2011 June [email protected] 10

Member of the PCS, the largest civil service union, have supported a call for strike action in protest at government changes to pensions and cuts in jobs. There was a 61% majority in favour of strike action in the ballot with just under 84% backing other forms of industrial action. The union is now preparing for a first day of action on 30 June. This would coincide with strike action already called by two teaching unions and the university and college lecturers' union. [Read more at > PCS (EN)->http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/news_centre/index.cfm/id/6026C184-88FB-4F47

At its recent conference the International Labour Organisation (ILO) acknowledged trade union accusations of attacks on public sector workers’ pay and conditions as well as government action to undermine collective bargaining in both Greece and Romania. In the case of Greece the ILO is organizing a high-level mission to the country to investigate the matters further. In the case of Romania, the government there has been asked to work with an ILO technical team to review the recent changes to the Labour Code and collective bargaining legislation to ensure they comply with ILO convention 98

A report by the Kommunal municipal union looks at pay developments over a 10-year period and finds that managers in local authorities have seen their pay increase by 51% while directors of county (regional) authorities have received increases totalling 80%. In contrast, the average increase for workers has been 41%. If workers had had the same in increase as local managers then they would now be Skr1400 (€153) a month better off or Skr5700 (€623) better off if they had had the county directors’ increase. The union also found that the directors of private health companies earn on average 13

The UGT and CCOO trade union confederations continue their campaign against the public sector pay cuts and labour law reforms. The unions have successfully collected over a million signatures in support of a popular legal initiative to challenge the labour law reforms. The unions point out that the reforms including changes to collective bargaining have neither calmed the financial markets nor done anything to prevent the increase in unemployment. The unions have also been pursuing legal action in the courts to get the public sector pay cuts reversed but the latest stage of this process has

The Fagforbundet municipal union and other local authority unions in the LO confederation are working together to raise the issue of social dumping. In the light of scandals involving contracting and sub-contracting in refuse collection and care homes, the unions are urging their members and local residents to use the right of the citizen’s initiative (requiring the support of 2% or 300 local citizens) to get municipalities to deal with any cases of social dumping. The unions want to see equal treatment of all workers and ensure that they are covered by the relevant collective agreement. [Read

A concerted campaign by nine trade union organisations and four professional associations has lead to a commitment from the government to improved recognition of qualifications for social and educational workers. Demonstrations on 16 March, 7 April and most recently on 16 June have resulted in the government promising draft regulations recognising specific diplomas by the autumn. The unions are also demanding a meeting with ministers to make progress on their other key demand a movement up the pay scale and comparable salary improvements in the private sector. [Read more at > CFDT Interco (FR)

The FOA public service unions has used official figures to show that home care workers are spending less time with their clients. The overall figures show a fall from 53.2% of workers’ time spent caring in 2007 compared to 51.7% but this relatively small decline hides some significant changes at local level with some areas showing declines of 20% or more in contact time. This is not just a loss for the client but means that workers are under pressure to deal with all their paperwork while still trying to deliver their core tasks. [Read more at > FOA (DK)->http://www.foa.dk/Forbund/Presse

The JHL public sector union has welcomed some of the elements of the new government’s programme. It is pleased about the commitment to offer a new job security agreement in the municipal sector when the current agreement expires in 2013. The union also welcomes the decision to end the productivity scheme in the state sector. This problems with this scheme were discussed in detail at EPSU’s recent meeting on productivity in the public services in Vilnius. [Read more at > JHL (EN)->http://www.jhl.fi/portal/en/news/archive/?bid=1221] [And on the productivity meeting at > EPSU (EN)->http://www

The three main union organisations in the private health sector have finally signed an agreement covering the period 2008-2009 covering the 3,800 workers employed in the 28 institutions run by the Don Gnocchi foundation. The agreement brings salary increases in line with those in the public sector and the unions hope that this will lead to similar deals with the other private health organisations, Aris and Aiop. [Read more at > FP-CGIL (IT)->http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/18379] [And at > CISL-FP (IT)->http://www.fp.cisl.it/index.php?option=com_content&view

The are now two collective agreements in the energy sector – one for production and supply companies (PLB) and the other for network companies (NWB). There are similarities between these new agreements that both run for 24 months from 1 May 2011 to 1 May 2013. Both apply a 1.5% overall pay increase in both 2011 and 2012. Both also have contributions into a so-called benefit budget which workers can apply depending on their personal preference for particular benefits such as more leave. In the PLB agreement the benefit budget payments are 0.5% of salary in 2012 and 0.75% in 2012. The NWB

Over 16,000 workers joined the national demonstration on 9 June calling for new, long-term agreements in the non-profit sector, covering a range of health and social services. The unions are looking to negotiate deals at national, regional and community level and emphasise the need to improve employment conditions in order to make it a more attractive sector in which to work and so increase recruitment. [Read more at > SETCA (FR)->http://www.setca.org/News/Pages/nonmarchanddesmanifestantsvenusenmasseafindedefendreleursconditionsdetravail.aspx] [And in Dutch at > BBTK->http://www.bbtk.org

The Unison and Unite unions are in dispute with Southampton City Council in the South East of England where the management are threatening to sack over 4,000 workers and offer them their jobs back on poorer pay and conditions, including on average a 5% pay cut. Recent talks with the council have failed to produce any progress and so the unions are now involving more workers in the industrial action. The unions organised a demonstration through the city centre on 13 June to highlight their case to local people. [Read more at > Unison->http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=6957] [And

Unions have negotiated a three-year agreement for the 160,000 workers in the disabled care sector. There will be pay increases of 1.25% (1 October 2011), 1.5% (1 July 2012) and 2.0% (1 July 2013). The end of year bonus will increase by 1% from 5.75% to 6.75% of salary. An important change is that workers who don’t have a year’s service by the end of the year will still be entitled to a proportion of the bonus. This will affect around 20,000 workers. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/nieuwe-cao-gehandicaptenzorg] [And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (NL)->http:/