joined the national demonstration in Rome. The unions are protesting against the government’s spending review which will see thousands of jobs cut and the termination of contracts for temporary workers. The unions argue that there has been no negotiation over the cuts and promise to maintain their mobilisations against the government plans. Read more at > FP (...)
Union pursues key legal case on outsourcing
Public services union Unison is continuing to support a key case affecting outsourced workers that is now going to the European Court of Justice. The union argues that workers transferred to the Parkwood company by Lewisham Council in South East London have the right, under the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations (Acquired Rights Directive) to continue to benefit from pay increases negotiated as part of the national local government agreement. The outcome of the case has implications for (...)
Union fears new government keeping old policies
The CGT public service federation notes that a recent report on the previous government’s key RGPP policy - general review of public policy - acknowledges some of the problems, such as lack of social dialogue, but argues that the policy still needs to be implemented. In the meantime, the union fears that the new government’s plans for job cuts and pay freezes in the public sector will mean there is no real break with the policies of the previous government. Read more at > CGT Services Publics (...)
Municipal unions support framework agreement
Trade unions in the municipal sector have reaffirmed their support for central negotiations with a framework agreement setting out the basis for negotiations at sectoral level. The unions believe that this provides stability for the economy as well as a balanced development of wages in the municipal sector. Read more at > JHL (EN)
Municipality to reverse pay cuts
Following elections in May, the now Labour-controlled Southampton city council is to reverse pay cuts imposed by the previous Tory-led council. All council workers earning less than £35,000 a year could see their pay fully restored by April 2014. Those earning less than £22,000 will have their pay fully restored in November. Unite and Unison had been in dispute with the then Tory-led council since early 2011, including taking more than 200 days of targeted industrial action. Read more at > (...)
Unions criticise new redundancy rules
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT trade union federations have expressed their concern about new collective redundancy rules to be applied to the public administration sector. The unions see this as not only another attack on the public sector workforce but argue that the rules leave little scope for consultation or negotiation. Read more at > FSP-UGT (ES)
Regional government pushes for pay cuts
The cantonal (regional) government of St.Gallen in the North East is planning a range of budget cuts that include a 1.5% cut in public sector workers’ pay. The canton claims that pay cuts are needed in order to avoid redundancies. This is being challenged by the vpod public services union which is criticising the canton for not trying to raise more tax revenues. Read more at > VPOD (...)
Bremen passes minimum wage law
Bremen is the first regional government in Germany to adopt a law on minimum wages that covers regional government employers as well as organisations funded by the regional government. Organisations will risk losing their funding if they infringe the new law which takes effect from 1 September this year. A Senate committee will review the level of the minimum rate, initially set at €8.50 an hour, every two years. Read more at > DGB (...)
Government reaffirms job security agreement
The JHL public services union has welcomed the statement by the coalition government that a five-year job security agreement will apply to municipal workers who face the prospect of major restructuring in the near future. The union emphasises the fact that the agreement will help ensure the trust of employees and their commitment to develop municipal services. Read more at > JHL (...)
Wages lag behind inflation
The OAO public sector trade union organisation has published data on pay developments across the public and private sectors. It notes that average pay in the state sector fell by 0.6% in the year to February 2012 - the first year of the two-year agreement negotiated in 2011. The report also notes that wage developments across the economy have not kept pace with inflation. The OAO is a coordinating body that brings together 16 trade unions in the state and local government sectors. It has (...)
Unions pleased with pay deal following strike action
Public sector unions called off their strike action earlier this month after securing a better pay offer from employers in the municipal and state sectors. Along with a general annual increase of NOK 1200 (€1600), there also higher payments for weekend work and guarantees of equal treatment for temporary workers. The unions say that the increase will keep public sector pay in line with the private sector. Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO) And at > YS Stat (...)
Consultation over local government pensions
Public services union UNISON will be consulting its members over the latest proposals for changes to the local government pension scheme. The proposals include a change from a final-salary to a career-average salary but with a higher accrual rate. Lower paid workers will keep the same level of contributions and outsourced workers will be able to stay in the scheme. Read more at > Unison (...)
National agreement delivers on savings
The Impact and SIPTU trade unions report that the national agreement on jobs, pay and services - the Croke Park agreement - has delivered savings of €1.5 billion over two years. Public sector employment has been reduced by 17300 in the period and more are to go in the next three years but Impact warns that the government needs to be more flexible with its recruitment restrictions. Read more at > Impact (EN) And at > SIPTU (...)
Union surveys contract workers
The CFDT Interco trade union federation that organises in local government and parts of central government is carrying out a major survey of public sector workers on employment contracts. There are around 800,000 public sector workers in France who have a permanent or temporary contract in contrast to civil servants who are covered by statutes. The union is aiming for 8000 responses from this group of workers that will help it formulate key demands on recruitment, pay and employment (...)
Protest over finance staff shortages
The ver.di services union organised a protest on 11 June to highlight the problems arising from major staff shortages in the Berlin regional government’s finance department. The union points out that funds are urgently needed to develop childcare and maintain streets and parks and that the staff shortages mean that millions of euros in tax revenue are going uncollected. Read more at > ver.di (...)
Public sector unions gradually build up strike action
Several trade unions in the public sector are involved in strike action that began on Thursday 24 May after attempts at mediation in pay negotiations failed. The unions involved are coordinating their action and gradually increasing the number of workers coming out on strike. At the centre of the dispute are the unions’ efforts to ensure that pay increases in the public sector are in line with those in the private sector. Read more at > news website (EN) And at > Fagforbundet (NO) And at (...)
Union challenges outsourcing in water and social care
The SIPTU general union is planning to ballot 2,500 local government workers in the water sector over industrial action in protest at plans to outsource the service. The union says the plans go against previous commitments and there has been no consultation or negotiation over the proposals or the impact on the workers concerned. Meanwhile it is also involved in a campaign against the outsourcing of home helps and the erosion of quality care. Read more on water at > SIPTU (EN) And on home (...)
Federations mobilise over attacks on workers and services
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT public service federations have launched a series of actions across the public sector to highlight the impact of cuts on public sector workers and the quality of services. The first day of action focused on local government. At regional level the unions have had some success at least in Andalucia where the autonomous government has said it will suspend its planned package of cuts while it negotiates with the unions. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES) And at > FSP-UGT (ES) (...)
Back to the bargaining table in the waste sector
Trade unions and employers are set to re-start negotiations in the waste sector which has been without a new collective agreement for over a year. Negotiations broke down earlier this year after the unions had rejected what the employers’ had said was their final offer and the reaction of the employers was then to make a lower offer. Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)
Unions build for firefighters’ strike on 18 June
The three main union organisations for firefighters (FP CGIL, FNS CISL and UIL PA) called a press conference for 30 May to highlight their main demands in the lead up to national strike action on 18 June. Among their main concerns are the lack of a pay increase since 2008, the shortage of staff, increasing casualisation, lack of funding and the failure to recognise firefighting as an arduous occupation, which is important in relation to pension rights. Read more at > FP CGIL (...)
Local government unions submit pay claim
The three main trade union in local government in Scotland have submitted their pay claim for this year and are calling for a minimum wage of £7.20 an hour (€9.00). The unions argue that low paid workers have been hit hard by the public sector pay freeze and local government workers did not even receive the £250 (€312.50) that was paid to workers in other parts of the public sector. The unions are calling for a flat-rate payment of £1000 (€1250), £500 for this year and £500 for last year. Read (...)
Clear opposition to decree on incentive payments
The CGT public services federation has taken a clear position in opposition to a recent decree allowing for incentive payments in the public services. The payment would be linked to collective performance but have been criticised by the CGT for undermining the basic nature of the public service and introducing the concepts of competition and profitability into the way services are provided. The union is also angry that the incentive payments would be financed on the basis of non-replacement (...)
Union underlines key conditions for longer working
The JHL public services has indicated how trade unions and employers can work together to improve working conditions as part of a strategy to encourage people to stay in work longer. Well-being and occupational safety have to be at the centre of this along with proper training for employees and managers. Additional training days were agreed as part of the latest public sector negotiations but JHL is concerned that employers ensure that these are provided. Read more at > JHL (...)
Local strike action against pay cuts
The GMB trade union is organising strike action at Cheshire West and Chester local council in protest at the municipalities attack on pay and conditions. Some council workers will suffer cuts of up to 15% in their pay if the changes are implemented. The strike action on 12 and 13 May is in addition to a continuing ban on overtime. Read more at > GMB (EN)
Unions’ referendum resoundingly rejects cuts package
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT public service federations working with other trade unions that organise in the Valencia region have successfully campaigned for a massive rejection of the cuts package proposed by the regional government. The unions were delighted by the high turnout of 80% and will use the result to support their campaign against the cuts and services and reject any planned cuts in pay. A total of 42147 voted against the cuts with only 598 supporting the regional government plans. (...)
Firefighters take action over funding, staffing and pensions
The three main federations representing firefighters have announced a day’s strike action on 18 June (postponed from 5 June). The unions are protesting over a range of issues including inadequate funding and staffing, pay, recruitment, the regulation of the system of voluntary firefighters and failure to recognise the dangerous and arduous nature of the job in terms of pension entitlement. Read more at FP-CGIL (IT) And at FP-CGIL (...)
No progress in Provincial negotiations
The CNV Publieke Zaak union reports that there has been no progress in the negotiations covering Provincial Councils despite the breakthrough made in local government. A consultation of members over the employers’ offer revealed a clear majority against and the reaction from the employers was to withdraw what they said was their final offer. The unions argue that the employers are showing little respect for members’ efforts and dedication and further action by the trade unions is likely to (...)
Local government negotiations broken off for mediation
Negotiations over a new local government agreement have been broken off and now move into mediation. Among the key union demands are a general increase with a higher increase on the lowest salaries along with increased supplements for working anti-social hours. They also want to seen managers’ salaries kept in proportion to employees’ wages. Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO) And at > YS Kommune (...)
Unions finally conclude local government agreement
After more than a year of negotiations, campaigns and action trade unions in the local government sector have managed to get the employers sign a new collective agreement covering the 180000 workers in the sector. The unions wanted to protest purchasing power and the deal involves a 1% pay increase backdated to 1 January 2012 and a further 1% backdated to 1 April 2012. There will also be lump sum payments in August of €200 or €400 depending on salary level. The deal includes a commitment on (...)
Union federations challenge regional government cuts
Public service union federations are having to respond at regional government level to attacks on their pay and condtions. The five trade unions that organise in the regional government of La Rioja have written a joint letter to the regional president calling for a proper process of negotiation and rejecting worse conditions of employment imposed with any form of consultation. Unions are also protesting about imposed cuts in salaries and conditions faced by the 30000 workers covered by the (...)
Municipal workers get 3% pay increase
The Kommunal union, representing around blue-collar workers in local and regional government, has negotiated a new one-year agreement that runs to 31 March 2013. The agreement covers around 350000 workers and will mean a pay increase of around 3% (SEK 650, €73). The lowest paid workers will also get SEK 650 and so this will mean a pay increase of 3.7%-4.0% for them. Other allowances increase by 2.6% and there is also an agreement to limit fixed-term employment. Read more at > Kommunal (...)
Two million public sector workers get 6.3% increase
Earlier this month services union ver.di negotiated a 6.3% pay increase for two million workers employed by the federal government and local authorities. The first stage of the increase is backdated to 1 March 2012 and is for 3.5%. There will then be two increases of 1.4% in 2013, the first on 1 January and the second on 1 August. There will also be increases for apprentices and a commitment to offer jobs to those apprentices who pass their qualifying exams. The deal was negotiated (...)
Biggest public sector strike for 20 years
On Wednesday 18 April workers across the public sector took part in the biggest strike for since the country’s independence. They were protesting against the government’s planned austerity measures that include a proposed 7.5%-10% cut in public sector pay from July. Read more at > STA news website (EN) And at > Ansamed news website (EN) And various stories at > labourstart
Public service federations boycott meeting
Seven trade union federations (CFTC, CGT, FA/FPT, FO, FSU, Solidaires and UNSA) have decided not to take part in the April meeting of the general council of the public sector and issued a joint statement criticising the declining quality of social dialogue. The unions argue that the government is not interested in proper negotiations and issues documents and proposals without taking account of the views of trade unions. There is also a question of the resources and time available to the (...)
Unions suspend consultations in local authorities
The FNV Abvakabo and CNV Publieke Zaak public service trade unions have suspending consultations with certain local authorities in the latest stage of their dispute with the VNG municipal employers’ organisation. Negotiations over a new collective agreement broke down last year but there was hope of further negotiations at the beginning of this year. However, these broke down again in February with the employers unwilling to offer a decent pay increase or make concessions on the union’s (...)
Latest figures show decline in pay differentials
Statistics Finland has just released data showing the 10-year trend (2001-2010) in pay differentials in the private, local government and central government sectors. The figures compare the pay of the highest paid 10% of employees with the lowest paid 10%. The trends across the three sectors are down in the last couple of years after an upward trend until 2008. The pay differential is lowest in local government where the highest earners get just over twice (2.065) the level of the bottom (...)
Second wave of warning strikes
Ver.di organised a second wave of warning strikes in the lead up to the third round of negotiations covering two million workers in federal and local government. Over 30000 workers were mobilised across the country in childcare, local transport, power stations, administration, refuse collection, hospitals and other services. The pay demand is for a 6.5% increase with a minimum increase of €200 a month. Read more at > ver.di (...)
Municipal unions submit their negotiating demands to the employers
Fagforbundet and the other local government unions in the LO confederation have set out their key bargaining demands for 2012. They are looking for compensation for inflation with increases to help the lower paid and close the gender pay gap as well as higher pay for working unsocial hours. The union will ensure they take account of the particular interests of young workers, graduates and temporary workers. They are calling on municipalities to directly employ more workers rather than rely (...)
Municipal union expresses solidarity with retail union
Local government union Kommunal has said it fully supports the Handels commercial employees’ union in the current negotiations. Handels has just given notice of a dispute with employers and will consider industrial action if the employers don’t come up with a suitable pay offer by 13 April. Kommunal says that it is important to show support for Handels because it negotiating on behalf of a large number of relatively low-paid workers and it is important that they don’t get left behind other (...)
Refuse workers on strike in Lyon region
Refuse collection workers in the Grand Lyon region covering 58 local authorities have entered their third week of strike action in opposition to privatisation, to maintain existing services and for improved pay and conditions. Unions have criticised the Grand Lyon authority for adopting private sector methods in trying to beat the strike by using contract workers to collect rubbish. The unions involved are the CGT, FNAF/CFTC, FO, CFDT, FA/FPT, UNSA et UGICT/CGT. Read more at > CGT Service (...)
Anti-austerity protests to continue in local government
The STAL local government union has announced that it is planning further protest action in April following the general strike that took place on 22 March. The union says that there was 80% support for the strike in local government. It had been called by the CGTP trade union confederation but was not support by the UGT confederation. The UGT signed an agreement on growth and jobs with the employers and government earlier this year. Read more at > STAL (PT) And on the UGT agreement at > (...)
Firefighters get new guide on health and safety
The health and safety section of the ETUI trade union institute has published a new guide to health and safety for firefighters. The guide was produced in close collaboration with EPSU and its firefighters’ network. A key message from the publication is the need for improved monitoring and action to improve the health of firefighters and greater acknowledgement of the risks they face. Read more at > ETUI (EN) And in French at > ETUI Read more about the EPSU firerighters network at > (...)
Union criticises municipalities for low level of full-time jobs
The FOA public services union has revealed that only 4% of jobs advertised in health and social care were on the basis of a full-time 37-hour week. The issue of part-time work was raised in the last negotiations and unions want the employers to commit to providing a minimum proportion of full-time jobs. Read more at > FOA (DK)
Union analysis shows women worse hit by council job cuts
The GMB general workers’ union has looked at official statistics for employment in local government in England and Wales. Between the first quarter of 2010 and the third quarter of 2011, 210470 jobs were cut by 375 councils and women accounted for 68% of those affected. In 20 municipalities women accounted for all of those lost jobs. Read more at > GMB (EN)
Warning strikes across the public sector
Around 130,000 workers from different parts of the federal government and across local government will be involved in strikes this week following the first round of negotiations on pay. Ver.di and other unions had put forward a 6.5% pay claim (with minimum increase of €200) but the employers not only failed to make an offer but asked the unions to withdraw their claim. The warning strikes are aimed to show the employers the strength of feeling of workers as the next negotiations were taking (...)
Local government unions go for binding arbitration
UNISON, GMB and Unite, the three local government unions, have decided to approach the arbitration service ACAS and seek binding arbitration following the employers’ attempt to pose another pay freeze on the 1.5 million workers in the sector. The employers are also refusing to pay the £250 (€299) increase to workers paid less than £21000 (€25140) allowed under the government’s pay policy Read more at > UNISON (...)
Union concern over childcare quality
The FOA public service union has supported the initiative of childminders and workers in childcare centres to write to the education minister to call for an end to privatisation. There is mounting evidence of a trend towards more private care and the union argues that this fails to guarantee the quality standards required in municipally provided childcare. This is in terms of the training of staff, the quality of the environment in which children are looked after and the quality of the (...)
Union wants 6.5% increase for federal and local government workers
In the upcoming negotiations covering workers in federal and local government, ver.di is calling for a 6.5% pay increase with a minimum guaranteed rise of €200 that would benefit lower paid employees. The union also wants to see apprentices offered permanent jobs and an increase of €100 to the apprentice allowance. Ver.di argues that public sector workers saw the value of their pay fall by 0.6% in real terms last year and they need a decent increase so that they don’t get left behind by the (...)
Local government workers face third year of pay freeze
Local government unions UNISON, GMB and Unite have attacked the municipal employers’ organisation for imposing a pay freeze for another year and again refusing to pay out the minimum £250 (€295) increase to the lowest paid, allowed for by the government. The unions estimate that taking account of inflation the three-year pay freeze will leave municipal workers 13% worse off. Local government workers in Scotland are also facing a second year of pay freeze. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > (...)
Provincial government employers given deadline to negotiate
The FNV Abvakabo and CNV Publieke Zaak public service unions have given provincial government employers until 2 March to make a better offer or they will consult with their members and consider industrial action. After lengthy negotiations the employers have offered a basic pay increase of only 0.69% over 19 months and nothing in respect of the unions’ calls for employment guarantees, disability benefit and a cut in the use of contract staff. The unions want a 1.5% pay increase over 12 (...)
Firefighters’ demonstration highlights impact of cuts
Firefighters mobilised in Rome on 22 February to expose the scale of the problems facing the service, particularly in Rome, because of underfunding. The service is understaffed and there is inadequate training while firefighters have seen a decline in their pay in real terms along with serious delays in payments for overtime work. Read more at > FP-CGIL (IT)
Firefighters push for retirement at 58
Unions representing firefighters organised a demonstration in Brussels on 10 February in support of their demand for a retirement age of 58. They argue that this would be in line with the police and would recognise the stressful and dangerous nature of their profession. Read more at > Le Soir news website (FR)
Over 150,000 demonstrate in Madrid over cuts and attacks on collective bargaining
The FSC-CCOO, FSP-UGT and other trade unions mobilised over 150,000 people on the streets of Madrid to protest against the cuts being imposed by the regional government. The unions are particularly angry about the increase in the working week from 35 to 37.5 hours and cuts to sick pay. Unions estimate that the increase in hours could lead to 8000 job cuts. They say the imposed measures are also an attack on their collective bargaining rights. Read more at > FSP-UGT (ES) And at > FSC-CCOO (...)
Municipality angers unions with response to legal challenge
Trade unions involved in the long-running dispute over pay cuts at Southampton City Council in the south of England are taking legal action over the authority’s failure to consult properly over redundancies and over the unfair dismissal of 1,000 workers. The response of the Council was to allocate £600000 (€715000) from the money it has saved on salaries to a fund to pay compensation. The unions are planning a demonstration on 15 February outside the Council and a major demonstration in the (...)
Union sets deadline for local government employers
The FNV Abvakabo trade union has called on local government employers to respond to its claims by 13th February. The union wants a job security agreement, a pay increase to protect purchasing power and more investment in permanent staff rather than temporary workers. It has rejected an offer from the employers that would mean a pay increase of only 1% over 31 months. Abvakabo argues that initiatives to retrain workers and find them alternative jobs will end up saving the authorities (...)
Equal pay victory for council workers in north west England
Around 1000 women workers at Bury council in north west England are set to benefit from an equal pay deal negotiated with the unions. The women, working mainly in care, cleaning and catering jobs, have been paid less than the predominantly male workforce in comparable jobs. The council has decided to agree to the long-running claim before it was due to go the Court of Appeal. Read more at > Unison (...)
Firefighters’ unions plan strike over breakdown in social dialogue
Following a 10,000-strong demonstration last November, four firefighters’ unions are continuing to coordinate action against proposals to reorganise the fire service. The unions argue that there has been no real social dialogue over the changes and they have announced 24-hour strike action and are mobilising for another national demonstration on 15 February. Read more at > CGT Services Publics (FR) And at > CFDT Interco (...)
Union rejects lower pay for young workers
The Kommunal local government union has rejected a proposal by the mayor of Stockholm that workers under the age of 25 should be offered jobs on pay rates at 75% of the minimum of the collective agreement. The union argues that there is a high demand for workers, particularly in the social care sector, but these workers need to be properly trained. It says it is willing to negotiate about the provision of training for young workers and also calls for more funding from central government. (...)
Unions to negotiate on changes to allowances for new workers
The Impact public services union is calling for overtime rates to be maintained and low-paid workers to be protected in advance of negotiations over cuts to allowances. Workers newly recruited to the public sector or those promoted to new jobs are set to lose some allowances. The government has said that certain allowances – such as those for arduous work or unsocial hours – will be maintained but others will be cut. The unions have underlined the need to keep to the consultation requirements (...)
Pay deal for council workers in Carinthia
The GDG-KMSfB union has negotiated a pay deal for employees of local authorities in the Carinthia region. There is a 2.56% increase plus a flat-rate rise of €11,10 a month. This is the same as the main agreement negotiated at federal level but applies from 1.4.2012 rather than 1.2.2012. There will be further negotiations in 2013 in contrast to the arrangements covering employees of the regional government in Carinthia who get the same increase in 2012 but a pay freeze in 2013 and in 2014 the (...)
Public sector federations mobilise against regional government attacks
While the national government has announced another year of pay freezes across the public sector, regional governments are planning their own range of cuts to pay and conditions and services. Public sector unions are planning a series of demonstrations and strikes in response to these attacks. In Valencia trade unions are planning legal action as well as demonstrations against the regional government’s planned savings of more than €1 billion. A series of meetings and mobilisations began on 13 (...)
Union organises protest over cuts to culture sector
The KKDSZ trade union, representing workers in museums, libraries and other cultural institutions is organising a demonstration on 22nd January, traditionally the Day of Hungarian Culture, to coincide with the presentation of awards by the Minister of Culture. The aim of the protest is to highlight the impact of cuts on the culture sector which have included laying off 20% of the workforce since January. The county museums and libraries have become state-owned without any negotiations with (...)
Unions continue to protest over pay cuts
Over one year after their dispute began, the Unite and UNISON trade unions are maintaining their industrial action campaign in protest at pay cuts imposed by Southampton City Council. At a recent meeting the unions agreed to continue action short of a strike, to organise a lobby of the council on 15 February and to plan for a major demonstration and strike action in April. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > Unite (...)
Negotiations with local authorities will focus on job security
FNV Abvakabo and other unions will restart negotiations with local government employers on 31 January with a main focus on job security. The unions want a good agreement to protect municipal employees affected by restructuring. They are also looking to protect purchasing power and decent work. The municipal agreement effectively expired eight months ago and the unions will be looking for some positive responses from the employers on 31 January or more actions may follow. Read more at > FNV (...)
Unions signs agreement with local council to tackle pay inequality
The GMB general union has signed a collective agreement with Dudley Council in the West Midlands region of England that addresses previous problems of gender pay inequality in the pay structure. Read more at > GMB (EN)
Minister makes positive statement on jobs and warns about outsourcing
Minister for Public Administration and Local Government Henna Virkkunen has told Motivi, the magazine of the JHL public sector union, that the need with one third of the municipal workforce due to retire by 2020 and with additional demands on many services, there will be plenty of job opportunities in the sector in coming years. This was also to reassure workers over the likely impact of a racial reorganisation of the local government sector which could see the number of municipalities (...)
Pay freeze in 2012 means 13% loss of purchasing power
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT public service federations have criticised the centre-right government for imposing a further pay freeze in the public sector in 2012. The previous socialist government had imposed an average 5% cut in 2010 followed by a pay freeze in 2011. Unions estimate that the combined effect of these measures is that public sector workers will have seen the purchasing power of their salaries fall by 13% in real terms over three years. They have also criticised the freeze on (...)
Unions agree to further talks on local government pensions
The main municipal unions, UNISON and GMB, have agreed to undertake negotiations on changes to the local government pension scheme following commitments from the local government employers and the government. This follows the public sector-wide strike action on pensions on 30 November last year and confusion over the government position just before Christmas. The unions now think there is a reasonable framework for negotiations and that the feared significant short-term increase in employee (...)
Unions challenge minister on low pay in public sector
Seven public service federations (CFDT, CFTC, CGC, CGT, FSU, Solidaires and UNSA) have written a joint letter to the Public Service Minister on the question of minimum pay and the purchasing power of public sector workers. The unions are unhappy about the unilateral decision by the ministry to increase the minimum salary in the public sector to bring it in line with the national minimum wage that was recently increased by 2.1%, while maintaining an overall freeze on public sector pay. The (...)
Federal and local negotiations to begin on 1st March
Public services union ver.di is preparing for negotiations over one of the main public sector agreements that will begin on 1st March. These will cover Federal and Local Government; regional government workers are covered by a separate agreement. The collective bargaining committee for Federal and Local Government will meet on 9 February to decide on the main elements of this year’s pay claim. The agreement includes publicly-owned utilities and one of the aims of the negotiations will be to (...)
Municipal unions signs agreement covering technical workers
The Kommunal local government union has signed a new collective agreement with the EIO employers’ organisation. The agreement will cover workers employed by EIO companies that provide technical and property services to local and regional authorities. The agreement provides for adult rates of pay at the age of 18 with a minimum pay rate of SEK 16600 (€1875) a month rising to SEK 18000 (€2030) in the second year plus any negotiated increase. The agreement includes details on skills development, (...)
Regional government agrees to minimum wage in contracts
The regional government of North-Rhine Westfalia has implemented new procurement regulations that include a requirement on contractors to comply with a minimum wage of €8.62 an hour. The rules also require compliance with collective agreements in the transport sector along with ILO conventions and measures relating to women workers and the environment. Read more at > WSI/Böckler (...)
Collective bargaining claim focuses on Improved conditions for young and temporary workers
The Vision white-collar union has submitted its pay and conditions claim to the KFS employers’ organisation. The claim covers Vision’s 7400 members who work for private companies providing services in local government, energy and water. As well as a general pay increase the union is calling for temporary workers to get permanent contracts if they have been on temporary contracts for two years. It also wants employees to have more control over their working time as well as additional leave for (...)
Mixed reactions to pension proposals
Following the public sector wide strike on 30 November, the government has come up with revised proposals for the various public sector schemes which unions are now trying to evaluate. In the health sector the government is now saying that those within 10 years of retirement will not be affected and there will be no contributions increase next year for those earning less than £26000 (€31300) a year. This goes some way to meeting union demands. In local government the unions – Unison, Unite and (...)
Unions submit claim for 2012
The Vision and SSR white-collar and graduates trade unions have set out their key demands in the forthcoming negotiations that cover 140,000 workers in local and regional government. They are looking for increases in real wages for all members with a minimum outcome of 3.6%; measures to address the structural differences in pay between female and male-dominated occupations; better conditions and greater security for temporary workers; improved conditions for young academics, including (...)
Negotiations in local government set to resume in new year
The FNV Abvakabo public service union and other unions in the municipal sector have been exploring with the employers the possibility of resuming collective bargaining in the new year. The last agreement expired in June 2011 and the unions have been organizing protest actions over several months to keep the pressure on the employers. The central issue for the trade unions is job security. Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (...)
Figures expose fall in public sector pay in relation to minimum wage
Inflation in the year to October 2011 at 2% has lead to an automatic increase in the minimum wage to €1393.82 a month. This has major implications for the public sector where pay has failed to keep pace with inflation for many years. Even the government acknowledges that nearly a fifth of all public sector workers (890,000 out of five million) will see their pay increase as a result of the rise in the minimum wage. The CGT points out that this exposes the extent to which public sector pay (...)
Regions plan further cuts
The FSC-CCOO services federation has attacked the planned cuts announced by the Catalonian regional government on 30 November, saying that the cuts to pay, employment and working conditions will mean undoing 30 years of progress. Cuts in staff could mean the termination of contracts of temporary workers who make up 25%-30% of all regional government employees. The union also points out that this means an attack on collective bargaining and the collective agreements that have been signed in (...)
Municipal agreement includes 2.4% increase in first year
The new collective agreement for some 350,000 municipal employees has been endorsed, following the cross-sectoral framework agreement signed in October. The agreement takes effect on 1 January 2012 and expires on 28 February 2014. The increase in the first 13 months will be 2.4%. This includes 1.7% from 1 January 2012 with the remaining 0.7% of the pay increase used for financing qualitative changes in the agreement such as six days of paid paternity leave and the scrapping of regulations (...)
Report reveals failure of rehabilitation at work
The Kommunal local government union has published a report exposing the poor performance of employers in the sector when it comes to rehabilitation. According to the survey only one in 10 workers return to work after injury thanks to rehabilitation services provided by employers and only 15% of employers adapt work for workers. Kommunal believes that there should be sanctions applied against employers who fail to provide adequate rehabilitation services. It also argues that there should be (...)
No response to unions’ 4.65% pay claim
Public sector unions GÖD and GDG-KMSFB have submitted a 4.65% pay claim for 2012. The amount is based on compensation for inflation (2.95%) plus a half of the overall rate of economic growth (3.45%). The unions say they are determined to secure an increase in purchasing power for all public sector workers. Read more at > GDG-KMSFB (DE)
Unions organize action in support of local authority pay claim
The FNV Abvakabo and CNV Publieke Zaak trade unions organized demonstrations in Rotterdam and the Hague on 2 November in protest at the break down of collective bargaining in the sector. The actions stressed the way that work in the sector was being “dehumanized” with money now more important than the quality of work and the quality of services. Further actions were being planned in Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Leidschendam. Read more at > CNV Publieke Zaak (...)
Union challenges bonus scheme to reduce sickness absence
The FOA public services union is critical of an initiative to reduce sickness absence by the Billund local authority in the Southern Denmark region. The council is paying an attendance bonus and it may be taken up by other municipalities. FOA argues that if sickness absence seems to high then there this raises questions about management responses and understanding the causes. The union makes the point that it people should not be forced to go to work if they are ill, particularly when they (...)
Report reveals reality of temporary employment in local government
A report by the Kommunal municipal union provides evidence about the nature of temporary employment in local government, with temporary workers being paid on average 12% less than those on permanent contracts. It also reveals that temporary workers are not predominantly young, with an average age of 35. Around 75% of temporary workers are women and seven in 10 would prefer to be in permanent employment. Read more at > Kommunal (...)
Higher pay for weekend work will be a priority for 2012
The Fagforbundet municipal union and the LO Confederation’s local authority section are agreed that one of the priorities in the 2012 negotiations will be higher pay for weekend work. This is an important demand for many workers and the union believes it will make a different to those on lower pay. The union will also raise the question of when the weekend begins and whether Friday evening and night work should also be covered. Read more at > Fagforbundet (...)
Council workers take further strike action against outsourcing
Members of UNISON working at Barnet Council in North East London organized a second day of strike action in their campaign against outsourcing. The Council has plans for a radical externalsation that could see 70% of council employees transferred to the private sector over the next 15 months. Read more at > UNISON And at > Barnet UNISON
Unions work together in campaign against outsourcing
The SIPTU and IMPACT public service trade unions organized a demonstration on 20 October in protest at plans by Fingal County Council, to the north of Dublin, to outsource waste collection services. The unions highlighted not only the threat to workers pay and conditions but the prospect of a poorer service and higher charges to citizens. Read more at > SIPTU (EN)
Unions maintain protests over pay cuts
The Unison and Unite trade unions have organized further strike action against Southampton City Council in the south of England in protest at pay cuts imposed in the summer. Over 4,000 workers were affected by the cuts when the council sacked them and re-employed them on contracts with inferior pay and conditions. Unison members have also been taking strike action over pay cuts at Shropshire County Council in the Midlands while the union has managed to regain recognition at Plymouth City (...)
Union argues that agreements needed on role of volunteers
As 2011 is the European year of volunteering, it is appropriate that the FOA public services has surveyed its members to find their views on volunteer work. While nine out of 10 are fully supportive of the work done by volunteers in the social services, just over a quarter are concerned that some volunteer work involves tasks that should really be carried out by professionals. FOA suggests that the union at the workplace should be involved in discussions with volunteer organisations to (...)
Street cleaners protest over threat to transfer jobs
Unions organized a demonstration on 22 September over proposals to transfer 600 street cleaners from the Brussels region to local authorities. The unions are concerned that the issue of the employment conditions of the workers has not been dealt with and they are surprised by the unexpected announcement of the transfer as the government and region had appeared to put any restructuring plans on hold. The regional government gave assurances that any proposed changes to the service will be (...)
Local government challenges Mediation Office’s narrow view on wages
The Kommunal municipal trade union has criticized the National Mediation Office for its narrow view of the scope for pay bargaining and failure to acknowledge the need for action to close the gender pay gap. The union agrees that wage developments should take into account the pressures facing the manufacturing and export industries but that there has to be scope for some flexibility otherwise the lower paying sectors that are dominated by women workers will never catch up with other sectors (...)
Municipal union argues for larger equal pay pot
The Kommunal municipal union was disappointed by the decision of three other unions in the LO confederation not to support a larger element allocated to equal pay in forthcoming negotiations. The general aim is for a pay increase of 3.5% with a minimum increase of 850 Skr (€94) a month. Kommunal also wants an extra 100 Skr (€11) to go to workers where the average wage is less than 22400 Skr (€2434) a month. Kommunal argues that it is unfair for workers in social care to get on average 2600 Skr (...)
Regional government tears up agreement on union full timers
The regional government of Valencia has told the CCOO confederation that it will no longer honour an agreement to give trade union representatives full time off to carry out their duties. This will affect 197 trade union officials across the public services in the region – education, health, administration and justice. The regional authority claims this is a necessary cost cutting measure while the CCOO argues that this is a direct attack on the trade union, aimed at undermining its ability (...)
Union rejects calls for further cuts
The IMPACT public service union has stressed that the current agreement on public sector cost savings (Croke Park) is delivering and is on course to meet the 2011 targets in terms of savings and job reductions, with payroll savings alone of €290 million, 30% ahead of target. The union was reacting to statements by former European Central Bank director Jürgen Stark who also claimed that public sector pay in Ireland was too high. Read more at > IMPACT (...)
Union criticizes introduction of bonus payments in public service
The CGT-UGFF civil service federation is heavily critical of a new system of incentive payments introduced into the public sector. The union is not convinced that such payments, mirroring the profit-linked “prime d’intéressement” in the private sector, can really reflect performance in the public sector which depends on very different criteria. The CGT-UGFF also believes that no extra money will be available for the payments which will effectively be funded by job cuts. Read more at > CGT UGFF (...)
Unions take on tough local authority employers
The dispute with Southampton City Council in the South of England is continuing although the Unite and UNISON unions were due to re-open negotiations with the Council on 13 September. The dispute is over the council’s attempt to impose pay cuts and to sack over 4,000 employees and re-employ them on contracts with poorer pay and conditions. Meanwhile UNISON members are also taking action against Barnet Council in North East London. There the council is attempting to outsource most of its (...)
Unions fight back against local authorities
Local government trade unions are facing employers who are taking a tough line on pay cuts. In Plymouth in the South West the council has withdrawn recognition of UNISON for collective bargaining in response to the union’s rejection of proposals to cut workers’ pay. Meanwhile, the dispute over pay cuts at Southampton City Council is continuing with members of the Unite and UNISON trade unions taking strike action. Read more on Plymouth at > UNISON And further at > UNISON And on Southampton (...)
Latest figures on loss of purchasing power
The UGFF-CGT state sector federation has updated its figures on the loss of purchasing power faced by public sector workers since 2000. While inflation has risen by more than 21% over this period, the index point used to calculate public sector salaries has increased by only 9%. To show the impact of this, the UGFF-CGT gives examples of different salaries and what they would have been, had they kept up with inflation. The loss of purchasing power is anything from €181 to €538 per month, (...)
Unions continue their fight against Southampton City Council
On 11 July Southampton City Council in the South of England carried out its threat to sack thousands of employees and then re-employ them on worse pay and conditions. The Unite and UNISON trade unions organized a local demonstration on 13 July and are now running a three-pronged campaign against the council. They are continuing their industrial action and political campaigning. In addition, they have started legal proceedings against the council for the way in which it dealt with the (...)
Collective bargaining and social dialogue in public administration
The EIRO industrial relations observatory has published a survey looking at representation in the public administration sector across Europe. This includes information on the trade unions that organize in the sector and the structures of collective bargaining and social dialogue. There is a comparative overview as well as individual country reports. Read more at > EIRO (EN)
Report exposes high pay increases for heads of municipal and regional authorities
A report by the Kommunal municipal union looks at pay developments over a 10-year period and finds that managers in local authorities have seen their pay increase by 51% while directors of county (regional) authorities have received increases totalling 80%. In contrast, the average increase for workers has been 41%. If workers had had the same in increase as local managers then they would now be Skr1400 (€153) a month better off or Skr5700 (€623) better off if they had had the county (...)
Unions continue to negotiate public sector savings
The IMPACT public services union has welcomed the latest report on the savings and restructuring being carried out under the Croke Park national agreement. Staff redeployment, workplace reforms and increased productivity have all contributed to the reduction of costs and the maintenance of services. The unions’ commitment to the agreement means there will be no compulsory redundancies or further cuts in pay. Read more at > IMPACT (...)
Getting citizens to act on social dumping
The Fagforbundet municipal union and other local authority unions in the LO confederation are working together to raise the issue of social dumping. In the light of scandals involving contracting and sub-contracting in refuse collection and care homes, the unions are urging their members and local residents to use the right of the citizen’s initiative (requiring the support of 2% or 300 local citizens) to get municipalities to deal with any cases of social dumping. The unions want to see (...)
New government makes commitment on job security and productivity
The JHL public sector union has welcomed some of the elements of the new government’s programme. It is pleased about the commitment to offer a new job security agreement in the municipal sector when the current agreement expires in 2013. The union also welcomes the decision to end the productivity scheme in the state sector. This problems with this scheme were discussed in detail at EPSU’s recent meeting on productivity in the public services in Vilnius. Read more at > JHL (EN) And on the (...)
Unions step up their action at Southampton City Council
The Unison and Unite unions are in dispute with Southampton City Council in the South East of England where the management are threatening to sack over 4,000 workers and offer them their jobs back on poorer pay and conditions, including on average a 5% pay cut. Recent talks with the council have failed to produce any progress and so the unions are now involving more workers in the industrial action. The unions organised a demonstration through the city centre on 13 June to highlight their (...)
Strike action continues in protest at pay cuts
The Unite and Unison municipal unions have stepped up their industrial action at Southampton City Council in the South East England. The council wants to impose pay cuts and a pay freeze and its threatening to sack over 4,000 employees and re-employ them on contracts with poorer pay and conditions. Read more at > Unite And at > UNISON
City council takes action to regulate contractors
The municipality of Espoo, the second largest city in the country, is trying to clamp down on contractors and sub-contractors that fail to comply with tax and employment rules. This applies particularly to companies providing cleaning services in schools and day-care centres that will face fines if they are found to infringe legal and contractual requirements. Read more at > JHL (...)
Campaign to support musicians’ pay and conditions
The GDG-KMSFB municipal and arts trade union is backing a campaign to defend the pay and working conditions of members of the orchestra in Baden. Cuts to the budget mean the orchestra’s annual performances are being reduced by 50%. Orchestra members will only get a 10-month, instead of an annual contract and could see their pay cut by 20%. An online petition has been launched calling for the orchestra’s performances to be maintained and the workers’ conditions to be protected. Read more at > (...)
EPSU sends solidarity message to striking municipal workers in Southampton
(14 June 2011) - UPDATE: The Southampton city council actions of our colleagues of UNITE and UNISON is now entering its third week and has seen several strikes and other actions. For an update please find the newsletter which also gives an update on the various actions used. Several EPSU unions have sent messages of support and we have also asked the unions of the waste group to send messages of support to the striking workers.
(23 May 2011) Thousands of workers employed by Southampton (...)
Local government negotiations come to a halt
Despite trade unions offering to negotiate far-reaching reforms to the collective agreement in order to underpin job security, negotiations have stalled as local government employers are taking a hard line on both pay increases and changes to employment conditions. The unions say that pay rises of only 1% in 2011 and 2012 are inadequate with inflation expected to reach 2.5% in 2012. They also say that while they are willing to see changes to the collective agreement to allow more (...)
Union again defends pay in local government
Having already responded to government projections for future pay increases, municipal union Kommunal has now criticised finance minister Anders Borg for saying that starting salaries in local government are too high. General secretary Annelie Nordström said it was hard to believe that anyone could say a gross salary of SEK 16070 (€1788) was too high and furthermore, with so many women workers on part-time hours, many were earning much less than this. Read more at > Kommunal (...)
Local authorities need to work harder to recruit graduates
The SKTF white collar union for local government argues that municipalities need to do more to attract graduates to the sector. A survey earlier in the year showed that many students are unaware of the range of jobs and career development opportunities available in local government. Municipalities are trying to do more and another survey found that six out of 10 authorities were promoting themselves in colleges, up from four in 10 last year. Read more at > SKTF (...)
Living wage in London increases to £8.30 an hour
The living wage, as calculated by the Greater London Authority (GLA), is now at £8.30 (€9.42). The amount is a cost-of-living calculation and is used by the GLA as a minimum pay rate for contractors. There are now 3,000 workers employed by companies with contracts with the GLA who are guaranteed the living wage. Other public institutions around London also apply the living wage in their countries, including most recently London Metropolitan University. Read more at > (...)
Firefighters set up protest camp in park
Firefighters employed by the Madrid authorities have set up camp in the Paseo del Prado to highlight to local citizens the state of the city’s parks and problems around staffing shortages, lack of investment and the poor state of vehicles. The union says the problem has deteriorated over the last 18 months, contributing to an accident in the park near Plaza de Manuel Becerra in which three firefighters were injured. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (...)
Union challenges minister over wage increases
Blue-collar local government union Kommunal has attacked the government for calling for wage moderation in the public sector. The union is particularly angry about the fact that this will mean a sector dominated by women will be getting lower increases than sectors dominated by men and so will increase the gender pay gap. Official government projections for wage increases in industry and construction for the years 2012-2015 are 3.5%, 3.7%, 3.8% and 3.8%. In contrast, the projections for the (...)
Union argues that job cuts will affect services
The FOA public services union says that the number of employees in the municipal sector fell by 21,300 between March 2010 and January 2011. The union argues that the government overestimated the impact of the crisis on the economy and didn’t need to implement a standstill budget. FOA maintains that the level and quality of services cannot be guaranteed with such a high level of staff cuts. In a separate statement it also highlighted problems in the childcare sector with childminders being (...)
Minimum increase of NOK 7000 for local government workers
Municipal unions have negotiated a pay increase for 2011. Workers get a 1.72% increase from 1 May but there is a minimum rise of NOK 7000 (€882). There will be a new minimum annual salary of NOK 222,200 (€28,028) for workers aged 16-18 while the lowest rate for unskilled workers rises to NOK 246,800 (€31,131). Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO)
Report emphasizes need for better pay and conditions in eldercare
Municipal workers’ union Kommunal has published a new report that reveals a dramatic decline in the number of young people interested to work in elder care. It points out that the average salary for a nurse in the sector is several thousand less than that of an industrial worker, while working hours also make the job less attractive with frequent weekend service and split shifts. The sector has a high proportion of hourly-paid and temporary employment workers with 60% working part time. (...)
Union calls for regions to implement pay deal following large vote in favour
Ver.di members in regional government voted 83% in favour of the recently negotiated pay deal that runs to December 2012. The deal includes a 1.5% increase this year plus €360 as a lump sum. The increase in 2012 will be a flat-rate amount of €17 per month plus 1.9% which the union says is worth around 2.55%. Ver.di is now urging all regional governments (except Hesse and Berlin that have separate agreements) to implement the new agreement immediately. This is in response to threats from (...)
Low turnout but large “yes” vote for local and regional government deal
The two-year agreement in local and regional government has been approved by the members of the main municipal union FOA. The union was pleased about the 84% “yes” vote but conceded that the lack of enthusiasm for the deal probably explained the low turnout of only 32.6%. At the time of the last agreement in 2008, the turnout was 65.2%. The FOA hopes that the modest pay increase (0% in 2011 and 2.65% in 2012) will be acknowledged by the employers and that they won’t push for further cuts and (...)
Deal agreed in regional government
A new collective agreement covering 580,000 employees in regional government has been approved by ver.di’s collective bargaining committee. There will be a lump sum payment of €360 (€120 for trainees) plus a pay increase of 1.5% from 1 April this year. Ver.di estimates this to be worth around 2.3% overall. There will be a further pay increase on 1 January 2012, consisting of 1.9% plus €17 (€6 for trainees) that ver.di calculates as an overall increase of 2.55%. The union also believes that a new (...)
Over 500 years to achieve equal pay!
The FOA public service union says that progress to equal pay in the public sector could take over 500 years if future agreements follow the one just negotiated in local and regional government. Although the agreement did include some provisions for tackling the pay gap, if progress was the same for each future round of collective bargaining over a three-year period then it would take 178 agreements to close the 18% pay gap in the municipal sector. The union argues that parliament needs to (...)
Union reveals pay gap between male and female-dominated sectors
The SKTF white-collar local government union has produced a new report demonstrating how workers doing the same job are on very different salaries depending on whether they work in a sector dominated by women or men. Taking the example of an economist, the union shows that on average the monthly salary for this occupation is Kr29500 (€3310) in the municipal sector (dominated by women) but Kr 41000 (€4600) in the private sector (dominated by men). SKTF is calling for a major initiative to (...)
Unions sign new agreement on municipal services
Municipal unions Fagforbundet, YS Kommune and Delta have signed a new agreement that focuses on working with the employers to improve local services. The agreement, a follow up to the initiative on quality municipal services run from 2005, includes several different elements including action on sickness absence, recruitment and competence, providing full-time work and improving the image of local government. The agreement comes shortly after scandals of low pay and poor working conditions (...)
Further conflict possible in municipal sector
Local government unions FNV Abvakabo and CNB Publieke Zaak are concerned that municipal employers will go back on their agreement to pay a 1% salary increase this year. The rise was dependent on union commitments to negotiate on delivering efficiency savings, reducing bureaucracy and modernizing the collective agreement. The unions are putting forward a range of measures and argue that the employers should take a longer term view rather than just focusing on the need to ensure that (...)
Warning strikes back up ver.di negotiators
Around 15,000 regional government employees were involved in warning strikes in Düsseldorf, Saarbrücken and Frankfurt at the end of February and beginning of March. The aim of the strikes was to show the strength of feeling of workers in the lead up to the next round of bargaining on 9 March. Ver.di has submitted a claim of €50 plus 3% but with the employers only indicating so far that this is too high. The employers also argue that regional government has no money but ver.di’s response is to (...)
Pay deals agreed in municipal and state sectors
Unions in the state and municipal sectors have managed to secure improved offers from the employers. In the municipal sector there will be a 1.2% rise on 1 May 2011 plus 0.8% for local negotiations. In addition, a €100 bonus for many employee groups - will be paid in May. Overall, the cost impact of the agreement is 2.4%, in line with the projected rate of inflation. The agreement expires at the end of 2011. In the state sector wages and salaries will be raised by 1.3% backdated to 1 (...)
Two-year agreement in municipal and regional government
After some difficult bargaining the negotiations covering workers in municipal and regional government have ended and union members now have the chance to vote on the deals. In a similar way to the state sector agreement, there will be no pay increase in 2011 (this relates to links with private sector pay developments) but the pay rise in 2012 will be 2.65%. One disappointment for the unions was not getting any job security provisions at a time when hospitals are cutting jobs. However, (...)
Increase to employee contributions could undermine local government pensions
Unions in local government have been joined by Conservative politicians in warning that an increase to employee contributions by as much as 3% of earnings could threaten the viability of the scheme. It is possible that many workers could opt out of the scheme if required to pay more and if this is combined with the numbers leaving the scheme because of job cuts, then this could pose a real problem in terms of future funding. Read more at > UNISON And at > (...)
Unions mobilise 50,000 for regional demonstration
The FS-CCOO and FSP-UGT public service federations are continuing their fight against austerity policies around the country. On 1 March they organized a demonstration of 50,000 people in protest at the regional government’s budget plans. The unions are refusing to sign an agreement with the regional government and are calling for the resignation of the president. The unions argue that the cuts will not just affect public employees but will also threaten local services. Read more at > (...)
Latest on municipal and state sector negotiations
Public service union JHL has rejected a pay offer for municipal workers that would mean an increase of less than 1.0% for 2011. The employers’ offer consists of 0.8% from 1 May and then a locally negotiated increase of 0.7% from 1 September. The union is aiming to negotiate an increase that at least protects workers against price increases and inflation is currently 2.4%. In the state sector the Pardia trade union is also looking for an across-the-board increase to protect purchasing power. (...)
Latest figures show 10-year pay trend below inflation
The FGFFO civil service trade union has produced a briefing on public sector pay that shows that the basic annual increase has exceeded inflation in only one of the last 11 years. The loss in purchasing power over the period is around 8%. Inflation in 2011 is expected to reach 2% while pay has been frozen until 2013. The UGFF-CGT federation has carried out a similar exercise including calculations for a sample of salary grades indicating what the loss of purchasing power means for gross (...)
Waste workers threatened strike action over outsourcing
The SIPTU members at South Dublin County Council have voted for strike action in protest at the council’s unilateral decision to privatize the waste collection service. The unions says that it has been working with management over improvements to the service and the council’s decision is in conflict with the national Croke Park agreement and earlier national agreements that give priority to using in-house labour. Read more at > SIPTU (...)
Equal pay victory for municipal workers
Around 900 women working for Bury council in the North West of England are set to benefit from a ruling from the Employment Appeal Tribunal on equal pay. The jobs mainly carried out by women (such as carers, cooks, cleaners, support workers) were compared to jobs of equal value predominantly carried out by men (including refuse collectors, gardeners and drivers). The basic rates for the jobs were similar but bonuses and attendance allowances were only available for “male” jobs which could (...)
Firefighters’ union calls for action to tackle attacks
The FOA public services union has called on the local authorities and police to respond to the rise in incidents of violence directed against firefighters. The union says that there should also be a more long-term initiative to educate young people about the role of the fire service. Read more at > FOA (DK)
Unions take to the streets in lead up to negotiations
The ver.di services union and dbb civil service union are co-operating in a week of activities to highlight the work of regional government employees. In the week of 24-28 January there will be a series of events in major cities that will focus on different occupations – such as hospital and college employees, teachers and tax workers. The unions want to emphasise the important services provided by these works and the challenging working conditions they fact. The unions want a 3% pay (...)
No progress in bargaining with regional government
The FOA public service union is concerned about the lack of progress in the main collective bargaining with the regional and local authority employers. The current three-year agreements expire at the end of March and the FOA says that negotiations are already well behind schedule with the regional employers refusing to budge on their demand to abolish extra leave for older workers and also rejecting union proposals for extra protection for shop stewards curing restructuring and (...)
Unions attack local government employers for failure to make pay offer
The three local government unions, UNISON, Unite and GMB, have criticised local government employers for failing to respond to the unions’ pay claim. The unions point out that last year pay was frozen and the employers didn’t even pay the £250 payment for those earning under £21000 a year that had been part of the government’s budget. Furthermore, local government workers had suffered below-inflation increases for five years and were now looking at an increase in pension contributions of 3%. (...)
Unions protest against regional and local government in Madrid and Murcia
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT public service federations have organised protests and legal challenges against local government in Madrid and the regional government of Murcia. In both cases, the authorities have attempted to make changes to employment conditions which they have no legal right to do. Over 15,000 workers joined a demonstration in Murcia that called for the resignation of the president of the regional government. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES) And at > FSP-UGT (...)
Action on 20 January over precarious employment
The CGT federation representing local and regional government is organising a day of action, including strikes, on 20 January in protest at the spread of precarious employment conditions across the sector. The federation estimates that there are around a million workers in the public sector who don’t have full civil service status. The union is calling for all workers in the sector to be transferred to civil service conditions and restrictions placed on the extent to which local government (...)
Waste workers strike over threats to cut pay and change pay system
Refuse collection workers employed by Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in England, have taken strike action in defence of their pay. The Council has not only threatened to cut their pay by around £4000 (€4720) a year but has also said it wants to change the salary system so that workers will be paid on the basis of the amount of rubbish they collect. Read more at > Unite (...)
Regional government pay claim of €50 plus 3%
A pay claim of €50 plus 3% has been put forward by ver.di’s collective bargaining committee for regional government. The agreement covers 585,000 workers in 14 of Germany’s 16 Länder (Berlin and Hesse are covered by separate agreements). The pay agreement would also normally be extended to cover the 1.07 million civil servants in the regions. Ver.di says that the level of the increases reflects the need to keep up with living costs and with salary levels in federal and local government. The (...)
Unions get meeting with Minister before Christmas
FNV Abvakabo and other public sector unions are due to meet the Minister on 23 February in order to try to make some progress on negotiations for a new collective agreement covering civil servants. So far the employers have offered neither a pay increase nor any negotiations on the job losses arising from public spending cuts. Meanwhile after tough negotiations in the last bargaining rounds in the municipalities and provinces, unions are already preparing themselves for negotiations next (...)
Local government unions react to 3% pension contribution increase
UNISON, Unite and the GMB, the three main unions in local government have criticised the government for imposing a three percentage point increase in pension contributions on local government workers. Local government pensions are paid out of funded schemes and so do not form part of the public sector’s deficit. The unions are particularly concerned about the impact of the increase on low-paid workers and the risk that many will withdraw from the scheme. Read more at > UNISON And at > GMB (...)
Unions angry at abolition of schools negotiating body
Public service union UNISON is consulting its members over the possibility of strike action in protest at the government’s plans to abolish the Schools Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). The SSSNB was only set up in 2009 and is responsible for negotiations covering around 500,000 school staff, including teaching assistants, administrative, technical and other non-teaching staff. UNISON sees it as an important step in providing a national pay structure, particularly teaching assistants. (...)
Local government unions put in claim for £250
The three local government unions – UNISON, GMB and Unite – have submitted a claim for a £250 (€282) for next year (April 2011-March 2012). The unions argue that their members cannot put up with another year of pay freeze. This year local government pay was frozen even though the government said that workers on less than £21000 (€23700) could get £250. Two thirds of local government workers are below the £21000 threshold. Read more at > (...)
Firefighters protest over government plans
Over 400 firefighters joined a demonstration in Lisbon on 20 October to protest against government proposals for the fire service. The STAL and STML unions argue that the plans are about getting a fire service on the cheap and fail to provide for a professional service with proper pay and career structure and taking full account of appropriate health and safety standards and working time. Read more at > STAL (...)
Unions and employers sign European agreement to tackle third-party violence
EPSU joined with education federation ETUCE and services federation UNI-Europa in signing a new European agreement on third-party violence. The multi-sector agreement was negotiated with employers in the local and regional government and health sectors along with employers in the education, retail and security sectors. The agreement calls for increasing awareness and understanding of the issue among employers, workers and public authorities and underlines the need to properly assess the (...)
Union pleased at 70% support for national strike
The STAL local government union believes that the public sector pay freeze and other attacks on local government meant a high level of support for its one-day strike on 20 September. The union says that workers supported the strike even in areas where it is not so strong. The strike was in protest at government policies but in particular in its attempts to undermine collective bargaining in local government and to impose new working time regulations. Read more at > STAL (...)
Flat-rate claim to protect low paid workers
The public services union FOA is arguing for a flat-rate pay claim in the next municipal sector negotiations. The current three-year agreement expires at end of March 2011. The union points out that it is a very tough bargaining environment with the government demanding a freeze on public sector spending. FOA says that low paid workers have seen their pay increase by around 40% over the last 10 years, in contrast to the 100% increase enjoyed by managers. The union is also concerned about (...)
National protest against wage cut proposals
Public sector workers including health employees, firefighters and police are set to join a demonstration on 21 September against government plans to cut civil service pay in 2011. The proposals are part of the budget cuts put forward by the new government and the health union warns of the risk that the cuts could be deeper than the 10% being talked about. Unions are also concerned about planned government reforms of the Labour Code which they believe are aimed at weakening employee rights (...)
Unions to demonstrate against pay freeze
Public sector unions are building for a major demonstration on 22 September in protest at the government’s plans to freeze pay in 2011 as part of cuts strategy. Unions in the state sector are calling for an increase of 5.3% next year. Read more at > Polish news website (EN)
Union wins potentially important equal pay victory
The Equality Tribunal has ordered a local authority to award a female after-school service manager the same pay as managers in the technical services department. The case was pursued by Else Marie Nygaard with the support of the YS union and pay comparisons showed her receiving a salary that was between NOK2000 and NOK30000 (€2000-€3750) less than a manager in the mainly male technical services section. The decision could have important implications for pay levels in local authorities. Read (...)
Regional authorities look to reinstate minimum pay rules in procurement
The WSI trade union research institute has found that regional authorities are pursuing various possibilities to set up or re-establish procurement rules that require contractors to bide by relevant collective agreements. They have been reviewing the situation since 2008 when the European Court ruled against Lower Saxony in the Rüffert case. Following the case 10 regional authorities set aside their procurement rules. Now four have introduced new rules and five are planning changes this (...)
Local government employers in Scotland impose pay freeze
Unions have reacted angrily to the decision by the COSLA Scottish local government employers to impose a pay freeze on 150,000 council workers. COSLA had offered a three-year deal with 1% in 2010, 0% in 2011 and 0.5% in 2012. This was rejected by unions but instead of negotiating the employers have moved to impose a worse deal with a 0.65% increase this year followed by two years of pay freeze. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > Unite (EN) And at > Herald news site (...)
Union organizes week of protests in lead up to national demonstration
The STAL local government union organized a series of protests near the prime minister’s office in the week beginning 23 August. The union is protesting about government policy towards local government and in particular restrictions of the collective bargaining process and plans to introduce greater working time flexibility. Read more at > STAL (PT)
Outsourcing agreement in waste sector
The SIPTU general union has negotiated a deal to ensure that the “Croke Park” national agreement provisions on outsourcing are applied to the waste sector in Dublin. The union had threatened strike action against Dun Laoghaire council because it had intended to outsource waste collection services to the private company Panda without any consultation. The “Croke Park” agreement makes clear that public sector employers can only outsource after full consultation with the trade unions. There will (...)
Rejection of local government deal in Scotland - dispute in rest of UK
Local government union members in Scotland have voted by a massive majority to reject a three-year agreement that would have provided increases of 1% this year, followed by a pay freeze and then 0.5% in 2012. The local government unions, UNISON, GMB and Unite, will meet to discuss their pay campaign. Meanwhile, the same unions have registered a dispute with local government employers in the other main agreement that covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Unions are angry that employers (...)
Local government strike planned for 20 September
The STAL local government union is continuing its campaign of protest against government policy and in defence of employee rights in the public sector. After a series of rallies in August, it will organise a one-day strike on 20 September and on 29 September will join the CGTP-IN national demonstration in support of the ETUC’s European day of action. Read more at > STAL (PT)
Federation challenges opening up of public sector to employment agencies
The FSP-UGT public services federation has published a report examining the question of employment agencies and whether a change in the law will allow unlimited use of agency workers across public administration from 1 January 2011. The Federation is not convinced that the law will remove all restrictions on employment agencies and says that it will maintain its opposition to their use on the grounds that they imply an increase in precarious employment conditions and lead to outsourcing and (...)
ETUC criticises court judgement on pensions
A recent ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) provides another example of economic freedoms taking precedence over social rights, according to the ETUC. The case involved collective agreements between local authorities and trade unions in Germany that specified who would provide pensions. The ECJ ruled that procurement rules should apply to authorities above a certain size and so the provision of pension services had to be open to tender in line with EU rules. ETUC general (...)
Unions win €1.2 million for privatised care workers
The UNISON and GMB public service unions have won €1.2 million in compensation for 117 care workers who had new contracts imposed on them by the Excelcare company when it won a contract from Essex County Council in the South East of England. The workers saw their pay cut by 40% at the time of privatisation. The unions pursued the matter through the courts using the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations based on the European Acquired Rights Directive. Read more at > UNISON And at > (...)
Industrial action threatened over waste privatisation
The SIPTU trade union agreed to talks at the Labour Relations Commission over a dispute over privatisation but says its members working for Dun Laoghaire council, just to the South East of Dublin, may still take industrial action. The union is angry that the council decided unilaterally to outsource the waste service to a company called Panda. This is not just counter to earlier agreements on outsourcing in the public sector but also to the commitment in the recent national Croke Park (...)
Firefighters take action over cuts and contracts
Firefighters organised by the CGIL, CSIL and UIL public service federations were involved in a national four-hour stoppage on 20 July. The unions organised the protest in response to government plans for budget cuts and demands to conclude a new collective agreement as the previous one expired two and a half years ago. Read more at > FP CGIL (IT)
Day of action on 8 July
Unions in the CGTP confederation are backing a day of action on 8 July as part of the continuing campaign against government austerity measures. The STAL union argues that after the support shown by 300,000 workers on 29 May, it was important to maintain the pressure on the government and its proposals to freeze salaries and attack services and other conditions of employment. Read more at > STAL (...)
Seven union organizations co-ordinate action over pensions
Unions plan to continue their protests and resistance against government plans to raise the pension age. The CGT, CFDT, FO, CFCT, FSU, Solidaires and UNSA argue that the proposals fail to take account of workers, particularly women, with irregular contribution records and those employed in difficult and dangerous occupations. Following the day of action on 29 June, the unions are committed to maintain their opposition throughout the legislative process and will organize the next day of (...)
Over a million workers demonstrate over government austerity measures
The CGIL confederation organized a national strike on 25 June with its members in the private sector called out for a four-hour stoppage while the FP-CGIL public sector federation organized a 24-hour strike in the public sector. The confederation estimates that over a million people joined demonstrations around the country in protest against the government’s planned spending cuts that include a three-year pay freeze for public sector workers and cuts in productivity payments. Read more at > (...)
Confederations unite in fifth general strike against austerity measures
The ADEDY public sector and GSEE private sector union confederation organized their fifth general strike on 29 June in protest against government cuts to the social security system and changes to employment legislation. Read more at > ADEDY (EL) And at > Bloomberg news website (EN)
Federations pose legal challenge to government pay cuts
The three public service federations in the CCOO confederation – Citizens Services, Education and Health – have come together to challenge the legality of the government imposed pay cuts. They argue, for example, that the government cannot rely on the need to take emergency measures as the crisis had been known about for some time and so could not be claimed to an “extraordinary and urgent necessity”. The federations also argue that the government has undermined fundamental rights and in (...)
Local government employers refuse pay rise for lowest paid
The Coalition government recently announced a two-year pay freeze for public sector workers on an annual salary of £21,000 (€25,300) or more. However, unions have criticized the local government employers for refusing to pay even a £250 increase to those below that threshold. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
Federation looks to lower level bargaining on pay
The FPS-CISL public services federation has attacked the government’s plans for a three-year pay freeze for public sector workers. However, the union also believes that lower level bargaining offers an opportunity to negotiate productivity improvements and pay increases for workers. It wants the government to reiterate its support for decentralized bargaining, to confirm that funds for local bargaining will be maintained and that there will be union involvement in negotiating restructuring (...)
Union agrees two-year deals with KFS employer association
The Kommunal municipal union has signed 10 two-year agreements with the KFS employers’ organization. KFS brings together 600 companies with around 35,000 employees providing a range of municipal services – consulting, museums, health and education, for example. Around 80% of the KFS member companies are owned by local authorities while the rest are partially or wholly privately owned. Kommunal believes the agreements are in line with the overall settlement in the municipal sector. They (...)
Unions walk out of government talks on pay
The eight union organizations in the public sector (CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires and CGC) twice walked out of meeting with the government at the end of June. On 25 June they ended the meeting when the government failed to make any response to their demands that action was needed to address the 9% loss of purchasing power since 2000. On 30 June they walked out demanding that the government open proper negotiations after being told that the 2010 pay increase would be 0.5% as set (...)
General strike called for 29 September
Following the public sector strike on 8 June, the main confederations have called for a general strike on 29 September in protest at the government plans for public spending cuts and labour law reforms. This is the date of the ETUC’s European-wide mobilization with its key demands of “No cuts, more growth.” The Spanish unions have other action planned in the meantime with mobilizations in the regions on 30 June and then in Madrid on 9 September. Read more at > FSC CCOO (ES) And at > FSP UGT (...)
Municipal strike ends with a 3.5% overall increase for employees
An agreement was reached in the municipal sector after two weeks of strike action, the most significant industrial action in the country for over 30 years. Overall the deal is worth around 3.5% and includes amounts for local agreements as well as provisions for tackling the gender pay gap which was a key element of the unions’ demands. The basic general increase is 2.1% or 7100 NOK. Read more at > Norway Post website (EN) And at > Fagforbundet (...)
Federation follows demonstration with strike action
The FP CGIL public services federation has reacted to government plans to cut public spending by organizing a national demonstration on 12 June and this will be followed by a national public strike in most regions on 25 June (with action in some regions on 2 July). The cuts will have a direct impact on public sector workers’ pay. Previously agreed pay increases will be reduced and workers are also likely to lose the productivity-related elements of their salaries. Read more at > FP CGIL (IT) (...)
Confederations continue to protest
A national rally organized on 16 June was the most recent action co-ordinated by the ADEDY public sector and GSEE private sector trade union confederations. The protest was not only over the cuts in public sector pay that will see workers lose up to 35% of pay in real terms over the next four years, but also in opposition to the wide range of other measures the government is pushing through including changes to labour law that will undermine collective agreements. Read more at > ADEDY (...)
Majority of public services unions vote to accept deal with government
The public services unions in the ICTU confederation have voted to accept the so-called Croke Park deal. The agreement commits the government not to cut public service pay again, and to begin the process of reversing recent pay cuts as savings flow from the substantial reforms set out in the deal. It also contains a government commitment to avoid compulsory redundancies, plus important safeguards on pensions and outsourcing. Public service pay has been cut by an average of 14% over the last (...)
National demonstration planned over pension reforms
Five union organizations (CFDT, CGT, FSU, Solidaires and UNSA) are mobilizing for a demonstration on 24 June in protest at government plans to increase the retirement age and employees’ pension contributions. The unions argue that the changes will mean that as a result of the various breaks in their careers many women will have to work until the age of 65 to get a full pension. They point out that generally the reforms don’t acknowledge the scale of the gender pensions gap nor the need to (...)
Lay-offs, recruitment freezes and lack of cover force sick employees go to work
A survey of municipal workers by the FOA public services union found that more than half had gone to work when they should have taken sick leave. The respondents said that their workloads had increased with 25% experiencing lay-offs of fellow workers and 46% saying there was a freeze on recruitment in their workplace. The union also points out that often employers fail to provide agency staff when they are needed to cover sickness absence. Read more at > FOA (...)
Public sector workers strike against pay cuts
A public-sector wide strike on 31 May was followed by further action on 1 June as unions protested against a government-imposed 25% cut in pay. Workers in local government, prisons, hospitals, transport and other services were involved. Further action may follow in the health sector later in the month. Read more at > CBC news website (EN) And solidarity message at > EPSU (...)
Unions build for general strike on 8 June
Following demonstrations at the end of May, unions are mobilising for a general strike on 8 June in protest at government plans for massive cuts in public spending including a 5% cut in public sector workers’ pay. The FSC-CCOO federation argues that the cuts will have a regressive impact as workers on lower pay rates will suffer larger reductions than the higher paid. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES) And at > FSC-CCOO (ES) And at > FSP-UGT (ES) And at > FEP-USO (...)
Federation mobilizes for 12 June protests
The FP CGIL public services federation is planning a national demonstration on 12 June in protest at government proposals for cuts. The union says that public sector pay will be frozen until 2013, recruitment will also be frozen while half of those on fixed-term contracts will lose their jobs. The FP CSIL federation is not planning protests at the moment. It is running a campaign to get workers and citizens to expose waste and unproductive spending in the public sector with arguments that (...)
Massive demonstration against government austerity plans
An estimated 300,000 workers joined the protests on 29 May against government plans to cut public spending. Public service unions have attacked the government for its austerity measures. Apart from freezing pay the government also plans to cut a range of other payments including overtime and performance payments. There will be cuts in pay for some managers and officials as well as a freeze on recruitment and a block on career progression. Workers’ net salary will also be affected by a range (...)
Unions estimate a million workers supported demonstrations
The six unions that organized a day of action on 27 May estimate that around a million people got involved in some 176 demonstrations around the country. The CGT, CFDT, CFTC, FSU, Solidaires and UNSA called the protests in opposition to the government’s policies on the public sector, pay and pensions. After a meeting on 31 May the same group of unions agreed on another national mobilisation on 24 June. Read more at > CGT (FR) And at > CFDT (...)
Local government unions begin strike over pay
Trade unions in the municipal sector have rejected the employers’ latest offer and begun a strike in support of a higher pay increase. Local government employers had proposed a pay rise of around 3.3%, in line with the increase agreed in the state sector. However, municipal unions are claiming a higher increase in recognition of the fact that low pay is more of a problem in the local government sector. Read more at > news website (...)
Two-year agreement for blue-collar workers in local government
The Kommunal municipal union has signed new two-year agreement with the SALAR local government employers and Pacta employers’ association. The deal is worth 4.65% over two years and the union is particularly pleased about the increases on the minimum wage in the agreement and the setting up of a gender equality council to tackle inequality issues. The agreement also establishes a joint working party that will examine ways of creating more full-time jobs and look at working time. Read more (...)
Unions back agreement in principal to end long-running local government dispute
After more than three months of targeted industrial action unions in the local government sector have concluded in principle a new two-year agreement. The deal means increases of 1.5% this year and 0.5% next year. End of year bonuses will also go up by 0.5% with a higher increase for the lower paid. The agreement also includes a range of other elements including job security, measures to tackle workplace violence and initiatives on work-life balance. Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL) And at (...)
Provincial government dispute set to end
Unions and employers look to have resolved the conflict over pay in the provincial government sector after more than a year of negotiations and campaigning. The agreement runs from 1 June 2009 to 1 June 2011 and includes pay increases of 1.2% backdated to 1 January 2010 and a lump sum worth 0.5% of salary paid on 1 June to compensate for no pay increase during the last six months of 2009. There will be another rise of 0.7% on 1 January 2011. The agreement also includes provisions on (...)
Equal pay ruling could be major breakthrough
Public services union UNISON believes that a ruling by an Employment Appeal Tribunal in Edinburgh could be a major breakthrough in its campaign for equal pay. Local authorities have tried to block claims by arguing that the jobs being compared have to be at the same workplace or covered by the same pay and conditions agreements. This ruling challenges that argument and means that some occupations, such as classroom assistants that are dominated by women can be more easily subjected to an (...)
Union plays role key in municipal reform
The JHL public sector reform reports that its involvement in consultations in the municipal sector have been crucial in ensuring that employees terms and conditions have been protected in the restructuring process. There has been a large number of mergers with the number of local authorities reduced from 432 to 342. Read more at > JHL (FI)
Unions react angrily to public sector pay cuts
Public service federations FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT have attacked the government for its sudden announcement of deep public spending cuts. The government wants to cut pay by 5% this year and freeze it next year. Most pensions will be frozen and a range of other measures will add up to €5 billion of cuts this year and €10 billion in 2011. Unions are angry at the way the government has broken agreements with the unions and wants to force public sector workers to suffer cuts in pay and pensions (...)
Government proposes 25% cuts in public sector pay
The government has announced that it wants to make deep cuts in public spending in 2011 to avoid having to call on the International Monetary Fund for further loans. Public sector pay could be cut by 25% and pensions by 15%. Unions and opposition parties are planning protests and the Sex Lex civil service federation is consulting members over strike action. Read more at > Sed Lex (RO) And at > SETimes (EN) Read more at > Irish Times (...)
Confederations plan next joint general strike for 20 May
The ADEDY public sector and GSEE private sector confederations have agreed to joint action on 20 May in the latest protest at the cuts being pushed through by the Greek government in accordance with demands from the European Commission and International Monetary Fund. The unions are focusing in particular on cuts to pensions and social security highlighting the fact that a major problem has been previous government failure to tackle the high levels of undeclared work that had reduced the (...)
Union decides to recommend acceptance of public service agreement
Following a key court ruling and further clarification from the Labour Relations Commission (LRC), the executive of the IMPACT public service union has decided that it will recommend that it members accept the public service agreement proposed by the government. The court ruled that important parts of an existing agreement covering performance management, outsourcing guarantees, premium pay rates and other issues would continue to be valid. The LRC also confirmed that unions would be fully (...)
Local government workers get 3.5% over two years
Around 100,000 white collar workers in local government, members of the SKTF union, are covered by a new two-year agreement that runs from 1 April 2010 to 30 April 2012. Pay can rise by 2% in 2010 and 1.5% in 2011 but there are no individual guarantees. Parental leave is increased from three to five months. Read more at > SKTF (SE)
Days of action on pay, jobs and pensions
Five trade union organisations have issued a joint call for a day of action on 27 May. The CGT, CFDT, UNSA, Solidaires and FSU will be mobilising in protest at government plans to freeze public spending for three years. The unions want to see increases in public sector pay and an end to job cuts. They are also concerned about proposals to change the pensions system and the fact that the government has allowed little time for consultation on the issue. Meanwhile the FO confederation has (...)
Municipal police plan strike action on 1 June
In the fact of government failure to negotiate, six trade unions representing municipal police have called for a day of strike action and demonstrations in key cities across France. Among the union demands are regradings for a number of occupations and a recognition of the hardship and risks faced by the police. Read more at > CFDT (FR)
Negotiations in municipal sector underway
The long-running dispute in the municipal sector has still not been resolved but unions and employers are negotiating. Further negotiations took place on 11 May and although an agreement was not finalised, there were hopes that a deal would be agreed soon. In the meantime unions are maintaining their protests and industrial action. Refuse workers and street cleaners in Amsterdam and Utrecht have been on strike in protest at the employers’ attempts to impose a pay freeze. Read more at > FNV (...)
Council uses code to tackle two-tier workforce
The May issue of UNISON’s Bargaining Update reports that Sheffield city council in the north west of England has told private contractor Chartwells that it must be all its staff working on the Sheffield school meals contract the same rates as those transferred from the Council in 2001. A Workforce Code of Practice was negotiated by unions, employers and the government in order to prevent the spread of a two-tier workforce in public sector contractors. The city council admits that the Code of (...)
Campaign against cuts continues
After a national public sector strike on 22 April, the civil service confederation ADEDY is calling on its members to support a general strike on 5 May, co-ordinated with the GSEE private sector confederation. Read more at > ADEDY (GR) And at > ERT news website (EN)
Union leader puts pressure on employers to act on equality
With pay negotiations underway, president of the Kommunal municipal workers’ union, Ylva Thorn, has called on local government employer organisations SKL and SALAR to put words into action and tackle the gender pay gap. Writing in the Dagbladet national newspaper, Thorn argues that employees working in female-dominated professions face higher levels of part-time work, job insecurity, work-related ill health and above all lower pay. She points out that with average pay at SEK 20750 (€2150) (...)
Unions reject further changes to pensions
Public service unions have made clear that they are unhappy about government proposals to change the pension age and calculation. The CGT local government federation wants to retain the right to retire at 60 and for a pension worth 75% of salary after a full career. It also called on the government to organise negotiations involving all the public service federations. FO’s civil service federation has attacked the conclusions of a report from the Pensions Advisory Council. The federation (...)
Union uses national demonstrations to protest against public sector pay freeze
After the public sector strike in March, the STAL public services union will be using two key national events to maintain the profile of its campaign against the government’s imposed pay freeze. On 25 April there will be a march to commemorate the anniversary of the 1974 revolution and this will be followed by the annual May Day events on 1 May. Read more at > STAL (PT)
Street cleaners’ strike to go ahead
A three-day strike by street cleaners in the Hague went ahead on 28 April despite attempts by the municipality to get the strike banned. The local authority tried to argue that the strike would raise safety issues but union lawyers were able to refer to much longer strikes in the past which had not posed a risk to safety. The dispute over pay between the unions and the VNG local authority employers’ has still not been resolved but there is now the prospect that talks will resume shortly. The (...)
Equal pay victory for women council workers
Hundreds of women working as cleaners and care assistants have won an equal pay case against Birmingham City Council, the biggest municipality in the country. The Emploment Tribunal agreed with the union’s case that the women had been unfairly denied bonuses that were paid to gardeners, refuse collectors and gravediggers, who are overwhelmingly male workers. The local authority has the right to appeal against the decision. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > GMB (...)
Unions divided over public service agreement
Public sector unions are divided over their response to the draft public service agreement that was drawn up to end industrial action over pay, pensions and jobs. The core of the agreement was the idea that public sector pay cuts would gradually be reversed if efficiency savings were made. The CPSU and Impact public sector unions argue that the agreement does not deliver real guarantees in terms of pay and pensions for their members and so they are recommending that their members vote (...)
Public sector confederation plans further strike action
The ADEDY civil service confederation has called a national strike on 22 April as part of its continuing campaign against government imposed cuts to the pay and conditions of public sector unions. The union argues strongly that its members should not pay for the crisis and also criticises the European Union for the way it has intervened in the Greek situation. Read more at > ADEDY (...)
Municipal union pulls out of ineffective agreement
The SKTF municipal union has announced that it is pulling out of an agreement because its members are not getting the pay increases that have been negotiated. The union has signed three agreements in the private health sector, two of which expire this year. The third agreement should run until 2011 but SKTF has found that around 30% of its members in health companies have not had pay increases that are due to them. The union accuses the Almega employers’ organization of failing to monitor (...)
Unions condemn imposition of local government pay freeze
Local government trade unions have attacked the LGA employers’ organisation for imposing a pay freeze for the next 12 months without engaging in proper negotiations. The LGA is controlled by Conservative Party run councils and the GMB union has welcomed the call by Labour Party run authorities for the LGA to open negotiations. The Unite union is running a campaign against the freeze and threats to local government workers’ pensions. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at Unite (EN) And at GMB (...)
Federation attacks plans to privatise firefighting
The FSP-UGT public service federation has attacked the autonomous regional government of Galicia for proposing to privatise the fire service. The union argues that the plans are simply based on cost-cutting and that the regional government wants to take on firefighters on poorer pay and conditions. The federation says that the government wants to be able to recruit new firefighters more quickly and so presumably without the level of training they currently receive. Read more at > FSP-UGT (...)
Unions examine government proposal on pay and jobs
After several weeks of industrial action, public service unions have been presented with a proposal by the government to settle the dispute over pay cuts. A key element of the agreement is that there will be no further public sector pay cuts and the cuts that have been implemented will start to be reversed if specific public sector efficiency savings are achieved. The priority will be to restore pay levels for workers on less than €35,000 a year. The deal would see the freeze on recruitment (...)
Public service confederation maintains protests
The ADEDY public sector confederation continues to protest against government pay cuts and more immediately over the cut of the normal bonus paid at Easter. The latest demonstrations, organised with private sector unions, took place on 23 March. Read more at > ADEDY (GR)
Negotiations and further mobilisations
Pay, purchasing power, pensions and civil service status will all be on the agenda of forthcoming negotiations between public sector unions and the government. However, the CGT local and regional government federation thought that union criticism of key government policies on public services fell on deaf ears and that further mobilisations like that of 23 March would be needed to keep pressure on the government. The FO civil service federation also criticised the government for refusing to (...)
Union rejects employers’ lump sum proposal
The pay dispute in local and regional government continues with the VNG local government employers’ organisation advising its members to make a lump sum payment to workers in April worth 1% of pay. This has been criticised by the FNV-Abvakabo trade union that points out that this doesn’t protect pay rates against inflation. Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)
Union federations criticise low replacement rate
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT federations have attacked the government for recruitment plans and its decision to replace only one in 10 public sector workers when they leave their jobs. The FSC-CCOO federation was already critical of the 15% replacement rate included in the 2010 budget and warns that a 10% replacement rate will threaten to undermine the quality of public services. The cuts are particularly of concern in the current period when defending employment is a key part of the response (...)
Unions organise series of protests over pay and cuts
Government policies to deal with the economic crisis and the requirements of loan packages involving the International Monetary Fund and European Commission are continuing to meet with widespread resistance from Romanian trade unions. A series of protests have been organised in March and further action is planned in April and May. Read more at > seeurope news website (EN)
Union organises demonstration to support bargaining
The Kommunal municipal union organised a demonstration in Stockholm on 20 March to highlight the main demands of the current collective bargaining round. In response to pressure from employers for a pay freeze, Kommunal is demanding a real wage increase, equal pay, the right to full-time, secure employment, improved working environment and a strengthening of the position of collective agreements. Read more at > Kommunal (...)
Union sets out key demands for 2010 bargaining round
The Fagforbundet municipal union has set out the main elements of its demands for the 2010 bargaining round. Apart from an overall real wage increase there is a clear focus on delivering equal pay and tackling low pay, including a focus on sectors dominated by women workers. The union also wants to see pay properly reflect skills and competence and to compensate for difficult working conditions. Read more at > Fagforbundet (...)
Nearly one in 10 workers on fixed-term contracts
The latest economic policy briefing from services union ver.di reveals that 2.7 million workers, nearly 10% of all employees in Germany are on fixed-term contracts. This is a significant increase from the early 1990s. The briefing notes in particular that two thirds of new jobs in the public and social services are fixed-term. Ver.di wants employers to justify the use of such contracts and to stop using them as part of normal employment practice. Read more at > ver.di (...)
Increased violence and harassment in public services
A major survey of working conditions by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health provides a detailed picture covering both public and private sectors. Looking back over 10 years the survey finds that there have not been significant improvements in working conditions overall and that in some cases – violence and harassment, for example – workers have seen a deterioration. This is particularly so in the health and social services sector but also, in terms of violence at work, in public (...)
Confederation plans further strike action
The ADEDY civil service confederation has warned of further strike action in March or April in protest at cuts to public sector pay and pensions. ADEDY joined with the GSEE private sector confederation in a general strike on 11 March. Following a two-day strike on 16-17 March, energy workers have threatened another 48-hour strike unless the government withdraws a 7% pay cut and 10% cut in pensions. Read more at > Reuters (EN) And at > ADEDY (...)
Unions step up action
Public sector unions have decided to step up their industrial action in response to the government’s failure to negotiate over further pay cuts. The unions want the government to agree a transformation programme that would allow pay cuts to be reversed as savings are made. As part of the industrial action low paid workers in seven Dublin hospitals will be taking strike action both over the current national dispute but also over the threat to outsource services. Read more at > IMPACT (EN) And (...)
Unions suspend all consultations with local authorities
Following further negotiations on 8 March, the local government employers are sticking to their demand for a pay freeze. In response the three trade unions – FNV Abvakabo, CNV Publieke Zaake and CMHF – have said that they will suspend all consultations with the employers over issues like restructuring for at least three months. The unions are determined to secure a deal that at least protects their members’ purchasing power. Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL) And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (...)
High level of support for strike
Both the STAL and SINTAP trade unions report a very high level of support for the national public sector strike on 4 March. They estimate turnout at between 75% and 85% with all parts of the public sector affected. The strike was in protest at the government’s call for a public sector pay freeze and with a demand for a proper process of negotiation. Read more at > SINTAP (PT) Read more at > STAL (...)
Confederation claims a million workers on the streets
The CGIL trade union confederation organised a four-hour general strike and a series of demonstrations across the country in protest at the government’s policies on dealing with the crisis, taxation, employment rights and migrants’ rights. Read more at > CGIL (EN) Read more at > CGIL (IT)
National strike over threats to pre-school provision
The CFDT has organised a national strike on 11 March in protest at changes to regulations covering nurseries that will lead to lower staffing levels and the employment of less qualified staff. The union is concerned about the implications for both nursery workers and the children in their care. Read more at > CFDT (FR)
Confederation co-ordinates range of action around collective bargaining
Trade union affiliates of the LO blue-collar workers’ confederation have been involved in a range of demonstrations and events highlighting the importance and value of collective agreements. The main collective bargaining round is underway and LO wants to ensure that workers are aware of the benefits of collective agreements both to those covered by them but also to the working of society and the economy in general. Read more at > LO (...)
Union highlights impact of pay freeze on low-paid women workers
Public services union UNISON has called on local government employers to withdraw their demand for a pay freeze. The union argues that women will be most affected by a freeze as three out of four local government workers are women and two-thirds of them earn less £18,000 (€20,000) a year. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
Pensions is focus of national strike
The FO confederation, including its public service federations, will be taking strike action on 23 March in protest at government plans to make further changes to the pensions system. Read more at > FO (FR)
Report highlights restructuring in local government
The Eurofound research organisation, in conjunction with EPSU and the CEMR local government employers’ organisation, has published a report examining a range of developments in local government. Apart from looking at restructuring the report also examines changes in employment relations and trends in pay. The report includes comprehensive data on real and nominal pay increases for the five year period 2004-2008. Read more at > EPSU (...)
Public sector workers taking action in lead up to 23 March
The CGT reports that many groups of workers at local and sectoral level are taking action over pay and government proposals to restructure public services. Nursery workers, sports employees, housing workers and police are among the specific groups of workers who are organising demonstrations and other action in the lead up to or following the main day of action on 23 March. Read more at > CGT (...)
Collective bargaining committee backs deal worth 3.5%
Workers in federal and local government will be asked to vote on a new collective agreement that was accepted by ver.di’s collective bargaining committee. Ver.di says that overall the deal is worth 3.5%. There is a 1.2% pay increase backdated to 1 January 2010 and then there will be two increases in 2011 – 0.6% on 1 January and 0.5% on 1 August. There will also be a €240 lump sum paid on 1 January 2011. The union’s assessment is that this is a reasonable agreement bearing in mind the difficult (...)
Unions call national strike for 4 March
Public sector unions have called a national strike for 4 March in protest at the government’s plans to freeze public sector pay until 2013. The SINTAP union points out that workers have already lost 6%-7% of purchasing power in recent years as a result of pay increases falling behind inflation. The STAL union says that the 50,000-strong demonstration on 5 February showed the level of anger among public sector workers and is convinced of a high turnout on the day. Read more at > SINTAP (PT) (...)
Unions plan action for 23 March
Public service federations are planning to take action on 23 March in protest at a range of government policies that threaten to undermine the public services and the pay and conditions of public services workers and reduce pension entitlement. The CGT, FSU, CFDT, UNSA and Solidaires unions and federations have issued a call for strike action on the day with a list of key concerns covering employment conditions, job cuts, threatened increases to the pension age and cuts in public finances. (...)
Federation reports on negotiations for managers
The CISL public service federations has published the latest issue of its bilingual collective bargaining newsletter that reports on developments covering chief officers across the public sector. Negotiations covering chief officers in the ministries, regional and local administrations, non-economic public bodies and tax agencies, and non-medical managers of the national health system are all set to take place with the initial agreement in the ministries setting the main standard. Here the (...)
Municipal and provincial disputes rumble on
Unions continue to try to win real pay increases for their members working for municipal and provincial government through a campaign that has seen a series of short stoppages organised at different authorities around the country. Recently it was the turn of provincial government workers in Drenthe, local government workers in Purmerend and both local and provincial government workers in Maastricht. Read more at > FNV-Abvakabo (NL) And at > FNV-Abvakabo (NL) And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (...)
Unions angered by pay freeze
The three unions representing 150,000 local government workers in Scotland (UNISON, GMB and Unite) have reacted angrily to the employers’ rejection of their 3% pay claim and the proposal to freeze pay in 2010-2011. This follows the approach of the employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have also demanded a pay freeze for the 1.5 million workers covered in the other main local government agreement. Read more at > UNISON (...)
Union hails success of adult training initiative
The FOA public services union has welcomed the significant increase in the number of adult trainees in the field of health and social care. Between November 2007 and November 2009 there was more than a threefold increase in the number of over-25s taking advantage of a special adult learners’ wage to train in health and social care. As of November 2009 the 6504 employees made up 55% of all health and social care trainees. The special wage rate was negotiated as part of the municipal (...)
ADEDY claims large turnout in public sector strike
The ADEDY civil service confederation said that support for the national public sector strike on 10 February was very high – overall at 75% with up to 90% backing in some areas. The unions were protesting at government plans to cut public sector pay as part of a strategy, supported by the European Commission, to deal with the governments budget deficit. Read more at > ADEDY (GR) And at > the Guardian news website (...)
Ver.di calls for arbitration
After the third round of negotiations produced no further offer from the local and federal government employers, the ver.di public services union has called for arbitration to try to make progress. The union says that the 120,000 union members who took part in the recent sequence of warning strikes have made it clear that they want a reasonable offer from the employers in response to the union’s demand for a pay and conditions package worth around 5%. Strike action will be suspended during (...)
Unions united in boycott of social dialogue meeting
The seven main public sector federations have issued a joint statement explaining their decision to stay away from the state civil service committee in protest at the government’s insistence that the meeting should discuss its new regulations on restructuring. The new decree will reduce civil servants’ rights in the case of a restructuring so that they will have to accept more or less any job rather than remain in the area in which they currently work. The unions argue that this is part of (...)
New municipal agreement aims to close pay gap
The new two-year agreement covering municipal workers includes 0.8% increase this month for certain groups of workers such as those in catering, cleaning, social care and childcare and then 0.7% to be allocated at local level in September. Unions had wanted to make some progress on parental leave and to place limits on the use of fixed-term workers but these were not part of the agreement. The deal has still to be approved by union members. Read more at > JHL (...)
Negotiations open with massive gap between government and unions
The SINTAP public service trade union reported on its first meeting with the government over the 2010 negotiations, saying that there is an enormous gap between union demands and what’s on offer from the government. The union rejects the idea of a pay freeze, arguing that more efficient management can deliver cost savings to finance a pay rise. It also rejects the planned reforms to the pension system . Read more at > SINTAP (...)
Council workers win equal pay case
Supported by the UNISON public service union, women workers at Sheffield City Council in the North East of England have won an equal pay case that is likely to have an impact across local government. The union argued that predominantly women workers in jobs such as social care were losing out as the predominantly male workers in jobs like street cleansing and gardening benefited from bonuses that could boost their basic pay by 30% or more. Read more at > UNISON (...)
Concern that subsidised jobs being used to cut costs
The FOA public services union is worried that local authorities are taking on unskilled workers as part of a subsidised employment scheme and then using them to replace existing, skilled and higher paid employees. The union reports one case where a nursing home sacked a number of workers but not before asking them to provide training to the subsidised employees who would replace them. The FOA says that the number of subsidised jobs in local government increased to 13,653 in 2009 up from (...)
Local and provincial government dispute continues
Workers in local and provincial government are continuing their industrial action to win better pay offers from the employers. The action involves a range of short stoppages by different groups of workers across the country. A key demand of the unions is that municipal and provincial workers should be treated the same as other workers and get the increase in purchasing power negotiated as part of the national, cross-sectoral social accord. Unions argue that a pay freeze over the next two (...)
Unions organise joint meeting over pay cuts
As public-sector wide industrial action continues, unions have organised a joint mass meeting in Galway on 23 February to discuss the progress of union campaigning against the pay cuts forced through by the government in its latest budget. These cuts, along with the pensions levy introduced last year, mean that take home pay for many public sector workers has been cut by 14%. Read more at > SIPTU (...)
Union launches petition to reduce number of contract workers in public sector
In response to a statement by President Sarkozy that contract workers in the public sector would gradually be given civil servant status, the CGT public services federation has launched a petition supporting this demand. The petition also calls for any contract worker to be reinstated if their contract has been terminated since 1 January. The CGT says that there are around 840,000 contract workers in the public sector with some 30% of workers in local and regional government working on (...)
National public sector strike on 10 February
The ADEDY public sector confederation has called a national strike on 10 February in protest at the socialist government’s plans to cut public sector pay and employment. The government measures are a reaction to demands from the European Commission for drastic reforms to the country’s public sector finances. The government had already implemented a pay freeze in 2009 but ADEDY reports that workers are now facing pay cuts in 2010 of between 3% and 15%. Read more at > ADEDY (GR) Read more at > (...)
Union organises warning strikes in local and federal government
The ver.di service union has organised warning strikes to demonstrate to the local and federal government employers that workers in the sector want a reasonable pay offer. So far the employers have rejected ver.di’s demands in terms of both pay and other conditions. They are also refusing to reintroduce promotion opportunities that were suspended in 2005 at the time of the introduction of a new pay agreement. The 2005 agreement included a new pay structure but full implementation of this has (...)
Local government workers take action
Around 45,000 local government employees joined a warning strike on 2 February in protest at cuts in public sector pay and jobs. The strike was organised by the National Federation of Unions in Administration part of the Sed Lex federation affiliated to EPSU. Further action was planned from 12 February if the government failed to respond on calls for increases to low salaries and to revise the proposed job cuts. Read more at > Balkan Insight website (...)
Unions co-ordinate action as employers fail to respond to ultimatum
With negotiations stalled in both the local and regional government negotiations, the three unions agreed to issue the employers with an ultimatum to come back to the negotiating table. With no response from the employers, the unions met on 3 February to confirm their plans for a series of actions around the country beginning on 5 February. The unions point out that not only do the local and provincial employers have funds to cover pay increases in 2010 but they have also signed the (...)
Union announces industrial action from 25 January
The IMPACT public services union is set to begin industrial action on 25 January in protest at the government’s plans for further cuts in public employees’ pay. Initially the industrial action will be a work-to-rule so IMPACT members will be refusing to co-operate with management demands that require anything beyond normal duties. the union says it will take a flexible approach across the different parts of the public sector and has a range of other actions that it may resort to as part of (...)
Unions angered at local government pay freeze
The three municipal unions, UNISON, Unite and GMB, have reacted angrily to the proposal by local government employers to freeze the pay of their 1.6 million employees. The unions had submitted a claim for a 2.5% increase, with a minimum increase of £500 (€577) and are particularly annoyed by the employers’ failure even to negotiate before announcing their plans for a pay freeze. Read more at > UNISON (...)
Civil service union plans strike for 10 February
The ADEDY civil service federation has called a national strike on 10 February in protest at government plans to cut public spending and freeze pay for many public sector workers. Read more at > ADEDY (GR) Read more at > Reuters (EN)
Public sector negotiations begin
Negotiations are underway in both the state and municipal sectors where the collective agreements expire at the end of January. In the municipal sector JHL, the main public sector union wants, the minimum pay rate in the collective agreement to be raised to €1,500 per month and family leave to be improved. JHL also aims to develop the status of employees in atypical employment relations and the rights of safety representatives. Read more at > JHL (EN) And at > JHL (...)
Public service unions organise demonstration for 5 February
Public service trade unions in the Frente Comum have called a national demonstration on 5 February in defence of the pay and conditions of public sector employees. The unions are opposed to a range of government measures that they say will end up making public sector workers pay for the crisis. Read more at > STAL (PT)
Municipal union puts climate change on bargaining agenda
The SKTF white-collar local government union is calling on private companies in the KFS employers’ organisation to discuss measures to deal with climate change. The union negotiates for around 7,000 employees in companies in the municipal sector that provide electricity, water and sewage services. The union also wants to see improvements in conditions for young workers and those on temporary contracts. It argues that this is important for improving the quality and efficiency of services and (...)
Final consultation over four-year municipal agreement
Unions and employers in the municipal sector have drafted a new four-year agreement on employment and working conditions. The agreement includes a number of changes and new elements covering equality, tackling discrimination, climate change and measures to reduce sickness absence. There is a brief period for final feedback up to 1 February. Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO)
Unions organise over 100 actions for 21 January
The CGT, FSU and Solidaires union organisations are co-ordinating over 100 demonstrations and other actions on 21 January as part of their campaign of opposition to government policies on the public services. The latest message to come from the government includes plans for further job cuts across the public services with 34,000 jobs to go in central government alone and cuts also likely in local and regional government and the health service. Read more at > CGT (...)
Union criticises call for pension reform
The FOA says that pension reform in recent years has had an impact with 31% of its members taking early retirement in 2009, down from 41% in 2006. The union argues that this is one reason why further pension reform should not be on the agenda. FOA also points out that the issue has been raised again because of pressure on public finances and it says that it is outrageous that public finances should be used to bail out the finance sector with the consequence that demands are made to cut (...)
Call for solidarity between civil servants and public employees
The DGB confederation and ver.di have joined in responding to claims that civil servants are a privileged group of workers. They point out that civil servants in the Berlin region, for example, are effectively paid no more than they were in 2003 as a result of cuts to Christmas and holiday payments. Far from being privileged, according to the DGB and ver.di, civil servants such as teachers have to move to stay in work while the emergency services are on-call at all hours of the day. Civil (...)
Municipal union calls for higher pay, greater equality and stronger agreements
Municipal union Kommunal is looking for a pay increase of at least 620 SKr (€61) (2.6%) this year along with higher pay increases (745 SKr (€73)) in sectors where women predominate to help close the gender pay gap. The union also wants to see a strong central agreement backed up with local collective agreements to ensure that there is a clear link between the main pay negotiations and bargaining at local level. The other main bargaining issues include the need to reduce the use of temporary (...)
Unions challenge outsourcing claims
The FOA and OAO trade union organisations have questioned the conclusions of a report that claims municipalities can achieve 15%-20% cost savings if they outsource local care services. FOA and OAO undertook a review of the report that was published in November by the Procurement Council. The unions challenge the savings achieved and suggest that this is normally because private firms used staff with lower levels of training than in the municipal sector and rely more on part-time workers and (...)
Referendum reveals massive majority against pay freeze
Municipal workers voted overwhelmingly against a two-year pay freeze in a referendum organised by the trade unions. The VNG employers’ organisation rejected the result. It argued that there was only an 18% turnout and assumed that those who didn’t vote supported the pay freeze. The unions pointed out that the turnout would have been higher had the employers not refused to facilitate the referendum. Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL) And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (...)
Unions protest over savage budget cuts
Trade unions mobilized for a demonstration outside the Irish parliament in protest at the government’s budget proposals that include €4 billion in cuts. Social and welfare payments are affected while public sector workers will see their pay cut by 6%-8%. This follows on from last year’s “pensions levy” which effectively meant a 7% cut in take home pay for public sector workers. Read more at > Impact (EN) Read more background at > Impact (EN) And at > SIPTU (...)
Public sector workers to get 0.9% plus €4
After several very challenging rounds of negotiations the GÖD and GDG public service unions have accepted a pay increase of 0.9% plus €4 a month for 2010. The government had initially said that it had only budgeted for a 0.5% increase in the pay bill and that it only wanted to pay a lump sum payment. The flat-rate increase of €4 means that the overall increase for the lowest paid will be 1.23% and 0.94% for the highest paid. Other payments and allowances will increase by 0.9%. The increase (...)
Unions claim success in strike action and demonstrations
The three public service federations have been mobilizing in recent weeks to put pressure on the government to ensure that public sector pay increases are properly funded. Pay agreements will now cover three-year periods rather than two and in the past unions have negotiated pay increases with the ARAN negotiating body only to find that the government causes problems by failing to allocate resources in the budget. The FP CGIL federation organized a public sector wide strike on 11 December (...)
Union aims for 5% package of pay increases and other improvements
Ver.di’s local and federal government collective bargaining committee met on 15 December to confirm its claim in the lead up to negotiations that begin on 13 February. Ver.di will be negotiating with the police (GdP), teachers (GEW) and civil service union (dbb tarifunion) on behalf of nearly two million workers in local and federal government. The main demand will be for a real increase in pay plus a number of other measures including provision of shorter working hours for older workers to (...)
Report shows real value of public service workers
A new study by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) challenges the way jobs are valued in the labour market and uncovers the additional social and environmental value of key public service jobs such as hospital cleaners, childcare workers and waste and recycling workers. The NEF contrasts the positive social and environmental contributions of these jobs with the negative impact of top bankers, advertising executives and tax consultants. According to NEF calculations while collecting salaries (...)
Unions call for day of action and strikes on 21 January
The CGT Public Services federation and SUD trade union are joining together for a day of action on 21 January in protest at government plans to reform local government. The unions argue that changes to the funding system and cutting jobs will undermine the proper provision of public services and lead to an increase in outsourcing to the private sector. The unions want to see a public debate about the public services, a withdrawal of plans to change public finance of local authorities, (...)
Unions ask members to vote over local government pay freeze
Unions organizing in local government, including FNV Abvakabo and CNV Publieke Zaak, are asking their members to vote on the employers’ “final offer” of a two-year pay freeze. The previous collective agreement expired in June and negotiations with the employers broke down in October. The unions had wanted to secure a pay increase in line with inflation and a job security agreement but the employers haven’t made any concessions. Read more at > Abvakabo (NL) Read more at > CNV Publieke Zaak (...)
Gender pay gap in municipalities at 18%
A new report has found that the gender pay gap in local government is at 18% and even higher than in the private sector. The FOA has called on municipal employers to address the problem and to start by ensuring that they provide wage statistics broken down by gender. According to FOA a third of local authorities fail to comply with the Equal Pay Act and produce no data on the pay of their male and female workers. Read more at > FOA (...)
Public sector unions plan further action after national strike
Public sector unions have called on the government to negotiate or face another national strike on 3 December. The unions’ action on 24 November was widely supported and was in protest at government proposals to make further cuts in public spending and public sector pay, despite already implementing cuts and imposing a 7% pension levy on all public sector workers. Read more at > IMPACT (EN) And at > SIPTU (EN) Read more at > Guardian (...)
Public sector unions plan national action in December
The three main public sector union federations are all planning to protest against government policy on funding public sector pay. On 2 December the CISL FP and UIL FPL federations have called for a day of action demanding that the government honour agreements negotiated for the 2008-2009 period and ensure that funding will be available for the next bargaining round that will cover the three years 2010-2012. The FP-CGIL federation has called a national public sector strike on 11 December (...)
No progress after fourth round of pay negotiations
The GDG and GÖD public sector unions have rejected the employers’ latest offer of a 0.5% pay increase. The unions have written a joint letter to the chancellor (prime minister) vice-chancellor arguing that they should immediately get involved in the negotiations as the current negotiators do not have a full mandate. At the moment the employers are even refusing to offer a rise in line with inflation (0.9%). Read more at > GDG (DE) And at > GÖD (...)
Provincial pay negotiations collapse
Negotiations over the collective agreement covering provincial (regional) councils broke down as unions rejected the latest offer from the IPO employers’ organisation. The negotiations began over six months ago with the unions looking for a pay increase of around 1.5% but employers rejected both this and a job security agreement. The IPO has offered 1.2% but over 19 months, so effectively a 0.75% increase over 12 months and only 0.15% more than the previous offer. Read more at > Abvakabo (...)
Public sector strike planned for 24 November
Public sector unions have drawn up plans for a national strike on 24 November in protest at government plans for more cuts to public sector pay. The unions have called on the government to quantify and recognize the effect of the pensions levy imposed on public sector workers as well as the freeze on recruitment and pay over the next three years. The Impact union estimates that these measures have saved the government €1.3 billion in 2009 and will mean savings of €2.4 billion in 2010. Unions (...)
Union study reveals gender pay gap in municipal sector
A report by the FOA public services union found an overall gender pay gap of 13% across the municipal sector but the study also identifies six local authorities where the average pay of men is more than 15% higher than the average pay of women. FOA believes that the higher average pay for men is partly the result of the way that local bargaining works with men more likely to make a case for getting a larger share of the increases allocated to local negotiations. The union argues that it is (...)
Public sector pay negotiations head for third round
The first two rounds of negotiations over the 2010 pay increase for public sector workers did not produce any major developments. In the first round the employers and trade unions heard a report on the economic situation from the WIFO institute and the second round of bargaining broke up with no result. The next round takes place on 19 November. In his public statements state secretary Reinhold Lopatka has spoken repeatedly of minimal increases to pay. In the meantime, the GDG has (...)
New negotiating body for school staff
The pay and conditions of around 700,000 workers in schools are now negotiated in a new structure - the School Staff Negotiating Body. The SSNB will cover teaching assistants, nursery staff, administrators, secretaries, policy officers, technicians, cleaners, special needs staff, caretakers and school meals workers. Unions believe that this is an important development that will help ensure a fair and equal pay system for school support staff across the country. The three trade unions on the (...)
Unions join together to demonstrate against privatization threat
Around 1,000 firefighters and emergency service workers took to the streets of Santiago de Compostela on 30 October to demonstrate against plans by the Galician government’s privatization plans. The three main union federations – CCOO, UGT and CSI – supported the march, warning of the impact of privatization on the quality of services and of an increase in precarious employment conditions. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (...)
Union calls for public-sector wide strike action
Members of the IMPACT public services union have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in response to the government’s latest proposals for cuts in public sector workers’ pay. The union will call on other public sector unions to join a 24-hour stoppage on 24 November. Six unions have joined together in an alliance of public sector workers delivering frontline services. The general union SIPTU along with unions representing nurses, firefighters, police (Garda) officers and prison (...)
Union proposes co-ordinated approach to tackle gender pay gap
The Fagforbundet municipal union is calling for public sector unions to co-ordinate their pay claims next year with special negotiations over how to deal with pay inequality. Average pay in the public sector, where 70% of workers are women, is lower than in the private sector where 70% of the workers are men. The specially convened pay commission argued that around 3 billion kronor was needed to close the gender pay gap and Fagforbundet wants to see the unions get together following the (...)
Municipalities face recruitment crisis
Half of all municipal cleaners are due to retire in the next 10 years and local government will face a recruitment crisis across a range of other occupations. Overall around a third of municipal employees are set to retire in the next decade and the JHL union has called on employers to address the issue by making employment in the sector more attractive. However, the union says that employers have failed to act quickly enough and are now talking about restricting spending rather than using (...)
Unions submit local government pay claim
The three main local government unions, UNISON, GMB and Unite, have submitted their pay claim for 2010. They are calling for a 2.5% pay increase with a minimum increase of £500. The unions believe that this is modest but realistic claim and that local authority finances can cope with the rise. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
Dismissed municipal workers continue march from Izmir to Ankara
The workers of the municipal company have been dismissed, all 276. In protest and to draw attention to the unacceptable behavior of the mayor they are walking all the way from Izmir to Ankara, a march of close to 30 days. They are supported by GENEL-Is. PSI and EPSU have intervened and sent messages of support. Read more at > GENEL-IS (TK) Or at > Google translation (EN) And at > EPSU (...)
Local union negotiates “living wage”
UNISON members at Oxford City Council have voted in favour of a new pay structure that includes a minimum pay rate of £7 (€7.55) an hour. The UNISON branch is happy with a the new simpler pay structure in the council and the setting of a “living wage” well ahead of the national minimum wage that rises to £5.80 (€6.25) an hour this month. Read more at > UNISON Bargaining Update October 2009 (...)
Unions organise fundraiser for striking refuse workers
Public service unions GMB and UNISON have organised a fundraising event for refuse workers in Leeds in North East England. The workers have been on strike for six weeks in a dispute over pay cuts that could cost some of them up to £6,000 (€6,500) a year. The local authority is trying to impose the pay cuts as part of a strategy to prepare the cleansing services department for privatisation. Read more at > GMB (...)
No deal in local government
Local government employers have only offered trade unions a small one-off payment and a freeze on pay over the next two years. Public services union Abvakabo points out that this is despite the fact that local authorities have received government funding that covers pay increases in line with the national guideline of 1.5%. The union also argues that at the same time as wanting to freeze their own employees pay, councils are increasingly hiring outside personnel to do local authority work (...)
National strike over working conditions
The STAL local government union says that around 60% of council workers joined the national strike on 16 September in defence of public sector workers’ rights and against government proposals on worker mobility in the public sector, performance management and reorganisation of municipal services. Read more at > STAL (PT)
Agreement delivers more full-time jobs
The FOA public services union has welcomed the fact that as a result of an agreement negotiated in 2007 more full-time jobs have been made available for part-time workers. The union says that some 2,300 health and social workers have moved from part-time to full-time work. The FOA is urging municipal and regional authorities to do more to encourage the move the full-time hours where employees want to do so. Read more at > FOA (...)
Municipal union argues for higher pay for “women’s” jobs
Local government union Kommunal believes that the approach of unions in the LO confederation in 2007 to negotiate higher pay increases for jobs where women make up the majority of workers has contributed to closing the gender pay gap. The union argues that it is unacceptable that “women’s” jobs are undervalued and believes there is still a long way to go to close the gap. Read more at > Kommunal (...)
Union members agree local government pay deal
Members of the three local government unions, UNISON, GMB and Unite, have voted to accept a 1% pay increase for 2009 (backdated to 1 April) with lower paid workers getting 1.5% (those earning less than £7.10 (€8.12) an hour/£13,336 (€15,247) a year). Workers will get an extra day of paid leave and the employers are committed to negotiating a new national redundancy scheme by 1 December. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > GMB (...)
EPSU intervenes on behalf of local government union
EPSU has written to the President, Prime Minister and Minister for Public Administration in Croatia to protest at proposed changes to pay determination in local government. EPSU’s letter condemns the government for failing to consult with unions over the proposed changes and for planning to implement a form of pay determination that undermines the unions’ right to collective bargaining. EPSU’s letter was reported on the website of Vercernji, one of the main daily newspapers. Read more at > (...)
Vote confirms agreement on pay and health of social workers and childcare staff
The agreement between services union ver.di and the VKA local government employers covering social and educational staff has been confirmed with a 55% vote in favour by ver.di members. The two main elements of the deal are an agreement on health and higher pay rates for 80% of the 220,000 workers in childcare and social work. Ver.di has said that it will continue its campaigning to force politicians and employers to recognize that they should better acknowledge the importance of social (...)
Pay formula could lead to salary cut
The FOA public services trade union is concerned that salaries in the municipal sector could be reduced as a result of the mechanism in the collective agreement that links public sector pay rises to those in the private sector. On current trends it is possible that pay could be cut by 1%. Dennis Kristensen, head of the FOA, suggests that there could be a compromise solution that allows the social partners to abide by the agreement but defer any potential cuts to see how salaries develop. (...)
Legislation could undermine collective bargaining in local government
EPSU has written to the Croatian government expressing its concern about new legislation on determining pay in local government. EPSU’s local government affiliate, the Trade Union of State and Local Government Employees of Croatia, argues that the new law will undermine its right to negotiate pay for its members and that the government has failed to consult properly over the (...)
Social and childcare workers get new agreement on pay and health
After a marathon five-day negotiating session, public services union ver.di has secured new agreements on pay rates and health covering around 220,000 social and childcare workers. The agreement on health acknowledges the increased responsibility and workload of social workers and childcare workers and introduces health committees, health working groups and risk assessments to address these problems. The revised pay structure will mean that a newly recruited childcare worker will start on (...)
Unions are angry at low pay offer and proposal to end craft workers’ agreement
Local government employers have made a final offer of a 1% pay increase (1.25% for the lowest paid) for craft workers such as bricklayers, electricians and plumbers. The 40,000 workers covered by the negotiations are covered by a different agreement from the administrative and other council workers covered by the main local government services agreement. The craft trade unions (Unite, GMB and UCATT) are unhappy at the employers’ offer and also that they want to abolish the separate agreement (...)
Union welcomes success of campaign against employment law change
The CGT is hopeful that draft legislation that would undermine employment rights in local and regional government will be defeated. The proposal was introduced by UMP deputy Jean-Pierre Gorges with a view to relaxing the rules on recruitment of workers to local and regional government. The union said that the draft legislation would effectively mean the end to the statutory regulations that cover employees in the sector. Not only the Association of Mayors but also the Minister of the (...)
Union wins equal pay battle with local council
Public services union UNISON has won an equal pay tribunal case against Bury council in the North West of England. Around 1,200 low paid women workers – cleaners, cooks and support staff – are set benefit from new pay arrangements that will mean they can earn the same kind of bonus payments, worth 33.3% or 50% of hourly pay, as are paid in male dominated jobs like labouring, gardening and refuse collection. Read more at > UNISON (...)
Union welcomes jobs initiative but lays down conditions
The GDG public service union has welcome an initiative from the Austrian employment service to subsidise jobs in local government in response to rising unemployment but said that many questions need to be resolved first. The union stressed that the scheme should be voluntary and should not be used as a way of undermining pay in the sector. Above all the union said that it should be involved in negotiations over the scheme. Read more at > GDG (...)
Union rejects any calls for pay cuts among care workers
The Kommunal union has warned that the crisis has already spread from the private sector to the public sector as care workers have been losing their jobs. A survey carried out by the union suggests 7,500 care jobs have already been cut and the SKL local and regional government employers’ organisation predicts 15,000 jobs cuts this year and next. The union points out that those losing their jobs are invariably women on part-time and precarious contracts and that employers are finding it easy (...)
Negotiations to resume over pay and health of social and childcare workers
Ver.di and the local employers’ association VKA will resume negotiations on 16 July to see if they can resolve the dispute involving workers involved in social and childcare. The union has been arguing for a re-grading of the 200,000 workers to acknowledge their increased workloads and responsibilities. It also wants a specific agreement to deal with health issues facing workers. Negotiations broke down last month ver.di rejected what it saw as a wholly inadequate re-grading proposal. Read (...)
Negotiations end with no progress for educational and social workers
Negotiations between services union ver.di and the VKA local government employers’ organisation broke down with no progress on two key issues. The union wanted a revaluation of jobs in childcare and education in particular, taking account of increased workloads and responsibilities. However, the employers offered only a small increase in salaries that would benefit only one in five workers, while rest would either get nothing or would actually lose out. The VKA also refused to support a new (...)
Union calls national strike over workers’ rights
The STAL public sector union has called a national strike for 17 July in protest at the threat posed to workers’ rights in municipal companies and private contractors supplying services to local government. Some local authorities are refusing to comply with arrangements to protect workers’ rights when they transfer from municipal employment and the government has so far not taken action to clarify the situation. Read more at > STAL (...)
Municipalities top pay rise league table
This year’s 4.5% pay increase for municipal workers is the highest of the main industrial sectors in Norway. The increase was actually negotiated last year as part of a two-year agreement. The next highest increases came in business (4.4%) and health (4.0%), followed by central government (3.8%). Read more at > LO trade union news (NO)
Latest on provincial and local government negotiations
There are a number of key issues that are the focus of collective bargaining in both provincial and municipal government – purchasing power, employment, violence at work, career development and employment policies that take account of personal circumstances – such as parental leave, telework etc. Negotiations with provincial employers have made progress on the last two while working groups have been set up in the municipal negotiations to discuss these issues. The issue of pay is likely to be (...)
Unions sign local government agreement
The three main public service federations – FP-CGIL, FPS-CSIL and UIL-FPL – have signed a new two-year agreement covering over 500,000 workers in local and regional government. The general increase is €63.20 a month worth an average of 3.2%. However, there is the possibility of higher increases of up to €90 a month in a productivity-linked deal that depends on the extent to which local authorities stay within budget guidelines. Read more at > FP-CGIL (...)
Union threatens local authority with legal action for cutting local allowance
The FOA public service union is threatening Silkeborg local authority with legal action unless it ensures that it will pay local allowances to its employees. The FOA co-ordinated strike action among educational workers and teaching assistants last spring, securing a slightly higher increase than in the municipal agreement. However, the union says that Silkeborg appears to be trying to cut local allowances while implementing the national agreement. This could cost the workers affected as (...)
Progress in provincial negotiations
The ABVAKABO public services union reports that after a poor start some progress has been made in negotiations covering provincial government. The employers have responded positively on four issues – extra jobs targeted at the unemployed; the introduction of training budgets for individual workers; changes to the pay structure that will particularly benefit employees who are on the top of their scale; and new arrangements for carers so that they can temporarily change their working hours. (...)
Unions prepare for bargaining round with equal pay conference
Municipal trade union Kommunal was one of a number of trade unions taking part in a conference on 26 May to discuss collective bargaining priorities and equal pay. Pay negotiations are set to begin in the autumn and Kommunal wants to keep its focus on equal pay and what more can be done to close the gender pay gap. Other key bargaining issues include the right to full-time employment and reduction in temporary employment. The conference provides a forum in which trade unions in the LO (...)
Survey reveals low morale of local government workers
Staff shortages, increased workloads, stress and the threat of violence are among the factors that were uncovered in a survey of local government workers that revealed a high level of discontent. Some 60% of survey respondents thought that morale had declined over the previous 12 months and less than 50% said that they would recommend their job to other people. All groups of staff reported working overtime, with managers, social services, teaching assistants and social workers doing the (...)
Provincial government negotiations begin
After its first round of negotiations with provincial government employers, public service trade union ABVAKABO says that two issues have been settled – the agreement will run for 12 months and arrangements for reducing working time for older workers have been clarified. However, the next bargaining rounds could be more difficult. The union says that it might make concessions on pay in order to increase job security and get improved training and career development opportunities. In contrast, (...)
Municipal employers fail to implement pay increase and union raises issue of pay link to private sector
The FOA public service union has criticised municipal employers for failing to ensure that pay increases are implemented for all workers in April in line with the three-year agreement that was signed last year. It says that workers in the education sector in particular may have to wait to see the 2009 pay increase in their salaries. The union will be approaching the LO union confederation to see what action should be taken on this. It has also criticised the municipal employers for the time (...)
Unions reject low increases for council and university workers
Public sector unions organising in local government and higher education have formally rejected employer offers to increase pay by 0.5% and 0.3%. Unions representing the 1.3 million employees in local government have rejected the 0.5% pay offer despite a threat from the employers that they would withdraw the offer if it wasn’t accepted by 1 June. In higher education employers posed pay increases against job security but then refused to discuss a job security agreement with unions. Read (...)
Local government employers offer 0.5%
Unions in local government rejected the employers’ offer of a 0.5% pay increase for 2009 arguing that many local authorities had already budgeted for higher increases and contrasting it with the high pay increases awarded to top management in the sector. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > GMB (EN)
Members back regional government pay deal
The ver.di services union has surveyed its membership in regional government to get their response to the recent two-year pay deal in regional government. Overall just under 69% of those voting supported the agreement but this figure rose to 80% in the East. Ver.di general secretary Frank Bsirske said it was important to assess members’ reactions to the agreement as this would help the union in how it planned its future work. Read more at > ver.di (...)
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