Equality, Union Rights, Quality employment
Week of strike action in campaign against attack on unions and welfare
The JHL trade union and others in the SAK confederation organised a week of strike action between 12 and 16 February in their continuing campaign to oppose the government’s attacks on the welfare state and trade union and workers’ rights. The actions follow the major national protest organised by the SAK and STTK confederations on 1 February. A range of JHL’s membership will be involved in the week of action including workers in early childhood education and care, municipalities, local public transport, energy and rail services.
Union wins compensation for falsely accused activist
Support from her union, the Marburger Bund (MB) representing doctors, helped a union activist win a legal case against her employer, the Helios hospital group. Franziska Schlosser was an anaesthesiologist at the ENDO clinic in Hamburg, part of the Helios Group. She was active on the union’s bargaining committee and had been a strike leader. She was sacked on 8 June last year following accusations of a working time fraud of 28 minutes which she strongly denied and contested. The MB supported her legal challenge and notes that Schlosser stood her ground over several months despite intimidation
Unions continue their campaign against government austerity measures
The SAK and STTK trade union confederations are continuing their campaign against government proposals that attack the welfare state, employment and trade union rights. The next step will be a national demonstration in Helsinki on 1 February. They are also calling for support from civil society organisations. The confederations have been participating in tripartite working groups, discussions set up by the government and in parliamentary hearings, emphasising how badly workers will be affected by the government’s policies. The first reductions affecting the unemployed have already entered into
Latest news on legal developments – right to strike
The ETUCLEX newsletter, produced by the ETUC’s legal team, provides a regular update on key legal developments across Europe and in the latest issue includes reports on the right to strike. In a long-running case involving the right to strike of civil servants in Germany, the European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that disciplinary action taken against teachers who took industrial action in 2009 and 2010 did not involve a breach of their human right to freedom of association. The Court found that the particular circumstances of civil servants in Germany in relation to their pay and
Artificial intelligence act – risks for all remain high
With the increase in the use of artificial intelligence systems and especially so-called General Purpose Artificial Intelligence like ChatGTP, regulating the use of such systems in society and in the work place is crucial to protect us from unwanted consequences.