Union federations mobilise over decent pay and purchasing power

The three main trade union confederations, including their public sector affiliates, have been organising demonstrations across the country in protest at the erosion of purchasing power from the failure of pay indexation to keep up with rising prices and in some sectors - particularly local and regional government - the failure to implement regular indexation of salaries. Trade unions in Flanders have planned a demonstration for 24 June in Antwerp over the employers' failure to discuss seriously the problem of purchasing power, particularly in the light of higher increases for top civil

The UGFF-CGT state sector federation has updated its figures on the loss of purchasing power faced by public sector workers since 2000. While inflation has risen by more than 21% over this period, the index point used to calculate public sector salaries has increased by only 9%. To show the impact of this, the UGFF-CGT gives examples of different salaries and what they would have been, had they kept up with inflation. The loss of purchasing power is anything from €181 to €538 per month, depending on the level of salary. [Read more at > UGFF-CGT (FR)->http://www.ugff.cgt.fr/spip.php?article1822

Unions in the non-profit sector, covering a range of health and social services, are starting negotiations over a new federal agreement with their main focus on protecting purchasing power and increasing employment. There has been a review of occupations in the sector and on the basis of these changes in job descriptions, unions are looking for a new pay structure and arrangements that will provide progression over a career and will take account of length of service. In order to tackle the increase in workloads and stress, particularly in health sector jobs, the unions are looking for an