Union to consult with branches over further action

The STAL public administration union has organised a month of action in protest at government plans for the public services and attacks on the rights of public service workers. The union acknowledges that some changes need to be made in public administration but argues for a process of modernisation not destruction. It will organise weekly vigils outside the council of ministers and will distribute publicity material to highlight its arguments among the electorate. [Read more at > STAL->http://www.stal.pt/artigo.asp?id=801] Meanwhile the SINTAP public service union is planning a week of action

The FBU firefighters' union has announced that it will be taking strike action on 2nd, 3rd and 4th May in protest at the government's failure to come up with any new proposals on pensions after four months of negotiations. The FBU will also be calling for an overtime ban as part of an additional campaign of action short of a strike. The union is very concerned about government plans to change pension and retirement rules that could lead to firefighters working longer or losing their jobs if they can't meet competency requirements. [Read more at > FBU->http://www.fbu.org.uk/?p=10034] [And

Members of the services union ver.di have taken strike action in three hospitals as part of the union's campaign to tackle excessive workloads in the sector. The targeted hospitals in Düsseldorf, Ottweiler in Saarland and Dachau, near Munich are respectively public, non-profit and private and ver.di says that none of the three employers has been willing to discuss a collective agreement to reduce workloads. In the meantime, health workers across Germany will be supporting the union's campaign to set limits on workloads and try to reduce the pressure on workers to skip their breaks, to be