Norway
EPSU affiliates Fagforbundet and Delta, along with the education union, have agreed a deal with employers in private child care. One of the union’s key aims was to ensure that pay increases in the sector were in line with those agreed in the municipal sector. They also won some improvements to pensions and to compensation for continuing education.
Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO)
The ETUC has welcomed European Commission proposals to increase minimum maternity leave entitlement from 14 to 18 weeks. However, it is disappointed that the new work-life balance package does not include concrete measures to extend childcare provision and says nothing about caring for other dependents including the elderly. The ETUC also argues that a comprehensive approach to work-life balance would include working time flexibility while improved care provision should also tackle the issue of the pay and working conditions of care workers. [Read more at > ETUC (EN)->http://www.etuc.org/a
Members of the Kommunal municipal union working on the buses have secured a number of improvements to pay and conditions after taking industrial action. They will get a pay increase of SEK 1732 (€195) over three years to bring them in line with similar jobs in other sectors. They have also achieved more control over their working time and shifts. There will also be greater monitoring of what happens when a new company wins a contract and employees are transferred from their current employer. Kommunal is pleased with the result, emphasising the importance for passenger safety when workers have
