Portugal
Salaries for public sector workers rose by 2.9% from 1 January. With a sharp drop in inflation to 0.8% in the year to December this means that workers should see a real increase in pay over the year, however, this will only begin to compensate them for a loss of purchasing power of between 7.2% and 10.4% between 2000 and 2008.
Read more at > STAL (PT)
A new two-year pay agreement at the e.on energy company will mean an increase of 2.9% valid from 1 March this year and 2.7% from 1 March 2007. There will also be two lump sum payments of 500 euros this November and 800 euros in July 2007. As part of the agreement e.on is also committed to provide permanent jobs for 160 trainees in 2007 and 180 in 2008. The agreement runs until 30 April 2008. Inflation in Germany was running at 2.1% in the year to February 2006. [Read more at > ver.di->http://ver-und-entsorgung.verdi.de/energiewirtschaft/tarifarbeit/private_energieversorger/e.on/data/Tarifinfo
Earlier this month services union ver.di negotiated a 6.3% pay increase for two million workers employed by the federal government and local authorities. The first stage of the increase is backdated to 1 March 2012 and is for 3.5%. There will then be two increases of 1.4% in 2013, the first on 1 January and the second on 1 August. There will also be increases for apprentices and a commitment to offer jobs to those apprentices who pass their qualifying exams. The deal was negotiated following high profile campaigning by ver.di and a series of warning strikes. Union members have until 24 April
After four rounds of negotiations public service trade unions have secured a 2.33% increase for workers covered by the main national public sector pay negotiations. The increase was endorsed by Parliament on 13 December. This is the highest pay rise for six years and just ahead of the latest figure for inflation of 2.2% (year to October).
