Solidarity, Working Time, Staffing levels
Pay rise in water – action in waste
The SINTAP trade union has reached an agreement with Águas de Portugal water company that applies to the union’s members and delivers a 3% increase, with a minimum of €53, an increase in the food allowance to €7.60, as well as establishing an entry salary in the company of €905. Workers with more than 10 years’ service get further improvements. Meanwhile, the STAL trade union has been active in the waste sector where it has been involved in protest and industrial action to secure better pay and conditions for workers in the FCC and Resinorte companies. At FCC the demand is for a 15% pay
Agreement, conciliation and dispute in municipal sector
Trade unions in the municipal sector have been negotiating with the SKR and Sobona employer organisations in local and regional government with differing outcomes so far. The Vision trade union, representing mainly white-collar workers has settled on the basis of a 3.3% general pay rise and commitments to a review of working hours and joint initiatives to deliver healthier workplaces. The Vårdförbundet health professionals’ union has gone to mediation mainly because it has major concerns over the employers’ proposals on working time and the work environment which it believes will mean worse
Health union rejects labour code changes
Earlier this month the OSZSP health union and other trade unions met with Ministry of Labour officials to discuss proposed amendments to the labour code which have serious implications for workers in the healthcare sector. The governments wants changes in relation to shift lengths, overtime work and, of most concern, the introduction of 24-hour shifts. The OSZSP and the doctors’ union underlined the need to safeguard employee rights and criticized proposals that could undermine worker protections. They pointed out that the Czech Republic should be moving in the direction of countries like
Trade unionism is not a crime: Solidarity with Belarusian jailed trade unionists
There will be a virtual solidarity meeting with Belarusian trade unionists on 19 April, 9.30 – 11.00, in framework of “the Day of action for trade union rights and democracy in Belarus”. Meeting is organised by ITUC.
Switzerland: union warns against impact of new health financing system
The vpod/ssp public services has launched a campaign and petition – “Nein zu EFAs” – to try to block changes to the healthcare financing system in Switzerland that will have seriously negative consequences for staff and patients.
Unions taking different approaches to working time
Following the article on Iceland, the latest in the series of articles on working time commissioned by EPSU from the Labour Research Department focuses on developments in the other Nordic countries. While several unions in Sweden have put shorter working time on the bargaining agenda (see also article on Sweden in this newsletter), there are only a few cases in social care where a shorter working week has been implemented. In Norway and Denmark the priority has been more to ensure that workers in health and care and other services have the right to full-time working although there are some
