2010 November epsucob@NEWS 21
Strikes and demonstrations continue
French unions have been maintaining their strikes and protests against the new law on pensions with a seventh day of action since the beginning of September on Thursday 28 October, with demonstrations continuing into the beginning of November. The next national mobilisation will be on 6 November. [Read more at > CGT (FR)->http://www.cgt.fr/spip.php?article37877] [And at > CFDT (FR)->http://www.cfdt.fr/rewrite/article/29924/les-actualites/mobilisations/2010/28-octobre-2010/un-28-octobre-festif-dans-les-corteges-cfdt.htm?idRubrique=9519] [And at > FO (FR)->http://www.force-ouvriere.fr/page
High Court opinion challenges pay cuts
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT public service federations have welcomed a ruling by the High Court that the imposition of pay cuts may have contravened constitutional rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The case also raises issues of equal treatment as the pay cut was imposed at the Royal Mint but not in other public companies such as the RENFE rail firm. The particular legal challenge relates to employees of the Royal Spanish Mint but if the result is confirmed then it may well be applicable much more broadly across publicly owned companies and even across the public sector
ENERGY, WASTE AND WATER – PAY SURVEY
EPSU is urging all its affiliates in energy, waste and water to get their members to complete an online survey. The survey is available in national languages on 21 national websites and is being co-ordinated by the Wage Indicator project. EPSU will be working with researchers from the University of Amsterdam who will analyse the data with the possibility of making comparisons of occupational pay within countries, between countries and even within and between transnational companies in the energy, waste and water sectors. FNV Abvakabo is one of the first EPSU affiliates to promote the survey on
Employers push for labour code reforms
The AZZZ employers’ organisation and other business groups are lobbying the government to make changes in the labour code. They want to see more flexibility around working time and rules on hiring and firing employees. In contrast, the trade unions are more or less happy with the labour code and any reforms should focus on reducing overtime and working hours. Read more at > Slovak news website (EN)
Government to press ahead with 10% pay cut
The government has said that it will go through with plans to cut public sector pay by 10% next year, despite plans for further action by the trade unions. However, the government has said that it will not implement proposals for a reform of the pay structure next year. Unions had been concerned that the impact of the pay reforms, with removal of increases based on length of service, could mean cuts of up to 40% for some workers. Read more at > Czech news website (EN)
Unions mobilise outside parliament as government survives vote
Public sector trade unions were part of a major demonstration outside parliament on 27 October in support of a coalition of MPs who were attempting to win a vote of no confidence against the government. In the end the opposition was 19 votes short of the required majority. Trade unions said they would continue their campaign against the austerity measures with a four-hour general strike planned for 3 November, supported by the five trade union confederations. [Read more at > news website (EN)->http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?issue=4799&page=detalii&categorie=politics&id=20101029-512650]
Unions angry at abolition of schools negotiating body
Public service union UNISON is consulting its members over the possibility of strike action in protest at the government’s plans to abolish the Schools Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). The SSSNB was only set up in 2009 and is responsible for negotiations covering around 500,000 school staff, including teaching assistants, administrative, technical and other non-teaching staff. UNISON sees it as an important step in providing a national pay structure, particularly teaching assistants. The decision has also been condemned by the GMB general union. [Read more at > UNISON (EN)->http://www
Federal court supports equal pay claim
The Federal court has supported case for regarding care staff and midwives taken by the VPÖD public services union and professional associations representing care workers and midwives. This overturns a decision by the cantonal (regional) court in St.Gallen that acknowledged that the workers’ pay grading was too low, but said that the employer wasn’t required to act as there were other occupations that were also undervalued. The federal court made clear that an employer could not use the existence of other discriminatory factors to avoid dealing with a case of discrimination. The case has now
Verdi launches campaign against hospital funding cuts
Services union ver.di is warning that healthworkers’ jobs and pay and conditions are under threat from new legislation on hospital funding put forward by federal health minister Philipp Rösler. The union estimates that the €2.5 billion cuts will cost 50,000 jobs at a time when hospitals are already facing staff shortages. Verdi is concerned that hospital employers will target personal costs in particular and this will mean replacing qualified staff with lower skilled workers, more agency work and an extension of outsourcing and privatisation. The union has called a special conference on 4 and
PAY CUTS – THE REAL IMPACT
This year’s collective bargaining conference will have a special session on the pay cuts and their impact on public sector workers in the Baltic States, Ireland, Hungary, Greece, Romania and Spain. Participants will be able to discuss the findings of research from the Labour Research Department commissioned by EPSU as part of the conference project funded by the European Commission. TO REGISTER VISIT > EPSU
Union says contract workers shouldn't replace redundant health workers
The health service has offered voluntary redundancy and early retirement to as many as 4,000 mainly managerial, administrative and clerical staff. The IMPACT public sector union has criticised the short consultation period and level of redundancy pay, questioning also how the health service can manage the cuts. The SIPTU general union has also warned the health service that it would be unacceptable to replace any of the 4,000 with contract or agency staff. [Read more at > IMPACT (EN)->http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/impact-challenge-terms-voluntary-redundancy-scheme-n-352.html] [And at > SIPTU
Union argues for flat-rate rise in forthcoming negotiations
Public sector unions are preparing for negotiations in the municipal sector where the three-year agreement is due to expire on 31 March 2011. The FOA union has been arguing for a flat-rate pay increase rather than a percentage increase in order to provide more help for the lowest paid. Discussions between the unions are continuing but it appears that the flat-rate amount will apply to the 60,000 workers who are on or below level 17 of the pay scale (just below DKK 20,000 a month - €2,700). [Read more at > FOA (DK)->http://www.foa.dk/Forbund/Presse?newsid=4F814E50-BDF5-47F4-93E2-399893D1E473]
Public sector unions agree minimum €25.50 increase
After only the second round of negotiations EPSU affiliates GÖD and GDG-KMSFB have agreed a pay increase for 2011. There is a basic increase of 0.85% but with a minimum rise of €25.50. This means that the percentage increase for the lowest paid workers will be 2.1%. The GDG welcomed the increase but said that it was still critical of the government’s cuts in other budget areas, particularly in family and education spending and also the small increase for pensioners (0.31%). Inflation in the year to September was 1.9%. [Read more at > GDG-KMSFB (DE)->http://www.gdg-kmsfb.at/servlet
Union organises demonstrations over early retirement
The SETCA/BBTK union organised three demonstrations on 28 October outside the headquarters of employer organisations in the non-profit health and social care sector. The union is protesting against the employers’ refusal to renew the agreement on early retirement. SETCA/BBTK points out that health and social care workers have very demanding careers and the early retirement provisions are crucial for the sector. [Read more at > SETCA (FR)->http://www.setca.org/News/Pages/ActionnonMarchand28102010Prepension.aspx] [And in Dutch at > BBTK->http://www.bbtk.org/nieuws/Pages
WORKING TIME – nominations for awards
The ETUC is holding a conference on 8 and 9 February 2011 with the financial support of the European Commission. The conference will discuss innovative schemes on working time negotiated by trade unions and the best examples will win an award. The aim is to find examples of best practice across the economy and across Europe. The ETUC is encouraging all its member organisations to nominate at least one case per country. EPSU is one of four industry federations involved in the project and will be co-operating with the ETUC on producing a factsheet on a key issue for public sector workers. [Read
Care sector needs better pay and conditions to attract young workers
A survey of members by the FNV-Abvakabo union found more than nine out of 10 thought that the care sector needed to take action on workload, salary and training and career opportunities. These were the key factors that made the sector unattractive to young people. Over 90% said that the pressure of work was high while only 7% thought that pay was adequate. No progress is being made in the negotiations in the nursing and home care sector where a new agreement covering 400,000 workers is blocked by the employers. The government has made a statement about creating 12,000 new jobs but the union is
Union negotiates collective agreement for personal care workers
The JHL has negotiated a new collective agreement that covers around 1,000 workers employed as personal assistants to disabled people. The agreement will run from 1 December 2010 to 30 April 2012 and the union and HETA employers’ organisation will agree on salaries in February next year. The personal helpers currently earn between €7 and €10 an hour. Severely disabled people are entitled to financial support which many of them use to directly employ personal helpers. HETA has around 400 members and believes that the new collective agreement will help recruit more disabled people to the
Demonstrations highlight importance of temporary staff
The three Italian public services federations (FP-CGIL, FP-CSIL and UIL) organised actions around the country in support of the thousands of fixed-term workers who are set to lose their jobs as part of the government’s austerity measures. The unions used the demonstrations to underline the importance of temporary workers to public services and what the impact would be if the massive job cuts went ahead. FP CGIL is also organising a day of action on 6 November in protest at budget cuts that will affect both permanent and temporary staff. The union says that over the next three years health
Unions win improvements in private child care dispute
EPSU affiliates Fagforbundet and Delta, along with the education union, have agreed a deal with employers in private child care. One of the union’s key aims was to ensure that pay increases in the sector were in line with those agreed in the municipal sector. They also won some improvements to pensions and to compensation for continuing education. Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO)
Childcare to get collective agreement
The VPÖD public services union is in negotiations with the employers’ organisation representing child care facilities over a collective agreement for the sector. The union says that the sector has seen rapid growth in recent years and it is important that there is a collective agreement to guarantee decent pay and working conditions. It is expected that an agreement will be included in 2011. Read more at > VPÖD (DE)