The IMPACT public services union says that an official report makes a misleading comparison between public sector and private sector pay. It points out that recent high increases for many public sector workers resulted from a comprehensive comparison of public sector and private sector pay rates in a benchmarking exercise that what was part of the national pay negotiations. The union also argues that general public/private comparisons cannot be made without taking account of the differences in occupations, skill levels and age across each sector.
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Debate over public sector pay
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Conference debates public and private sector pay trends
Over 80 trade unionists from 20 countries took part in EPSU's collective bargaining and social dialogue conference on 13-14 January. A central theme on the first day included long-term developments in public sector pay and comparisons with the private sector. The conference also included a lively debate on minimum wages, a discussion about working time developments and a session on the structural reforms that the European Commission and European Central Bank want to see implemented across Europe. Read more at > EPSU (EN)
Debate over collective bargaining
(December 2016) Trade unions, employers and the government are in debate over the pattern of collective bargaining in the country. The EK employers' organisation is looking to sector bargaining while the government favours sector bargaining with a cap set by the pay increase negotiated in the export sector. Trade unions prefer sector bargaining in a national framework and are discussing the implications of possible new arrangements - particularly what the export sector gap would mean for the services sector and scope for negotiating higher increases for sectors dominated by women workers.
Debate over level of minimum wage
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