Transparency & Corruption, Local government
Successful pan-European Conference of Local and Regional Government
The EPSU LRG European Conference brought together over 40 delegates and speakers from across Europe to discuss remunicipalisation of public services, focusing on the climate crisis, gender equality and democratic ownership.
Public sector negotiations deliver a 5% pay increase
The HSSMS-MT healthcare union reports that following the third round of public sector pay negotiations, unions have accepted a pay increase of 5%, an improvement on the 3% offer made in the second round of bargaining. The unions have also secured the €300 Christmas bonus that they were looking for and an Easter bonus of €100, less than they wanted but a €30 improvement on the previous offer. There is also a commitment that, should the new pay system not be in place by 1 March 2024, then negotiations would open for a general pay increase.
Unions aim for 10.5% pay increase in regional government
The ver.di trade union, leading negotiations covering 1.2 million workers in regional government, has set out the main claim for a 10.5% salary increase, but with a minimum increase of €500 a month. The demands also include an extra €200 for junior staff and trainees are to be taken on for an unlimited period. The unions want a 12-month agreement. Ver.di says employees have high expectations for the outcome of the negotiations and stresses that better pay and conditions are needed to help address the 300,000 staffing shortage across public services. An important aim will be to close the gap
Unions call for higher pay increase for 2024
Both the SINTAP and STAL unions have expressed discontent with the pay increase on offer for public service workers in 2024. The overall wage bill will rise by over 5% with increases ranging from 3% to over 6% depending on position in the pay scale. The two unions argue that this level of increase will not compensate for the recent loss of purchasing power because of higher inflation. STAL estimates a 5.1% fall in real terms in 2022-23 alone. SINTAP has called for a re-opening of negotiations while STAL has called a national strike for 27 October. The strike, also supported by the Frente Comum
Latest on public sector and private health negotiations
The first round of bargaining for a 2024 pay increase for public sector workers took place on 20 October and as usual the basic aim was to agree the key figures on which the negotiations would be based. These were established as 9.15% for inflation (year to September 2023) and forecasts of a 0.4%-0.8% decline in economic output. The negotiations involve the public sector unions younion and GÖD. Meanwhile, the first round of bargaining in private health and social care was disappointing for the vida and GPA trade unions as the employer offer of an 8.8% increase was well below the unions’ claim
Municipal employers make offer but nothing from hospital employers
The VNG local government employers’ organisation has come up with an offer of a 4% pay rise for the year 2024. The FNV trade union has acknowledged this as an opening to proper negotiations, it says it falls some way short of its main demand for an 8% rise pay increase on top of a flat-rate €100 increase. The VNG is also yet to respond on a number of other issues including leave and early retirement. The negotiations resume on 30 October, when the FNV will also raise concerns around workloads. Meanwhile, the University Medical Centres employer organisation has yet to come up with a specific
Unions disappointed by government’s 3% pay offer
The HSSMS-MT health workers’ union reports that in the second round of public sector pay negotiations the government has put forward an offer of a 3% increase along with a €67.73 increase to the Christmas bonus to take it to €300 and a proposed Easter bonus of €70. This contrasts to the initial claim from public sector unions for a 15% pay increase along with bonuses of €300 for both Christmas and Easter along with other bonuses. The government argues that the introduction of a new pay system in 2024 will mean salary increases of 14%. However, the unions argue that the higher increase is
Major conference sets out key demands in public administration
Over 500 delegates took part in a national conference organised by the STAL trade union on 20 September to reaffirm priority demands on pay, career development, working conditions and stronger public services. The activists also underlined the need to intensify mobilisations to achieve these objectives. The meeting endorsed the demands set out by the CGTP-IN confederation for 2024, including a 15% increase in wages, with a minimum of €150 for all workers; an increase in the national minimum wage in public administration to €910 in January 2024, reaching €1000 later in the year; a standard 35
Coordinated action by public service unions in Northern Ireland
Members of the UNISON, Unite, GMB and RCM trade unions joined five other unions in coordinated strike action over pay on 21 and 22 September. Workers in the province are frustrated by the low level of pay offered to civil service workers, the complete lack of a pay offer in the health service and the continuing problems with staffing shortages. The unions are particularly frustrated about the fact that many public service workers in England, Scotland and Wales have aleady accepted pay offers and that the pay gap between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK is increasing. The ETUC sent a