Health sector deal extended

Public services union ABVAKABO is pleased that the Ministry of Social Affairs has ruled that the childcare collective agreement should be made generally binding. The agreement currently covers 80% of workers in the sector and is negotiated with the Mogroep employers’ organisation. The smaller BKN employers’ association had argued that it should not be covered by the agreement but was overruled. The extension of the agreement will mean higher pay and longer holidays for many employees of BKN companies. [Read more at > ABVAKABO (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/bkn_wel_onder_cao

(June 2016) The European Trade Union Institute has published a policy brief looking at the mechanism of collective bargaining extention. With collective bargaining under attack in some countries, the policy brief reviews the different forms as well as the spread and current practice of extension mechanisms across Europe. It then discusses the relationship between extension mechanisms, collective bargaining coverage and union density and finally formulates political recommendations of how to ensure the future of multi-employer bargaining through extension procedures. Read more at ETUI (EN).

Services union ver.di has welcomed the implementation of an €8.02 an hour minimum wage in the waste sector. However, the union believes that it is urgent to extend the coverage to deal with wage competition in the sector. Negotiations between the union, the VKA local government employers and BDE private sector employers’ organization will resume at the beginning of August. The regulations implementing the minimum rate came into force on 1 January 2010 but are only valid until 31 October 2010 and so ver.di is concerned to get agreement from the employers for its future application and increase