Transparency & Corruption, Pay settlements, Privatisation, Spain, Croatia, Armenia

After lengthy negotiations a new public sector pay structure is in place that means significant increases to the coefficients used to calculate salaries for different occupations. Overall public sector workers are set to benefit on average by 13.5% in comparison to pay levels in 2023. Most unions are generally happy with the new system, including the HSSMS-MT nurses’ and health workers’ union which is one of 11 to sign the public sector collective agreement. However, other unions, including teaching unions, are unhappy with the outcome and argue that the new system fails to deliver appropriate

Public sector federations in the CCOO confederation and the UGT-SP federation have welcomed confirmation that a 0.5% pay increase (backdated to January 2023) will be implemented in line with the last three-year pay agreement. The 0.5% figure was linked to growth in the Spanish economy. They now also want action on the 2% promised for 2024 and an end to the limit on replacing employees who leave. In the meantime, the federations are calling for an urgent convening of the monitoring committee on the framework agreement that addresses important issues such as partial retirement, annual leave

After nine months of intensive negotiations, the UGT-SP and FSS-CCOO trade unions have negotiated a new agreement with the CEVE employers’ organisation covering 35,000 workers in veterinary services. Wages will increase by 11% over three years with annual increases of 4.5%, in 2023, 3.5% in 2024 and 3% in 2025. The agreement also includes a salary review clause linked to inflation and increases to mileage allowances and extra payments covering night work as well as holiday allowances. There are measures to improve work-life balance and career progression. The unions argue that all the

The HSSMS-MT healthcare union reports that following the third round of public sector pay negotiations, unions have accepted a pay increase of 5%, an improvement on the 3% offer made in the second round of bargaining. The unions have also secured the €300 Christmas bonus that they were looking for and an Easter bonus of €100, less than they wanted but a €30 improvement on the previous offer. There is also a commitment that, should the new pay system not be in place by 1 March 2024, then negotiations would open for a general pay increase.

In the second year of the three-year agreement covering the public sector, workers are set to receive two additional pay increases of 0.5% on top of the 2.5% guaranteed for 2023. The additional amounts, backdated to the beginning of the year, are dependant on the level of inflation and GDP growth with figures for both likely to trigger the additional payments. The unions – FSC-CCOO and UGT-SP – are positive also about the 2% increase due in 2024 which guarantees an increase for public sector workers at time when the lack of a government following the general election might have led to a pay

The FSC-CCOO and UGT-SP federations have confirmed that workers in embassies and other overseas missions will get a 2.5% pay increase backdated to 1 January 2023, in line with the main framework agreement covering public administration. They have also secured a guarantee to negotiate a new salary revision later in the year, in the event of an increase for other public administration staff. The two unions have reaffirmed the validity of the 1990 Agreement and the demand to ensure an annual salary review that that obliges the administration to negotiate a periodic increase in pay taking into

The strike of members of the SDSLN trade union in the Ministry of Justice is over following a close vote to accept the government’s offer of a 12% pay increase. Although below the €400 increase aimed for, the union argues that this is a reasonable increase and goes some way to recognising that workers in the ministry had been undervalued. The SDLSN also notes that it was a significant achievement to maintain the strike and to affirm its legality in the face of legal challenges by the government. The agreement with the government also confirms that the union will be involved in the negotiations

On 3 March the FSS-CCOO and FeSP-UGT federations signed a new three-year collective agreement covering around 300,000 workers in the public residential care sector. The agreement runs until 31 December 2025 and was secured after negotiations lasting for almost five years. It includes salary increases of 4% this year and 2.5% in both 2024 and 2025. A salary update clause means that there could be additional adjustments depending on developments in inflation. There will an hours reduction calculated on an annual basis with an 8-hour cut in 2024 and a further cut of 12 hours in 2025. Improvements

Care sector unions in the CCOO and UGT confederations have managed to negotiate substantial pay increases for social care workers in the first collective agreement covering residential and day-centre care in the Balearic islands. The agreement covers around 4000 workers and provides for pay increases of more than 41% staged over the next four years, 22.42% from June 2023, 5.81% from June 2024, 5% from June 2025 and 3.86% from June 2026. The increases will bring workers in line with pay levels in the regional authority. There will also be an 18-hour reduction in working hours (7 hours in 2024

The FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT public service federations have ensured that government employees working overseas will be covered by a proper process of collective bargaining. As a first step to address the lack of proper pay bargaining over the past 14 years, the unions have agreed a 3.5% pay increase for all overseas workers backdated to 1 January 2022. Negotiations over a pay rise for 2023 will begin in the first quarter of the year along with bargaining over a range of other issues including telework, the 35-hour week, equality plans and an updating of the 2008 agreement on working conditions.

Following the threat of protests and other actions, public sector unions, including the SDLSN state sector union and HSSMS-MT nurses’ union, have secured increases to pay and other benefits. The base for setting public sector salaries will increase by 6% from 1 October this year and then by 2% from 1 April 2023. There will also be increases to the Christmas bonus, the payment of gifts to children and to holiday allowances. Negotiations for the next round of increases will take place next year at the latest in the third week of September.

The public sector federations in the CCOO confederation and the FeSP-UGT federation have now formally signed the new three-year agreement covering five million public sector workers. The agreement will deliver increases of 3.5% in 2022, 2.5% in 2023 and 2.0% in 2024 but with the prospect of three extra increases of 0.5% depending on inflation and growth. If the conditions for the extra increases are met this would mean salaries rising by 9.8% by the end of 2024. The FeSP-UGT has also called for a government commitment that there will be no delay in ensuring workers in mutual societies, that

Public service federations, including FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT, have welcomed a new three-year agreement that could deliver pay increases of more than 9% by the end of 2024. Following government imposed pay rises of only 0.9% in 2021 and initially only 2% in 2022, unions pushed the government to open negotiations and respond to the cost-of-living crisis. There will now be an additional 1.5% increase in 2022 backdated to January. In 2023 there will be an increase of 2.5% but two further increases of 0.5% will follow depending on the level of inflation and economic output. There will also be a 2.0%

On 26 April, at the 14th session of negotiations between public service unions, including the HSSMS-MT nurses’ union and SDLSN public administration union, and the government, it was confirmed that the general public sector pay increase will be 4% backdated to 1 April. This is a positive outcome for the trade unions as the government had been pushing for a 2% rise from 1 May and then a further 2% later in the year. The meeting was joined by six ministers along with the prime minister. The unions also secured a commitment to further negotiations on pay in September and an increase in the

Health and social care unions in the Basque region have been involved in a series of protests and strikes. Mobilisations in public health during December and January will culminate in a day of strike action on 28 January. The unions are angry about the failure of the public health system to honour basic rights to information and collective bargaining. They are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on the system and the way that management have responded by taking unilateral decisions on working conditions, health and safety and precarious employment. Two days earlier, on 26 January unions