Regional union organization appeals against pay cuts
17 August 2010
The CCOO trade union confederation’s public sector organizations in the Extremadura region of south west Spain have lodged over 450 appeals against the pay cuts being imposed by the public authorities. This follows similar action at national level. The appeals cover nearly 80,000 workers in the regional administration and local authorities as well as workers in universities. The actions challenge the pay cuts on the basis of the infringement of trade union rights to collective bargaining and the maintenance of pay and employment.
Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)
Labour law reform weakens sectoral agreements
17 August 2010
The CCOO confederation has attacked the Socialist government for what it says is the biggest attack on workers’ rights since the transition to democracy in the 1970s. CCOO general secretary Ignacio Fernández Toxo says that the change in the law gives too much flexibility to employers in terms of setting wages and working time and will undermine sectoral collective agreements leading to damaging wage competition.
Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)
Federation challenges opening up of public sector to employment agencies
4 August 2010
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 privatisation as well as creating a two-tier workforce.
Read more at > FSP-UGT (ES)
Federation welcomes equality plans but is critical of their implementation
21 July 2010
The FSC-CCOO public services federation is positive about the drawing up of equality plans across the state administration sector, but argues that more needs to be done to ensure they are properly implemented. In particular, the federation wants to see a timetable and deadlines and believes that more resources, including staff, need to be made available to put the plans into effect.
Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)
Federations pose legal challenge to government pay cuts
5 July 2010
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 particular the right to collective bargaining. The FSP-UGT federation is also looking at legal challenges to the changes and has submitted an appeal against the pay cut as well as calling for a judicial review of the way the government has handled the changes.
Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)
And at > FSP-UGT (ES)
General strike called for 29 September
21 June 2010
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 (ES)
Unions build for general strike on 8 June
1 June 2010
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 (ES)
Unions react angrily to public sector pay cuts
13 May 2010
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 because of the pressure of the international financial markets.
Read more at > FSC CCOO (ES)
Read more at > FSP UGT (ES)
Union protests over precarious employment at institution for the blind
17 April 2010
On 14 April the FSC-CCOO services federation co-ordinated demonstrations outside 25 centres around the country run by the ONCE institution for blind people. The federation was again raising questions about how the institution is run, its attitude to trade unions and the increase in precarious employment practices. The union hopes that an initial meeting with management will be followed up soon with negotiations on the key issues.
Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)
Federation attacks plans to privatise firefighting
17 April 2010
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 (ES)
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