Equality, Collective Bargaining, U.K.

(May 2016) Most local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will get pay increases of 1% this year and next year under a new two-year agreement. Lower paid workers will benefit from higher increases ranging from 1.01% to 6.6% in 2016 and from 1.3% to 3.4% in 2017. while the deal was accepted by Unison and the GMB it was rejected by members of the Unite trade union. Read more at Unison and at Unite

(August 2016) Staff at Cardiff Hospital working for the contractor ENGIE stopped proposed cuts to hours and pay enhancements following a 100% vote for strike action. The workers provide portering, catering, security, reception, housekeeping and cleaning staff to St. David’s Hospital could have lost hundreds of pounds a month under the changes, with redundancies also threatened. The company has withdrawn the proposals and also recognised Unison for collective bargaining. Read more at Unison.

(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.

(September 2016) Non-teaching staff in higher education in England and Wales are being balloted for industrial action while non-teaching staff in Scottish futher educations take industrial action on 6 September. In England and Wales unions generally in higher education have rejected a 1.1% pay offer from the employers while in Scotland non-teaching staff are objecting to the flat-rate pay offer that is nearly half the level of the flat-rate pay increase awarded to teaching staff. Read more at Unison on higher education and FE in Scotland. Also at Unite.

(March 2017) The ETUC is calling for a pay rise for workers across Europe and in the latest initiative in its campaign reveals that wages are lower now than they were eight years ago in seven EU member states while in 18 EU countries wages have grown much slower over the seven years after the crisis than in the eight years before that.In the 7 years 2009-2016 real wages (adjusted for inflation) have fallen every year by an average of 3.1 % in Greece; 1 % in Croatia; 0.9 % in Hungary; 0.7 % in Portugal; 0.6 % in Cyprus; 0.4 % in UK, and 0.3 % in Italy.

(April 2017) Latest statistics show pay rises failing to keep pace with inflation and public service union have highlighted how their members have been losing out after several years of pay freezes and below-inflation pay increases. The GMB union estimates that a full-timie public sector worker has lost out by GBP 9000 (EUR 10600) since 2010.

(June 2017) Employees of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have been taking strike action as part of a rolling campaign that has covered offices in Glasgow, Cardiff and, in the latest stage, Manchester. The strikes are in protest at budget and job cuts in the organisation as well as staff dismissals. The main union involved, PCS, has said that it is astonishing that the EHRC hasn't even carried out an equality impact assessment of the job cuts. Film director Ken Loach has sent his solidarity greetings to the strikers.

Public service unions bargaining for better pay across EuropeA pay rise for public service workers across Europe is the message that EPSU has sent out today – 23rd June – Public Services Day. Supported by the European Trade Union Confederation and in cooperation with the ETUCE teachers' federation, EPSU has highlighted some of the countries where public service workers continue to suffer from the effects of pay cuts and pay freezes.This special issue of EPSU's Collective Bargaining newsletter reports on some of the latest developments in pay negotiations and affiliates' campaigns, protests and

Public service unions have stepped up their campaign to end the public sector pay cap for all workers following the government's decision to offer higher pay rises to police, prison officers and firefighters. The unions used the annual meeting of the Trade Union Congress to make the case that all public service workers have seen their real pay decline significantly and deserve a higher pay rise. The FBU firefighters' union has rejected the 2% pay offer arguing that it comes with too many unacceptable conditions.

On 15 September 14 health sector trade unions submitted a joint pay claim to the government. Pay negotiations in the sector are normally carried out in a special pay review body that includes employer and trade union representatives. However, the 14 unions decided to bypass this mechanism and ask the government directly for extra funding in next year's budget for health workers' pay. The basic claim would be an increase in line with inflation plus £800 (910 EUR) as a step towards recouping the estimated 15% loss of purchasing power suffered by workers over several years of pay freezes and pay

In a consultative ballot, members of the PCS civil service union expressed support for a campaign, including industrial action, to end the government's 1% limit on increases to public sector pay. The union has planned a series of protests around the country on 21 November, calling on the government to include funds in the upcoming budget to allow for pay increases above the 1% limit. It will also be talking to other public service unions about coordinated action.

Waste workers employed by Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in England, have won a new deal that will protect the pay of workers who were threatened with the loss of thousands of pounds in pay.

Workers at museums and historical buildings in Greenwich in South East London took strike action on 1 January in protest at changes to their contracts imposed by management. The changes mean fewer breaks, removal of paid breaks and an extension of hours in which workers' shifts can fall. All these effectively undermine the 3% increase in the hourly rate negotiated by their trade union Prospect last year. The new terms and conditions also don't guarantee payment of the unofficial London living wage which is currently GBP 10.20 (EUR 11.50).

Health service unions are consulting their members over whether to accept a three-year pay offer which would mean workers at the top of their pay grade would get a 6.5% increase between April 2018 and April 2020, marking a break with the government's 1% pay cap in the public sector. All but the very highest paid staff would get 3% in April 2018, 1.7% and a 1.1% lump sum in April 2019, and 1.7% from April 2020. However, changes to the pay structure would mean significant increases of 15%-17% for the lowest paid. The government has also confirmed that it will fully fund the pay rises. Most