04-2007 epsucob@NEWS 21 February 2007
Feb. 21, 2007
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Public sector unions put demands on Prime Minister
Following their successful day of action on 8 March, the union federations in the French public sector have called on prime minister Dominique de Villepin to intervene in their dispute with the public services minister and agree to negotiations over pay. The unions have demanded a response by 2 March and will meet together on 5 March to discuss the response and their strategy. Read more at > CGT (FR) And at > EPSU (FR)
Feb. 21, 2007
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Campaign over civil service jobs continues
The PCS civil service union will be taking the next step in its campaign to defend jobs by organising a day of action on 23 February. This follows the national strike on 31 January and two weeks of a ban on overtime. The day of action will consist of workers sticking strictly to their hours, taking full breaks and not doing any overtime. It coincides with a campaign by the TUC union confederation for all workers to work their normal hours. [Read more at > PCS (EN)->http://www.pcs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=907745] [And at > TUC (EN)->http://www.worksmart.org.uk/workyourproperhoursday
Feb. 21, 2007
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Unions in non-profit sector announce strike plan
Last November unions signed an agreement with the government of the Wallonia region of Belgium that would fund new jobs and better conditions in the non-profit sector covering health and social services. However, employers in the sector have rejected the agreement and now the trade unions (SETCa, CG, CNE, CSC Bâtiment, CGSLB, CASH) have announced plans for strike action beginning on 22 February with a demonstration organised for 23 February. Read more at > SETCA (FR)
Feb. 21, 2007
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Verdi leader calls for pay increases in public sector
Frank Bsirske, general secretary of the ver.di services union has called for pay increases for public sector workers early next year. Bsirske was noting the increase in tax revenues for the federal, regional and local government sectors and general better prospects for the economy in the light of good trade figures. Bsirske said that civil servants and other public sector workers had suffered three years of declining real wages. Read more at > Berliner Zeitung newspaper (DE)
Feb. 21, 2007
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Hospital staff strike over working hours
The EIRO industrial relations observatory reports that hourly paid hospital staff have taken strike action in order to enforce their right to move from a six-day to a five-day week. A collective agreement for 2004-2006 included a provision to reduce working hours for these workers but has yet to be put into effect. Read more at > EIRO (EN)
Feb. 21, 2007
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Privatisation is a factor behind rise in industrial disputes
The LO trade union confederation has commented on the recent rise in industrial disputes in Sweden, identifying three key causes. It says that unions are taking action to increase the coverage of collective agreements but also in response to some employers, backed by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, who are determined not to sign collective agreements. The third reason, according to LO, is that disputes are arising as more and more public sector activities are taken over by private sector companies. [Read more at > LO (EN)->http://www.lo.se/home/lo/home.nsf/unidView
Feb. 21, 2007
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Local government unions submit 5% pay claim
Local government unions have called for a 5% pay increase for workers this year with a minimum rise of £1,000 a year. They also want to ensure that a minimum hourly rate of £6.30 is applied across local government. The claim includes a range of other proposed changes to conditions including an extra day on holiday entitlement. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
Feb. 21, 2007
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Survey reveals support for solidarity wage increases
A survey of 5,000 trade unionists by the LO trade union confederation shows majority support for solidarity wage increases. This means that higher paid workers back the idea that wage negotiations should focus on improving pay for the lower paid and closing the gender pay gap. The survey found that 86% of trade unionists thought that women's wages were too low in comparison to men's earnings. Read more at > LO (EN)
Feb. 21, 2007
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New 22-month collective agreement for doctors
ABVAKABO has negotiated a new collective agreement for doctors (general practitioners) which runs from 1 March 2007 to 1 January 2009. The agreement includes a 4.75% increase in pay, implemented as a 2% increase on 1 July 2007 and a 2.75% increase on 1 January 2008. Doctors will also get a lump sum worth 1% of pay on 1 December 2007. The agreement also means that from 2008 doctors will be entitled to 24 hours of special leave to deal with caring issues or for education. Read more at > ABVAKABO (NL)
Feb. 21, 2007
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Union secures proper pay rate for Polish electricians
The Electrical Workers Union has ensured that Polish electricians working for the MSB company are paid according to the Finnish collective agreement and given their back pay following a picket of the company. The Poles were being paid around a third of the amount due to them under the agreement. Read more at > Finnish Labour News (EN)
Feb. 21, 2007
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Collective bargaining conference follow-up meeting
Collective bargaining follow-up meeting EPSU has organised a meeting on 5 March, with financial support from the European Commission, to discuss how to follow-up the main collective bargaining conference that took place on 30 November-1 December 2006. The follow-up meeting will provide an opportunity to assess the conference and discuss plans for the 2007 conference that will take place on 3-4 December in Brussels. The meeting on 5 March will also look at the EPSU annual report on social dialogue and collective bargaining and revisions to the policy documents on young workers and migrant