Early Childhood Education and Care, Social Dialogue
Action across public services
A one-day strike by ver.di members at airports around the country took place on 17 February partly in support of the negotiations in federal and municipal government and partly in support of separate negotiations in ground handling services and aviation security. On 13 February, ver.di members around the country submitted early years education plans to local archives and museums as a gesture to highlight that they are currently impossible to implement. The union estimates that childcare services currently lack of 170,000 trained staff. Ver.di has also negotiated an agreement on staffing at the
First meeting of the year for the EU social partners for central governments: whistleblowers’ protection, digitalisation, violence and harassment on the agenda
At their meeting on 8 February, the EU social partners, EUPAE and TUNED, finalized and adopted a statement calling for an effective transposition of the EU directive on whistleblowers’ protection in central or federal governments
Social Dialogue package – promising at national level, disappointing at EU level
On 25 January, the Commission published a long-awaited package on “Strengthening social dialogue in the EU”, consisting of a Communication on EU level and a draft Council Recommendation on the national level of social dialogue
Study reveals critical situation in social services
The public services union ver.di has published early results of a major study of workers in social services that reveals the high risks of burnout and exhaustion faced by many workers in the sector. The survey covers more than 8,200 employees in childcare, disability assistance, youth welfare offices and other areas of social work. It found that since the pandemic many employees often skip the legally required rest breaks and 40% stated that they regularly work three or more hours overtime a week as well. Over 65% of respondents say that they are under time pressure at work, with more than 80%
Union survey reveals staffing challenge in childcare
The SuPer health and care union has published findings from a survey of workers in early years education that found more than half (53%) of respondents felt that the quality of service had deteriorated over the past five years with insufficient staff seen as the main problem. Over 1,000 union members replied to the survey, with 88% saying that they had experienced staff shortages in their work unit on at least a monthly basis. They survey also found that the increase in other tasks meant that workers had less time for direct contact with children. Almost 80% of respondents are considering