2013 October epsucob@NEWS 16

The FBU firefighters' union postponed industrial action planned for 19 October after receiving indications from the employers in England and Wales that they were willing to discuss changes to their pension and retirement proposals. Negotiations have been taking place separately in Scotland and employers in England and Wales have suggested that they might take on some of the proposals being discussed in Scotland. However, the FBU is aiming for clearer assurances on this issue and is still concerned that its members will be forced to remain as active firefighters until 60 (five years later than

EPSU affiliates were among the members of a PSI delegation that met with United Nations staff in New York on 2 October. The delegation was organised in response to the UN decision to remove recognition from the UN staff union. There was a discussion about how PSI and its affiliates can best support UN workers and their unions nationally and globally. The meeting is seen as the start of a series of joint strategizing sessions. The unions have been pushing to resume talks with UN management but so far without progress. [Read more at > PSI->http://www.world-psi.org/en/psi-delegates-bring

Public services union UNISON has launched a campaign to secure higher pay for home care workers. A recent [study->http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/does-it-pay-care-under-payment-national-minimum-wa/] exposed the fact that between 150000 and 200000 home care workers are effectively paid less than the minimum wage because they don't receive any payment for time travelling between the homes of the people they care for. The union is also highlighting the pressure on staff and the impact on the quality of care when home care workers are limited to 15 minutes per home visit. [Read

The FOA public services union has developed a new tool to expose the monetary costs of poor working conditions. The union wants to use it to show the impact of stress, incorrect lifting and other health and safety problems can cost a workplace. FOA will use the tool to improve the working environment particularly in areas such as elder care, day care and in hospitals. The system will give an estimate of what the individual workplace can save money by dealing with safety problems like hard physical work, stress, working alone, noise, violence and so on. The information used in the tool comes

The IMPACT public service union gas welcomed the government’s acknowledgment that payroll savings delivered by the Haddington Road agreement will be worth around €500 million in 2014 – in the region of 20% of next year’s budgetary adjustment. The union also welcomed the signs of an easing of pressure on staffing. The government announced that a “reform dividend,” in the form of limited public service recruitment, was now planned. The union said it would aim to consult with the relevant departments to highlight areas where new recruitment was needed, including urgently demands in the health and

The VPOD-SSP public services union and other trade unions are calling for a "yes" vote in the 24 November referendum that would set a limit on executive pay. If passed, it would mean that the top pay in an enterprise could be no more than 12 times the lowest pay rate. The union points out that 20 years ago such a policy would be irrelevant as on average executive pay was only six times that of the lowest paid. Now the figure is more like 43 times. Over the decade to 2010 executive pay rose on average by CHF 23700 (€19190) while average pay stagnated. [Read more at > vpod (DE)->http://www.vpod

The ETUC has written to Council and Commission presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso to protest over EU calls for a cut in the minimum wage. The current minimum wage is €599,73, lower than the at risk-of poverty threshold. ETUC general secretary Bernadette Ségol said: “What does the EU hope to achieve by bringing down minimum wages in Slovenia? This step would, inevitably, lead to an increase in the number of working poor in this country. These types of measures are unfair and ineffective and only increase the distance between the EU and its citizens; they do not restore growth; they do not

The FNV Abvakabo is making preparations for negotiations in the handicapped care sector where the collective agreement covers around 170000 workers. The agreement runs until 1 March 2014 and along with a normal survey of workers, the union is planning a meeting of works council representatives to discuss some of the main issues affecting workers. The union believes that works council reps will be well informed about the challenges facing workers in the sector, what their needs are and what will help them maintain the quality of services they provide. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http:/

Ver.di's negotiating committee at the Fresenius/Helios health group is calling for a job and employment security agreement following the company's acquisition of 43 clinics and other facilities from the Rhön clinic group. The union is extremely worried that employees and patients will lose out as the merged organisation looks for savings to help fund the takeover. Ver.di representatives are already reporting concerns about vacant jobs not being filled, non-renewal of temporary contracts, dismissals during probationary periods and dismissals linked to sickness. There was even one reported case

The Kommunal municipal and health union has signed a new three-year health agreement with the KFO employers' organisation which represents mainly co-operative organisations. The agreement follow the pattern of others in the sector with a minimum SEK 1700 (€196) increase over three years for full-time workers, improved parental leave and a commitment not to require employees to work split shifts. The minimum wage previously applying to 19-year-olds will now apply from the age of 18. [Read more at > Kommunal (SE)->http://www.kommunal.se/Kommunal/Medlem/Avtalsrorelse/Avtalsnyheter/Nytt-avtal

The GDG-KMSfB municipal workers' union is considering its next steps and the possibility of industrial action to put pressure on the regional government of Lower Austria which has so far refused to negotiate a pay increase for 2013. The union points out that most other regions have agreed pay increases and so there is no reasons for Lower Austria to be an exception. The union was pleased by the turnout of over 3000 members who joined a demonstration in St. Pölten, the regional capital, on 17 September but disappointed that this failed to generate any proposal on pay from the regional

The four trade unions - FP-CGIL, CISL-Fp, Uil-Pa and Fialp-CISAL - organised a demonstration outside the Chamber of Deputies on 17 October calling for a delay in implementing legislation affecting the Red Cross. The unions are worried that the proposed change of status of the organisation from a public entity to one covered by private law will leave workers vulnerable to job cuts and changes to pay and conditions. The unions want a year's postponement to enable them to negotiate to protect the 4000 Red Cross employees. [Read more at > CISL-FP (IT)->http://www.fp.cisl.it/] [And at > FP-CGIL (IT

The CGTP-IN trade union confederation is planning two demonstrations on 19 October in protest at the government's and Troika's policies which have seen unemployment and inequality soar. The confederation has a list of demands which include a reversal of the increase in the working week from 35 to 40 hours, cuts in wages and pensions and reductions in social security. The unions also want to see a growth strategy that includes a renegotiation of debt and a boost to demand through wage and pension increases. The two demonstrations will cross major bridges in both Lisbon and Porto. [Read more at