16 epsucob@NEWS August 2009
Ver.di secures jobs commitment from EON
Energy union ver.di and the EON group works council have negotiated a compromise agreement with the company to protect jobs and working conditions for most of EON’s 40,000 employees in Germany. The company’s planned “perform-to-win” savings programme threatened job cuts and other major changes across the group. The agreement means that jobs, collective agreements, training provision and pensions will be protected until 2012. However, the company still aims to go-ahead with its plans to split off its EON IS subsidiary and sell its IT infrastructure. Ver.di estimates that around 1,000 workers
Federation strongly rejects pay freeze
The FSC-CCOO public services federation has made very clear its opposition to any proposal to freeze the pay of 1.5 million public sector workers. Workers are covered by an agreement that increases pay in line with projected inflation and the federation says that it would be a big mistake to suspend any increases as this would have a negative impact on domestic demand. The union also warned against job cuts at such a crucial time when it is vital that the public sector maintains its roll in delivering services to those worst affected by the crisis. [Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)->http://www.fsc
Civil service union rejects "cuts" report
The executive committee of the CPSU civil service union has said it will vigorously oppose any attempt by the government to implement proposals from the report by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes. The report focuses on measures that the “Special Group” claim are necessary to respond to the financial and economic crisis and include: further reductions in pay and allowances; a new benchmarking exercise to look at international pay rates, and recommend reductions; and privatisation of public service work. The union argues that its members had already co
Legislation could undermine collective bargaining in local government
EPSU has written to the Croatian government expressing its concern about new legislation on determining pay in local government. EPSU’s local government affiliate, the Trade Union of State and Local Government Employees of Croatia, argues that the new law will undermine its right to negotiate pay for its members and that the government has failed to consult properly over the legislation.
Nurses and midwives strike over pay
Nurses and midwives at the specialized hospital in Radom in central Poland are on strike in support of their claim for a substantial pay increase. The hospital has said it cannot afford the pay increase as it is already in deficit. The strike began on 5 August at the hospital that is the biggest in the region. [Read more at > Polish Radio news (EN)->http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/national/artykul113659_striking_radom_nurses_break_off_talks.html] [And more at > Polish Radio news (EN)-> http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/national/artykul113550_third_day_in_nurse_strike.html] [Thanks for this
Union signs 15-point agreement over prison restructuring
The public service union Abvakabo has signed a 15-point memorandum with the prison service highlighting the key points in forthcoming negotiations over a major restructuring of the service. The Ministry of Justice has set out a five-year plan for the prison service which will see considerable restructuring, including closure of several facilities. The aim of the memorandum is to highlight the main points of the negotiations that will involve the unions and works councils with a view to avoiding compulsory redundancies and ensuring that prison workers affected by the changes will be relocated
Annual survey reveals few changes in working time across Europe
The annual working time survey by the EIRO industrial relations observatory found that in almost all countries, average agreed weekly working hours in 2008 were identical to those in 2007. The only exceptions were a small decrease (- 0.4 hours) in Slovakia and a small rise (+ 0.4 hours) in Spain. The survey points out that there have been no notable reductions in hours since 2003 and that the issue has more or less disappeared from the bargaining agenda. The survey also examined working time in local government and found virtually no change across Europe between 2007 and 2008 with the
Union survey reveals frustration of those working in elderly care
A study by the FOA public services trade union has found that many of its members who work in social and health care for the elderly are frustrated that they don’t have enough time to provide proper care. The report says that around a third of workers go home at the end of the day thinking that they could have done more while only one in six is satisfied with what they have managed to do. There is a feeling that the provision of care is undermined by too much regulation and bureaucracy and the union is calling on the government to fulfill its commitment to give social and health care workers
EPSU backs UK unions' campaign against National Grid
The GMB, UNISON and UNITE trade unions have come together in a campaign against plans by the National Grid energy transmission company to close a facility in Newcastle with the loss of 189 jobs some of which the company intends to switch to India. EPSU has written to the company’s chief executive calling for the decision to be reversed. Read more at > EPSU (EN)
New research highlights problem of pay gap in private sector
A survey based on 17,000 responses from members of the Union of Salaried Employees found that on average women were paid €300 less than men when doing the same job and working the same hours. There was a pay gap at every salary level and the average rose in line with age reaching €1,000 a month by retirement. The survey indicates that various forms of maternity and family leave are important factors in limiting women’s career progression. Read more at > SAK (EN)
Employers lose appeal over extension of childcare sector agreement
Public service unions Abvakabo and CNV Publieke Zaak are pleased that the BKN employers’ association has lost its appeal against extension of the collective agreement in the childcare sector. The main agreement, covering 80% of the sector, is negotiated between the unions and the MO employers’ group. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs agreed that this should be extended to cover the whole sector but the BKN appealed against the decision. The unions argue that it is important that workers are covered by the same arrangements across the sector to ensure their conditions are maintained
Unions protest over failure to negotiate
The STAL and STML trade unions organized a demonstration outside the interior ministry on 7 August in protest at planned changes to the employment conditions of firefighters. The unions argue that the government wants to make changes to the pay and career paths of firefighters along with changes to working time. The unions are demanding that the government comply with the constitutional right of these workers to a process of consultation over the proposed changes. Read more at > STAL (PT)
Unions reject changes to working time rules
The HRH commercial and services employers’ organization has called on the government to allow greater flexibility in working time in response to the impact of widespread flu infection across Norway. The organization claims that a flu epidemic could double the number of workers off sick and that employers need to be able to change shift arrangements at short notice. The Fagforbundet municipal union has rejected this arguing that there is enough flexibility in the current working time rules that allow for shift changes and overtime. The YS civil service union has also expressed surprise that HRH
Union condemns staff lock-out by psychiatric hospital
Health and services union ver.di has criticized the action of the Lippe Mental Hospital in Bad Salzuflen over its decision to lock-out qualified staff and take on unqualified agency workers in their place. The workers at the hospital have been on strike to negotiate a collective agreement which has been rejected by the hospital’s owner, Alexander Spernau. Most of the comparable hospitals in the surrounding region pay their employees €250-€400 than those employed by Spernau, who even rejected proposals to resolve the dispute from the regional mediation office. Ver.di general secretary Frank
Unions welcome new national agreement
The two main public service federations – FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT – have signed the third agreement covering workers in the general state administration. The agreement covers around 60,000 workers across Spain and was also signed by the CSI-CSIF, CIG and ELA trade unions. The unions are positive about the agreement and its improvements to pay particularly bearing in mind the current economic climate. The agreement runs until 31 December 2009 and confirms a range of increases including the 1% increase in the wages bill established by the 2009 Budget, 0.37% in additional fund from 2007-2009, 2% in
Union pledges to continue fight against law on civil servant mobility
The FO civil service federation has said that it will maintain its opposition to new legislation on civil servant mobility that was approved by parliament on 23 July and became law on 3 August. The union argues that the regulations will make it easier for the government to make civil servants redundant in any restructuring and will encourage the employment of part-time and temporary staff. It also argues that the changes will undermine the neutrality of the civil service and the notion that civil servants are employed to work for whichever political group is in power. [Read more at > FO