Aug. 22, 2019
Working Time
Aug. 21, 2019
Unions work together to tackle part-time crisis
Three unions - Fagforbundet, NSF and Delta - with a combined total membership of 560000, are joining forces to address the continuing problem of part-time work in health and social care. The unions say that around two-thirds of workers in the sector, employed mainly by municipalities - are on part-time contracts. This is a problem for many workers, making it difficult to make ends meet. The unions argue that the problem has been recognised at national level and some municipalities have taken action but they say the government needs to ensure that municipalities have the funding so that they can offer workers full-time contracts.
Aug. 07, 2019
Union continues campaign for changing time to be working time
The vpod/ssp public services union has been campaigning since last September for hospital workers who need to change into and out of their uniforms to have this changing time recognised as working time. In the latest development, the management of the Limmattal hospital in Zürich has refused to recognise changing time as such but has guaranteed one of two 15-minute break periods that it had not previously endorsed. In the meantime the vpod is busy using legal means to challenge other hospitals for unpaid wages for changing time.
Aug. 07, 2019
Union working towards collective agreement in university agency
Services union ver.di has managed to organise and make progress towards a collective agreement in the uni-assist agency that checks applications to universities from overseas students. The agency was set up in 2003 and now has 300 employees, with ver.di membership now at 60% of those on permanent contracts. The union is aiming to secure an agreement in line with the public sector agreement and is focusing on a number of specific issues including a reduction to a 38.5 hour week from 40 hours. The agency is now a guest member of the Berlin municipal employers' organisation but without committing to sign up to the sector agreement. Ver.di has drafted a collective agreement and hopes to make progress in negotiations with the agency but doesn't rule out action, including warning strikes, to put pressure on the employers.
Aug. 07, 2019
Union support secures key legal victory on annual leave
Public services union UNISON has won a significant victory at the Court of Appeal that will benefit hundreds of thousands of employees working part-time and irregular hours. The case involved a part-time teacher and it clarifies that all workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days of paid annual leave, even if they do not work or are not paid for parts of the year. The ruling also confirms that this leave must be paid at the rate of a normal week’s pay, or based on the average payment for the preceding 12 weeks if pay is irregular.
Jul. 25, 2019
New four-year agreement in water sector
The unions UGT-FICA and FSC-CCOO are both very positive about negotiating a new four year agreement with the AGA employers' organisation in the water sector. The agreement will run until 2022 and covers around 20000 workers. There will be a 3% pay increase in each year but there is also an opening clause if inflation exceeds this figure. Working time is reduced by eight hours with annual total of 1744 from 2020. There is a wide range of other measures relating to health and safety, work-life balance, equality and digitalisation among others.
Jul. 11, 2019
Mental health care workers get 8.38% increase over 2.5 years
The latest collective agreement covering 89000 workers in the mental health sector includes a 8.38% pay increase over 2.5 years (3% in October 2019, 3% in August 2020 and 2.1% in June 2021). Workers will also get a EUR 500 lump sum payment. The agreement includes a number of measures to address training needs and a 7% higher starting salary to attract new workers to the sector. There will also be measures to address stress-related sickness and employees who work in particularly intensive care situations will get an extra 16 hours of leave.
Jun. 12, 2019
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Le droit européen est clair : la directive « Temps de travail » doit être appliquée pour l’ensemble des sapeurs-pompiers en France
La cour de justice de l’Union européenne rappelle comment la directive 2003/88/CE concernant l'aménagement du temps de travail doit être appliquée pour les sapeurs-pompiers.
May. 28, 2019
Tough negotiations in hospitals and mental health
The FNV and other unions are facing tough negotiations in both hospitals (200000 workers) and mental health (80000 workers). In the hospital sector the employers have made an unacceptable offer of a 2.5% pay rise when the unions are looking for a 5% increase as well action to protect working time and rest periods and initiatives on employee health and training to improve retention. Similarly, in mental health unions want better pay and limits on flexibility but are being confronted by employer demands to reduce working time protection and sick pay provision.
May. 28, 2019
Unions gearing up to ensure end of working hours increase
In 2016 unions reluctantly negotiated a competitiveness pact that involved an additional 24 hours' work a year with no extra pay, a 30% cut in holiday pay for public sector workers and a transfer of pension contributions from employers to employees. In anticipation of the next bargaining round some unions have already confirmed that they want the additional hours to be cut. Unions are particularly unhappy that while workers saw an increase in working time and an effective cut in take-home pay to deliver the pact, the employers failed to deliver on their side of the bargaining with more investment.
May. 23, 2019
Unions sign agreement to return to 35-hour week
The FeSP-UGT and the public service federations of the CCOO confederation have negotiated an agreement with the region of Castilla and Leon that will bring 85000 public sector workers back on to a 35-hour week. This is a long-standing demand of the trade unions since hours were increased as part of austerity measures. The hours reduction should apply from 1 June in health and administration and from 1 September for teachers. The federations will continue to pursue the restoration of other reductions to rights and benefits that were also part of the austerity package.
May. 16, 2019
Unions maintain campaign over pay, pensions and other conditions
Local government union STAL and other unions in the public sector Frente Comum took part in a major national demonstration on 10 May as part of their long-running campaign to improve pay and working conditions in the public services and reverse the cuts imposed as part of austerity measures. Along with higher pay and better pensions, the unions want to see clear commitments to improve career progression and action on working time.
May. 16, 2019
Doctors' union considers further action if no progress in negotiations
Negotiations over the pay and conditions of 55000 hospitals doctors are set to resume on 21 May with the Marburger Bund doctors' union looking for a clear statement from the VKA municipal employers' organisation on two key points - the demand for two free weekends each month and a maximum number of hours on standby duty. The union has organised a number of warning strikes to support its negotiating team and will consider further action if the VKA doesn't make a better offer in the next negotiating round.
May. 16, 2019
