Health and Safety, Corporate Social Responsibility, Central government
New collective agreement in state sector
(October 2016) The ST trade union has negotiated a new collective agreement covering around 100000 workers in the state sector. It provides for pay increases of 2.2% in the year to 30 September 2017. There are other important elements regarding working conditions including action to deal with stress and violence at work and special measures to provide support for overworked managers.
Prison union protests over staffing and overtime
(October 2016) The SNLP union representing prison staff has been organising a series of protests over serious staffing shortages and very high levels of uncompensated overtime. The prison service needs around 8000 extra staff and the union warns that this not only raises serious health and safety issues but undermines attempts at rehabilitation.
Unions back workers in Chambers of Commerce
(October 2016) The three main confederations - CGIL, CSIL and UIL - jointly organised a national demonstration on 30 September which was well supported by employees of Chambers of Commerce from around the country. The publicly run system is set to be restructured (see epsucob@NEWS 10) and the unions are campaigning to defend the jobs and the employment rights of the workers affected.
Agreement over minimum service during strikes for forestry workers
(September 2016) Trade unions have negotiated a minimum service provision in the case of strike action by forestry workers. This is an important step to maintain the current rights of this group of workers that is facing militarisation and the loss of the right to strike through transfer to the carabineri police service. Trade unions are continuing to fight this transfer both through union campaigning and legal action.
Unions call for negotiations after budget surplus
(September 2016) The vpod/ssp public services union is joining others in the federal public sector to call for negotiations over pay increases in 2017. The unions have reacted to government figures showing that the budget outcome for 2016 will be a surplus rather than the forecast deficit and the unions argue that this means that the proposed pay freeze for 2017 needs to be withdrawn and a pay rise negotiated.
Union calls for negotations on pay and employment
(September 2016) The FeSP-UGT public services federation has called on the interim government to open negotiations with trade unions to ensure that the law setting out the budget for 2017 includes provisions for increased employment and a pay rise for public sector workers. The federation says that urgent action is needed to fill vacancies, take on temporary staff on permament contracts and reinstate the 170000 jobs cut since 2011. It is also arguing for a 3% pay increase in line with overall economic growth. Read more at FeSP-UGT (ES).
Union coordinates action to support forestry workers
(September 2016) The CGIL confederation and its public service federation (Fp-Cgil) are working together to coordinate legal and industrial action in support of forestry workers who are facing transfer to the carabinieri police force. The transfer would mean major changes for the workers who would lose the right to strike. The confederation and federation are planning to organise strike action in protest but in the mean time are planning to support action by individual workers to challenge the legality of the new statute to implement the transfer. Read more at Fp-Cgil (IT).
Cuts at agency workers' rights inspectorate
(August 2016) The agency set up by the UK government to regulate employment agencies and agency work has seen its budget cut by over 50% since 2010. An investigation by the Labour Party found that staff at the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) had been cut by 70% and that the body had failed to secure a single prosecution over the past year. Although complaints rose by a fifth between 2011 and 2016, the number of inspections carried out by the EAS fell by more than half. Read more at the Guardian newspaper.
Federations protest over chambers of commerce restructuring
(August 2016) The public service federations - Fp Cgil, Cisl Fp and Uil Fpl - have sent a letter to the ministers of public administration and economic development protesting at the planned restructuring of the system of chambers of commerce. The unions argue that the plans to reorganise are going ahead without any guarantees for the employees and with the government refusing even to discuss the restructuring with the trade unions. The chambers employ around 7000 workers directly with 3000 in related bodies. The unions plan to organise a national demonstration in September. Read more at Fp