EPSU Collective Bargaining Seminar and Conference
9 February 2012
EPSU, with support from the ETUI training institute, will be organising a seminar on collective bargaining on 23-25 May in Brussels. The aim of the seminar will be to discuss the need to improve the coordination of collective bargaining policy and information in response to the introduction of the system of economic governance across the EU. The meeting is also seen as the first meeting of a collective bargaining network within EPSU. There will also be a collective bargaining conference this year on 13-14 December. Further information on the seminar will be available soon. For further information contact Richard Pond
Cross-sectoral collective bargaining news
9 February 2012
The ETUI trade union research institute publishes a monthly round-up of cross-sectoral collective bargaining news. You can subscribe to receive this by email and can also find past issues on the ETUI website.
Read more at > ETUI (EN)
Working time negotiations and advisory group
6 January 2012
The European cross-sectoral social partners met on 8 December in Brussels for a first exchange in the process of negotiation on revisions to the Working Time Directive. EPSU general secretary Carola Fischbach-Pyttel is a member of the ETUC negotiating team. The next round of negotiations will take place on 10 February but before then (on 31 January) EPSU has convened an advisory group in order to discuss developments with affiliates within the EU and Candidate Countries. ETUC deputy general secretary Patrick Itschert is leading the negotiations for the ETUC and has been invited to the EPSU meeting on 31 January.
Read more at > EPSU (EN)
EPSU collective bargaining activity in 2012
21 December 2011
The November meeting of EPSU’s Executive Committee agreed a new development in the Federation’s collective bargaining work with plans to organize a first meeting of a collective bargaining network. A provisional date for the first meeting was 10 January but this has now been deferred, probably until April but a definite date will be circulated to all affiliates early in the new year. A collective bargaining conference is also planned for 2012 and this will take place in Brussels on 13-14 December.
European Commission pushes ahead with major cuts
21 December 2011
The European Commission has set out its latest plans for cuts that involve longer working hours, cuts to jobs and lower starting rates of pay for some staff. The retirement age will be increased from 63 to 65 and staffing levels will be reduced by 5% by natural wastage. Staff will also be taxed with a 6% so-called “solidarity levy” .
Read more at > European Commission (22 languages)
EPSU Executive debates trade union rights
25 November 2011
The EPSU Executive Committee met in November and agreed on a number of initiatives on trade union rights. These included a proposal to initially focus our trade union rights work on Belarus, Georgia and Turkey, assessed as “countries at risk” by the ITUC and encourage affiliates to support action on trade union rights in these countries with the possibility that this could be coordinated by the constituencies. EPSU will also work more closely with the ETUC, PSI and ITUC on trade union rights and support their work in the Council of Europe and ILO. Affiliates are urged to keep the Secretariat informed of trade union rights campaigns they are involved in.
Read more at > EPSU (EN)
Collective bargaining in the public sector: ILO survey – for affiliates to follow up
25 November 2011
In 2013 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will have a conference debate about collective bargaining and industrial relations in the public sector. In preparation it has drafted a survey that is being sent to national governments. The focus of the survey will be on Convention 151 and Recommendation. 159 on Labour Relations in the Public Sector and Convention 154 and Recommendation 163 on collective bargaining in as far as they concern the public sector. Normally national trade union centres should receive the questionnaire from their governments, but this is not always the case and so affiliates are urged to find out from their confederation if they have received the questionnaire . Unions (and governments) should reply to the questionnaire regardless of whether their country has ratified the Conventions.
The text of the questionnaire is in the appendix of the document (EN)
And in French at
And in Spanish at
Report examines ILO Conventions
25 November 2011
The key International Labour Conventions are no.87 on freedom of association and 98 on collective bargaining. A report for UNISON by the International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTUR) argues that both of these should apply broadly to the vast majority of public service workers. If there are any doubts about public sector workers’ rights to collective bargaining then Convention 151 on labour relations in the public sector can be used to challenge any restrictions that governments try to impose. While Conventions 87 and 98 have been ratified by most countries, ratification of 151 is more limited and the ICTUR report suggests that trade unions in some countries might find it useful to campaign for ratification of this convention.
Read more at > UNISON (EN)
European Commission unions threaten strike action
11 November 2011
Trade unions represented European Commission staff organized a rally on 9 November and have threatened strike action in response to European Commission plans to cut 5% of all staff, increase the working week and raise the retirement age. The EU staff unions are also angry that Member States are putting pressure on the Commission to cut staff pay rather than apply the agreed pay formula that links increases to the pay increases in eight Member States.
Read more at > European Voice news website (EN)
ETUC warns of threat to pay bargaining in economic governance proposals
7 October 2011
The ETUC is concerned that the legislative package on economic governance that was agreed in the European Parliament at the end of September will be used to keep wages down and poses a threat to collective bargaining. There is a clause in one part of the package that affords protection for national wage bargaining and the ETUC says it will not hesitate to use this safeguard to protect the autonomy of collective bargaining at national level. In the meantime the European institutions have pushed the debate around pay determination up the political agenda and a conference organized by DG Employment on 15 September was an opportunity for EPSU and the ETUC to challenge the attacks on collective bargaining, indexation and calls for wage moderation.
Read more at > ETUC (EN)
And in French at > CES
And at > EPSU (EN)
RSS 2.0