Some health sector employers refuse to sign early retirement agreements
17 August 2010
The SETCA/BBTK services union reports that some employers in the non-profit health care sector are refusing to sign agreements setting out provisions for early retirement. The union believes the employers are following the example of the main FEB employers’ organization that has been calling for a hard line on early retirement. SETCA/BBTK argues that these provisions are very important for a sector that is characterized by difficult and stressful occupations and where pay levels are modest.
Read more at > SETCA (FR)
And in Dutch at > BBTK
Protests produce results in non-profit sector
21 June 2010
The SETCA services union reports that the regional government of Wallonia has agreed to allocate an additional €4.5m to the non-profit sector in response to demands from the trade unions. The sector includes a range of health and social services and the extra cash will cover a harmonization of pay structures across the sectors, proper application of elements of the 2007-2009 agreement and a range of measures on employment. The union sees this as a first step to meeting its collective bargaining demands and believes that union action, including a national demonstration on 8 June, was important in achieving this.
Read more at > SETCA (FR)
Action in prisons over staffing levels
1 June 2010
Members of the CGSP/ACOD and SLPF/VSOA trade unions took industrial action in prisons across the country between Thursday 27 and Saturday 29 May. The unions are calling for an increasing in staffing and will consider further action if there is no response from the prison service.
Read more at > Le Soir news website (FR)
And at > Knack news website (NL)
Non-profit sector workers mobilise for 8 June
13 May 2010
Unions organising workers in the non-profit sector have called for a major national demonstration on 8 June in protest at the failure of the federal, community and regional governments to undertake meaningful negotiations. The unions are calling for a range of measures to improve purchasing power and employment conditions and increase employment in a sector that delivers a range of health and social services.
Read more at > SETCA (FR)
And at > BBTK (NL)
And at > La Capitale news (FR)
Demonstrations planned in non-profit sector
17 April 2010
Unions organising workers in the non-profit sector are planning demonstrations in Brussels, Liege and Charleroi in protest at the fact that the neither the French community government nor the Wallonia regional government have budgeted for pay increases. The non-profit sector covers a range of health and social services including childcare and housing. Unions have put forward a range of key demands some of which they have been pursuing for several years. Among other things they want the difficulty of their professions recognised and salaries brought in line with those in the health sector at federal level.
Read more at > SETCA (FR)
Union welcomes progress for childcare workers
4 March 2010
The SETCA/BBTK service union has welcomed the agreement in principle to establish a new statute covering the pay and employment conditions of around 10,000 childcare workers. The union believes that it is important that the importance and professionalism of this overwhelmingly female workforce is recognised and properly regulated. However, the union is concerned about commitments from the federal government to ensure that funding is available to pay for the improved employment conditions and was angry that an initial suggestion was that the statutes covering childcare workers should be based on domestic workers as this failed to recognise the important educational role that childcare workers have.
Read more at > SETCA (FR)
Or at > BBTK (NL)
Unions mobilise workers in non-profit sector
4 February 2010
Workers in the non-profit sector that includes hospitals and social services took to the streets in December and early February in support of union demands for the 2010 collective agreement. The unions are concerned that government budgets for 2010 don’t include any provisions for a revised agreement.
Read more at > LBC-NVK (NL)
And at > VRT news website (EN)
And at > CGLSB (FR)
Unions organise joint strikes and protests over working conditions in prisons
21 January 2010
The three public service trade unions are organising strike action across the prison service on 21-23 January with a national demonstration on 22 January. The protests are over working conditions in prisons with staff facing an average of five violent incidents a day. The unions say that the prison service needs to address urgently prison overcrowding, staffing levels and the inadequacy of security equipment.
Read more at > ACOD (NL)
Read more at > CSC (FR)
Read more at > news website (FR)
Meter readers strike over temporary contracts
9 October 2009
Employees of the Metrix meter reading company, a subsidiary of Sibelga, the company that manages the gas and electricity networks in Brussels, have gone on strike in protest at the high level of temporary contracts in the company. Only one in four workers are on permanent contracts compared with 75% in comparable companies in Flanders and Wallonia. The company has refused to increase the number of permanent contracts. The union also expects that the introduction of smart meters in 2015 will lead to a loss of 250 direct and 400 indirect jobs in the Belgian electricity and gas sector.
Read more at > ACOD (NL)
Read more at > Standard news website (NL)
2009-2010 agreement covering federal civil servants concluded
9 October 2009
Unions have signed a new two-year agreement covering the 80,000 civil servants employed at federal level. Bearing in mind the difficult negotiating conditions, they are positive about the agreement that covers improvements in a broad range of employment conditions, including increases to the year-end bonus marking further progress towards a 13th month salary.
Read more at > ACOD (NL)
And at > CGSP (FR)
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