Union Rights, Low pay/minimum wages
ETUC exposes how dividends surge while real pay falls
An ETUC analysis reveals that European companies have paid inflation-busting dividends to their shareholders while workers have been struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis. The value of payouts to shareholders increased by 28.6% in Europe during the second quarter of this year, according to the newly-published Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index. That’s more than seven times faster than the rate at which wages are rising across the European Union. Dividend increases were particularly high in Spain (97.7%), Italy (72.2%), Germany (36.3%) and France (32.7%). The ETUC argues that the
Union movements organise protests over surge in inflation
With inflation increasing rapidly across Europe, trade union movements are mobilising to highlight the cost-of-living challenges facing workers, their families as well as pensioners and students. Latest figures show prices rising at anything from 6.5% to nearly 23% a year in Europe with further increases predicted. The CMKOS confederation in the Czech Republic is calling for a national demonstration in Prague on 5 September while the ÖGB confederation in Austria is coordinating protests around the country on 17 September. In between these two, the GSEE private sector and ADEDY public sector
Right to strike information – updated
Factsheets on the right to strike in public services in 48 countries are available on the EPSU website, with most updated during 2021. The initiative began in 2019 with the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) coordinating the research and writing of 35 factsheets, all of which have now been updated. EPSU has separately commissioned a further 13 factsheets on countries outside the ETUI’s remit. Each factsheet sets out the main rules on who has the right to call a strike; the definition of a strike; who may participate in a strike; procedural requirements and the legal consequences of
Trade union rights conference – 22 September
EPSU, along with the trade union federations representing police and military personnel – EuroCOP and EUROMIL, is organising a conference on trade union rights in Skopje in North Macedonia on 22 September. The conference is the final event of a two-year, European Commission funded project that has been investigating the challenges facing public service unions in defending and strengthening their rights to organise, negotiate and take collective action. The conference will include speakers from the ETUC, Council of Europe and European Commission and the presentation of research carried out
Trade unions unite in call for action on cost of living
Nine trade unions and five student organisations have come together to issue a joint communique calling for action in response to the impact of inflation on the standard of living of workers, students and pensioners. They are calling for a policy of redistribution in favour of wages and action to tackle inequality, particularly between men and women. The organisations also underline that the minimum wage should be only regarded as appropriate as a starting salary and not a wage level that applies throughout a working life. The communique underlines that both public and private sector employers
International organisations protest over attacks on labour rights
EPSU has joined with the European and global trade union confederations, ETUC and ITUC, in protests over anti-union legislation passed by the Ukrainian parliament. A major concern is law 5371, which has been attacked by the FPSU confederation for severely restricting employment protection, but other legislation also weakens workers’ rights, including law 5161 which allows the use of zero-hours contracts. The ETUC and ITUC have called on the European institutions to intervene in the light of Ukraine’s new status as an EU candidate country. EPSU has also written to the European Commission about
Wages not driving inflation but price surge denies millions a holiday
More than 38 million people in Europe can’t afford a week’s holiday despite being in work, according to an analysis by the European Trade Union Institute for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The ETUC argues that the cost-of-living crisis is putting holidays even further out of reach with the share of the total population who cannot afford a holiday increasing in over half of EU member states since 2019 and even the share of working people who can’t afford one has increased in 11 countries. Romania, Greece and Lithuania have the highest share of workers unable to get away for a
Latest survey reveals worst abusers of trade union rights
The International Trade Union Confederation has published its latest global rights index which exposes the scale and extent of attacks on fundamental trade union rights across the world. In the European region, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Turkey are the worst offenders appearing in the index’s category 5 – assessed as countries providing no guarantee of trade union rights. But plenty of other countries feature in the next categories with Greece, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Romania and Serbia all category 4 countries where there are systematic violations. These are followed by eight countries where there
Trade Union rights project - Defending and strengthening trade union rights across the public services
Many of our members face restrictions on the right to organise, negotiate and take strike action. In some countries the limitations or complete bans impact particularly on uniformed staff –