Social Services, Information & consultation, Economic Policy
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
Union members vote on non-profit sector pay proposal
Members of three trade unions – Fórsa, SIPTU and INMO – are voting on whether to accept a deal that might resolve a long-standing dispute over pay affecting non-profit health providers. The unions have been seeking to restore pay parity between workers in these bodies and directly employed public sector health and social care staff. Strike action was due to begin on 17 October but a revised offer from the employers lead the unions to suspend the action and consult members. Instead of the two-stage 5% increase offered in July, the employers have put forward a 3% increase backdated to 1 April
Unions plan actions in response to government plans
Trade unions and their confederations continue to raise concerns about the government’s proposals that will impact trade union rights, employment conditions and the welfare state. Members of the SAK confederation has been involved in a series of events, protests and work stoppages since September and more are planned for November. The STTK confederation is mobilising for a major demonstration on 18 November while the AKAVA confederation is focused on getting the government around the negotiating table.
Unions give ultimatum to youth sector employers
The FNV and other trade unions have set a deadline of 1 November for employers in the youth sector to come up with an improved pay offer or they will aim for a major mobilisation on 20 November. This would be the 10th time in recent years that unions have had to take to the streets to push their demands. The unions argue that the employers’ “final offer” would only lead to more workers leaving the sector and further increases to staff shortages. The biggest stumbling block during the negotiations was inflation compensation for 2023. Following just a 1% pay increase on 3 January, the unions are
Union negotiates two new agreement in non-profit sectors
The Kommunal trade union has negotiated two two-year collective agreements with the Fremia employers’ organisation that covers non-profit service providers. In the agreement with Fremia covering personal assistance, wage increases will be negotiated around an amount of at least SEK 993 (€84) from 1 October 2023 and at least SEK 875 (€74) from 1 October 2024. Minimum wage rates will be increased by SEK 1,350 (€115) from 1 January 2024 and by SEK 875 (€74) from 1 January 2025 while all allowances and supplements will be increased by 4.1% and 3.3% on the same dates. In the civil society agreement
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
Tripartite negotiations pre-empt normal public sector bargaining
A number of public service trade unions are involved in negotiations with employers and the government to address pay inequality and staff shortages. In September the government set out proposals to provide DKK 3 billion (€400 million) to cover higher pay for social workers, nurses and workers in early years education and care. The government wants part of the deal to provide additional hours for part-time workers. Prison staff are also set to benefit and there is additional funding for them. These negotiations come shortly before and are separate from the normal three-yearly bargaining on the
Unions deliver pay demands in private health and social care
The vida and GPA trade unions have initiated negotiations in the private health and social care sector with a demand for a 15% pay increase with a minimum of €400. The sector employs 130000 workers and the unions are calling for action to address the fact that pay is on average 22% below national average earnings. GPA and vida also argue that the public funding is there and that employers in the sector need to ensure they get the support from government to cover the pay rises and to ensure the sector is more attractive and help tackle staffing shortages. In addition to pay, the unions are also
Federations sign bridging agreement in private social care
The Fp-Cgil, Cisl-Fp and Uil-Fpl public service federations have signed a short-term agreement with the AIOP private sector employers in social care which runs from 1 October 2023 to 30 June 2024. The aim is to provide improvements to the pay and conditions of around 30000 workers who have been waiting 11 years for a new agreement. The intention is that the agreement will bridge the gap until a new sector-wide agreement is negotiated with bargaining on this set to begin in January 2024. In the meantime, workers will get increases of between €118 and €301 along with improvements to night shift