Call for protection for whistleblowers in health sector
The ver.di services union participated in the Bundestag (parliament) health committee to call for protection for whistleblowers. The union said that around 6% of total health spending is lost to fraud and corruption but that there is no protection for employees in doctors’ practices or hospitals who expose this. Claims for operations that haven’t taken place or moving appointments to fit into other accounting periods are among the kinds of things that are done to cheat the system and that employees can help identify. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
ver.di to challenge ruling over right to strike
Services union ver.di is submitting a case to the constitutional court challenging a ruling by the federal labour court last year on the right to strike in church-run organisations. Church-run organisations, mainly providing health and social services, employ around 1.2 million workers and claim special treatment under the law. The federal labour court ruling means that any industrial action by ver.di is open to challenge. Ver.di believes that this needs to challenged under the constitution and that the federal labour court failed to take into account provisions of the European Social Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights. The union says that in the mean time it will continue to campaign for collective agreements in the church-run sector and will organise work stoppages where necessary. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
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 days’ leave for all employees. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
Members to vote over EON pay deal
Ver.di is recommending acceptance of a pay offer covering the 30000 employees of the EON energy company. If accepted, salaries will increase by 2.8%, backdated to 1 January 2013 and there will be a lump sum payment of €300 in March. The agreement will run for 13 months and ver.di calculates this is worth 3.1% overall. It was also agreed that apprentices qualifying during 2014 will be taken on by their employers for at least 12 months. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
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)
Chimney sweeps face competition
Members of EPSU affiliate ZDS - the chimney sweeps’ trade union - are facing up to a new competitive environment this year as some of their responsibilities are opened up to competition. Chimney sweeps in Germany have a wide range of roles including testing for energy efficiency and dangerous emissions. The changes are the result of the Services Directive. The profession is facing a shortage of skilled workers and the main employer and trade union organisations have just agreed to the general applicability of a collective agreement on training for the sector. Read more at > ZDS (DE) And at > France 24 news website (EN)
Pay negotiations break down at EON
Negotiations over pay at the energy company EON have broken down. In the third round of talks, the company made a revised offer to increase pay by 1.7%, up from 1.1%, but this was rejected by the two trade unions, ver.di and IGBCE. The unions had submitted a claim for an increase of 6.5% along with calls to take on apprentices after qualification and for collective agreements to apply to subsidiary companies. The unions will be consulting their members with the possibility of an all-out strike unless EON comes up with an improved offer. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
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 conditions and will demand that any agreement is immediately applied to the 1.2 million civil servants who are not directly covered by collective bargaining. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
Union continues to call for right to strike in church organisations
A hearing in the federal labour court in Erfurt on 20 November was due to consider the question of the right to strike in church organisations. This is a key issue for ver.di members working for the Elisabeth Foundation in Darmstadt. The Foundation is part of the Agaplesion health group which takes advantage of the so-called third way used by church organisations to avoid applying the employment laws that apply in the rest of the economy. Workers at the Elisabeth Foundation are calling for a proper collective agreement, along the lines of the main public sector agreement. Currently they face lower pay rates, no holiday pay and work longer hours than apply in the public sector. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
Union calls for action over strikebreaking
Ver.di has called on the state government of Hamburg to intervene in a dispute involving workers at the Asklepios-owned hospital on the island of Sylt. the Asklepios company is offering bonuses to is workers from its hospital in Hamburg to come to Sylt to break the strike of 340 workers there. The Hamburg government owns 25.1% of the Asklepios hospital in Hamburg and so, ver.di argues, should try to stop the company’s blatent strike-breaking. Ver.di is also angry because the Hamburg hospital already enjoys the kind of collective agreement and pay and conditions that the workers on Sylt are striking to secure. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
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