19 epsucob@NEWS 25 September 2006
Over 25,000 join pay demonstration
Unions across Switzerland mobilised over 25,000 members for a national demonstration in Bern over pay increases and pay equality. Public sector workers joined the demonstration to make their case for a 4% pay increase to compensate for inflation and begin to recoup the loss in real pay over the last 12 years. Unions also demanded higher increases for women workers to start to reduce the 10%-20% gender pay gap. Public sector unions are particularly angry at their employers plans for further cuts in public spending while implementing take cuts for the higher paid. [Read more at > SGB (FR+DE)-
New collective agreement for state administration workers
Around 60,000 employees of the state administration are now covered by a new four-year collective agreement running from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2008. The agreement provides for average pay increases of around 28% over the four years. However, increases for lower paid workers will be 32% taking minimum monthly pay to at least €1,000 by the end of the agreement. It also implements changes to the occupational structure, with five occupational groups rather than eight and will allow for more mobility within the state administration. Other measures include initiatives to improve work-life
Cabinet to decide on civil service pay
A dispute over pay increases for civil servants in 2007 has reached the Cabinet after government negotiators failed to agree an increase. This followed the intervention of the National Reconciliation Board after direct negotiations between the government and trade unions ended without agreement. The National Reconciliation Board recommended two increases of 5% for civil servants in 2007 with lower paid civil servants getting two increases of 6%. The latest offer from the government was only two general increases of 3% with two of 4% for the lowest paid. [Read more at > Turkish Daily News
Union sets negotiation demands for Charité medical institution
The ver.di union has set down minimum demands for collective negotiations to resume at the Charité medical clinics and institutes in Berlin. It wants harmonised conditions for workers in the East and West and a pay increase for all the 15,000 workers employed by Charité. There has been no pay increase at the institution for three years and workers are facing the threat of job cuts and outsourcing. Negotiations are set to resume on 27 September but ver.di members are ready to take industrial action if their minimum demands are not met. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://berlin.verdi.de/berufe
Further action planned against NHS Logistics outsourcing
After a successful 24-hour strike on 21 September, UNISON is building up to a second 24-hour stoppage on 26 September in protest at the government's decision to sell the NHS Logistics service to the German-owned DHL delivery service. The union angry that the sale has gone ahead without proper consultation with the union and with no business case being made. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
National day of action over GDF privatisation
The four union federations (CGT, FNEM-FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC) are continuing their campaign against the planned privatisation of the GDF gas company through a merger with the private utilities group, Suez. A national day of action will take place on 3 October with a work stoppages and a demonstration in Paris. Read more at > CGT (FR)
Survey of highly trained staff finds many women underpaid
A survey of highly trained professions by the AKAVA union federation found that many workers in culture, education, research and welfare are underpaid in comparison to jobs demanding similar qualifications in other sectors. The survey investigated 100 professions over a period of 10 years and found women were more likely to work in underpaid jobs such as librarian and day centre teachers. Read more at > the YLE news website (EN)
Disputes surface again in non-profit sector
The SETCA/BBTK white-collar union is again calling for strikes and demonstrations over the failure of the Brussels and Wallonia regions to implement collective agreements in the non-profit sector covering health, housing and social care. In Wallonia unions have organised a demonstration on 28 September in Namur. They argue that insufficient funds are available to cover the increase in pay agreed for the 2005-2007 period. In Brussels the unions are building for a major demonstration on 5 October in support of a number of key demands including harmonisation with health sector agreements
T&G signs national agreement with Veolia
The T&GWU transport and general union has signed a national agreement with Veolia Environmental Services for the first time. The agreement will cover around 1,000 refuse collectors and street and park cleaners working on municipal contracts. Veolia has contracts with 28 local authorities in the UK. The agreement covers union recognition, health and safety, time off and training for union representatives and disciplinary and grievance procedures. It also allows for a national meeting of shop stewards each year. [Read more at > TGWU (EN)->http://www.tgwu.org.uk/Templates/News.asp?NodeID=92753
Federation sets out main demands for 2007
The FNSFP public services federation has agreed on a list of key demands for its collective negotiations in 2007. It is looking for a general pay increase of 5% across public administration with a minimum rise of €50 a month. It also wants to see collective agreements fully complied with and is demanding full consultation over any plans to restructure public administration. Read more at > FNSFP (PT)
Nurses give notice of industrial action
Psychiatric nurses have given three weeks' notice of industrial action in protest at the failure of health service employers to agree a compensation scheme for nurses attacked at work. The Department of Health and Children and Health Services Executive Employers Agency had made commitments to implement the scheme following a union-employer taskforce and then following the intervention of the Labour Relations Commission. But with no further progress nurses voted by a 10-to-one majority for industrial action. [Read more at > SIPTU (EN)->http://www.siptu.ie/PressRoom/NewsReleases/2006/Name,9280
New agreement in Flemish civil service
The industrial relations observatory EIRO reports that a new collective agreement in the Flemish civil service includes a wide range of changes to conditions with a particular focus on measures targeted at older workers. The measures include more training and development, options for telework, part-time work in the lead up to retirement, ending the tendency for older workers on sick leave to take early retirement and more opportunities for career breaks. Pay for civil servants is covered by an indexation agreement but the collective agreement does provide for higher end of year bonuses and
Collective bargaining is important in integrating migrant workers
The role of partners in tackling discrimination against migrant workers and helping them integrate at work and in society was the subject of a special hearing at the European Economic and Social Committee in June. Representatives of the ETUC and the UNICE employers' organisation were at the hearing with the ETUC arguing that collective agreements and employment policies should take up issues around migrant workers and equal treatment. [Read more at > EIRO (EN)->http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/08/articles/eu0608019i.html] Collective bargaining and migrant workers will be one of the main