04 epsucob@NEWS February 2009
Massive turnout for union demonstration
Around 200,000 people joined the national demonstration in Dublin on Saturday organised by the ICTU union confederation in protest at the government’s handling of the economic crisis. A particular focus of trade union anger has been the decision to impose a pensions levy on public sector workers that will cost them between €1,500 and €2,800 a year. The previous weekend had seen the IMPACT trade union co-ordinate lobbying of TDs (MPs) across the country. [Read more at > BBC (EN)->http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7903518.stm] [And at > IMPACT (EN)->http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/newsdesk
Unions mobilise for next day of action in March
Following the widespread support for the public and private sector national day of action on 29 January, the eight trade union confederations involved are planning another nationwide mobilisation on 19 March. The government response to 29 January produced nothing concrete for the public sector federations. They have reiterated their key demands as: · end the policy of job cuts and stop those currently planned under the 2009 budet; · increase public sector pay and reform the pay structure to improve the career prospects of public sector workers; · withdraw any plans for relocating or closing
ADEDY calls national strike on 25 February
The ADEDY civil service trade union confederation has called a national strike on 25 February in protest at government policies on public sector pay and privatisation. However, the dispute is also about the right to strike in the public sector and ADEDY is concerned about government attempts over a long period of getting industrial action in the public sector declared illegal by the courts. The most recent example was action by the ADEDY union representing air traffic staff. Read more at > ADEDY (GR)
ver.di rejects regional employers' offer
The third round of negotiations between unions and employers in regional government failed to produce any progress with ver.di categorically rejecting the employer’s 4.2% pay offer. The increase was only to have been implemented in July 4.2% and the employers want a two-year agreement. Ver.di said it effectively meant 18 months of no pay increase. The union wants an 8% pay increase with a minimum rise of €200 a month, arguing that regional government workers’ pay has fallen behind after years of below-inflation increases or no increases at all. Ver.di will call for a continuation of warning
ETUC warns against protectionism
The latest information bulletin from the ETUC’s collective bargaining department focuses on the challenges posed by looming deflation and the trend towards wage moderation. The bulletin concludes warns against any idea that protectionist policies will ease the situation and in particular against “the most perverse forms of protectionism: individual member states, even individual regions and individual companies, trying to escape from the collapse of aggregate demand in the internal market by cutting their workers’ wages. This should remind us of the Great Depression as well: At that time, a
3.7%+ increase for private energy sector
Negotiations in the private energy industry were concluded with workers getting at least a 3.7% for the year from 1 February. The lowest paid workers in grades I and II will get 3.8%, while those in grades III to M I will get 3.75% and those in the top two grades will get 3.7%. These are improvements on the employers’ previous offer of 3.5%/3.6%. Allowances will also increase by 3.7% and there is an agreement to set up a working group to look into working time flexibility. [Read more at > GPA-DJP (DE)->http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/Index&n=GPA_0.a&cid
Unions sign agreement on training for firefighters
Following the signature in January of a framework agreement on training and safety, the FSP-UGT and FSAP-CCOO public service union federations have signed a specific agreement on training with CONBE, an association representing fire and emergency services. The aim of the agreement is to establish a standard national system of professional qualifications for firefighters. As CONBE does not represent all fire and emergency service, the trade unions see this as the first step towards securing an agreement with the autonomous regions and the FEMP, the association covering municipalities. [Read
Public service union joins equal pay action
Trade unions across Switzerland will be taking part in range of events on 10 March to mark equal pay day. Latest figures put the pay gap between men and women at 9.5% at communal level but around 19% at cantonal level. At federal level women on average earn 13% less than men but more worrying is the fact that the gap has increased from 9.6% in 2004. The 10th March was chosen to reflect the fact that the pay gap means that on average a woman has to work a whole year plus the period from 1 January to 10 March to earn the same as a man working from January to December. [Read more at > SSP-VPOD
Union prepares for provincial negotiations
The collective agreement covering provincial authorities runs until June this year and public services union ABVAKABO has carried out a survey of workers to find out what they see as the priorities are for the forthcoming negotiations. A basic pay increase is top of the agenda but provincial government employees are also concerned about their workloads and the impact of restructuring. They would like to see improvements in training, competence development and career progression and finally a decent pension. [Read more at > ABVAKABO (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/inzetten_op
Metalworkers and public sector workers strike against precarious work
The FIOM metalworkers’ and FP public sector federations of the CGIL trade union confederation came together on 13 February in a national strike and demonstration over precarious work. The unions estimate that around 700,000 people joined the national demonstration and FP-CGIL rejected the government’s claim that the strike was only supported by 6% of public sector workers. [Read more at > the joint union website (IT)->http://www.unitanticrisi.it/cms/] [And at > FP-CGIL (IT)->http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/9547] [And at > FP-CGIL (IT)->http://www.fpcgil.it/flex
Unions uses Prime Minister's petition system to highlight bargaining deadlock
Prospect, the union representing staff across the museums sector, has set up a petition via the Prime Minister’s petition system to raise its concerns at the breakdown of industrial relations at the National Science Museum. Prospect members took industrial action over a below-inflation pay offer but a two-year deal has been imposed on museum employees. This means that some points on the Museum’s pay scale have been frozen for up to four years. [Read more at Prospect (EN)->http://www.prospect.org.uk/news/newsstory.php?news=563] [And sign up to the petition at number 10 (EN)->http://petitions
Energy negotiations enter sixth stage
The SINDEL energy trade union will resume negotiations with the EDP and REN energy companies this week after five bargaining rounds. The companies’ latest offer of 1.5% or 2% depending on salary level still falls short of the union’s demand for a 3.6% increase for all workers. However, it is an improvement on the previous offer that would have seen a pay freeze for some workers and increases of 1.2% or 1.6% for others. Read more at > SINDEL (PT)