Finland
The Pardia public services union organized a campaigning equal pay day on 3 March. The aim of the campaign was to highlight the success of getting the 0.2% equal pay allowance in the latest state sector agreement. The union is also using the day to keep the focus on equal pay in the run up to the forthcoming general election to try to ensure that the next government includes equal pay in its legislative programme.
Read more at > Pardia (EN)
And further at > Pardia (EN)
The ver.di services union organized several demonstrations around the country on 9 June in its continuing campaign to secure better pay and conditions for employees of church-run health and social services. The church organizations have challenged the right to strike in the sector and have refused to negotiate proper collective agreements. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
21 October is marked as equal pay day in Austria where the gender pay gap is one of the biggest in Europe at 19.7%. This is based on a full-time woman worker getting an average of EUR 41785 compared to EUR 52033 for a man. This is the equivalent of women working for free for 72 days - hence setting the date as 21 October. Unions highlight the problems of part-time work and unpaid care as contributing to the problem. While 47% of women work part time only 11% of men do.
Around 1000 members of EPSU affiliate the Trade Union of the National Ukrainian Academy of Sciences took part in a protest outside the government and parliament on 19 October. They were calling for an increase in the Academy’s budget for 2012 not just to ensure better pay for workers but also to ensure that the Academy continued to maintain the level and quality of its research work.
