Collective Bargaining, Tax justice
Collective bargaining – trends and developments
Collective bargaining is a core activity of trade unions and EPSU’s affiliates negotiate with public service employers at every level. This can range from national public-sector wide bargaining to sector and local negotiations with public sector employers but also private and non-profit providers of public services. EPSU works with the European Trade Union Confederation to try to improve collective bargaining rights for all workers across Europe. We also act as a European information point so that EPSU affiliates are aware of trends in public service negotiations. EPSU’s collective bargaining newsletter provides regular updates on developments across Europe.
Gas social partners to launch negotiations for first Just Transition Agreement
Eurogas, EPSU, and industriAll Europe have notified the European Commission of their intention to enter into negotiations towards a European Framework Agreement. The negotiations will be the first of their kind to focus on a Just Transition.
Stop Cancer at Work welcomes new EU guidelines and list of hazardous medicinal products, but more needs to be done to protect workers
Employers, workers and Member States need to work together to raise awareness, enhance best practice and implement the guidelines and list of hazardous drugs in the workplace.
Price rises twice the level of wage increases
Using figures from the Eurostat statistics agency, the ETUC shows how prices soared in 2022 by 9.2%, more than double the level of pay increases, recorded at 4.4%. The ETUC points out that the gap is even wider for the most essential living costs with housing and utilities prices rising by 18%, four times faster than wages, while transport and food (12%) increased three times faster. Real wages, taking into account inflation, have fallen in every EU member state this year by as much as 9%. The ETUC contrasts this with data on real profits which actually increased by 1%.
Unions express concern over push for new pay system
Public service trade unions, including SDLSN and HSMSS-MT, have expressed major concerns at the attempt by the government to rush to set up a new pay system covering the 240,000 workers in the public sector. The unions argue that there are many factors at play covering different groups of workers that make it impossible to complete negotiations by the end of June. The government says that the changes are needed as part of the reforms required by the European Union for Croatia to access funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. The unions are worried that legislation will be put
EPSU Social Services Working Group meets in Brussels to discuss key issues in the care sector
EPSU Social Services Working Group discussed effective collective bargaining coverage of social care workers in Central and Eastern Europe, the European Commission’s Skills and Talent Package and other topics.
Unions protest over collective agreement in residential care
Federations in the CGIL, CISL and UIL confederations are maintaining their protests against the decision by the ANASTE employers’ organisation to sign a collective agreement with unrepresentative trade unions. ANASTE brings together private sector residential care companies that employ around 20,000 workers. CGIL, CISL and UIL argue that the three-year collective agreement signed with the unrepresentative unions is weak in a number of aspects, not least the level of the pay increase – well below inflation – and provisions related to sick pay and leave. The CGIL, CISL and UIL trade unions had
Unions stress need for new approach to sector negotiations
The JHL public service and OAJ education unions are calling on employers to make progress in stalled negotiations that cover over 130,000 workers in the state, education and the churches. The unions are challenging the fact that the employers are waiting to see what happens in the private sector and particularly the export-led sector, before further negotiating on pay in the public sector. JHL and OAJ argue that the centralised system of bargaining no longer applies and that sector negotiations have to focus on the needs and demands of the sectors that deliver welfare for citizens and provide
Employers block progress in state and church negotiations
The JHL trade union has expressed frustration at the decision of the state and church employers not to finalise negotiations over pay increases for 2023. They are apparently waiting to see how things develop in the key technology industry in the private sector. JHL raises the question of whether the church and state employers should be looking towards the private sector to influence their negotiations and also whether or not this is in effect a form of coordination that employer organisations have rejected in the past. In both church and state negotiations there is a commitment to negotiate a