Kosovo
On 23 May the SPEK energy trade union organised a protest in Prishtina in front of the offices of the Ministry of Economic Development which manages the KEK energy company. The union action was in protest at the way workers in the company have been treated and the privatisation of two important divisions of KEK, namely the supply and the network divisions.
On 26 March unions organising in the prisons sector - CCOO, UGT, CSIF, CIG and ELA - organise demonstrations at four prisons across Spain. They are protesting about plans for privatisation of surveillance and external security service, the freeze on pay and employment and deteriorating working conditions for prison staff. The unions highlight the question of safety in prisons and the important role of prison staff in rehabilitation of offenders - a role that would be seriously undermined by an increasing role for profit-making companies in the sector. [Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)->http://www
The FNV public services trade union organised a demonstration by youth workers in The Hague on 14 January to protest at the government's failure to tackle serious problems in the sector which are leading to long waiting times for young people to get support and a staff shortage as many workers leave the sector because of the pay and working conditions. The union is calling for EUR 750 million extra funding for the sector and an end to the competitive tendering system which has led to undercutting of contracts, driving prices down and forcing cost cutting across the sector.
Members of the SIPTU and IMPACT trade unions joined a protest outside the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government on 18 February in opposition to the Department’s drive to privatise community social inclusion programmes. They were also protesting over the refusal of the Department to accept a Labour Court recommendation to negotiate with community workers and their union representatives concerning changes to their conditions of employment and threatened job losses. [Read more at > SIPTU->http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2015/fullstory_18858_en.html] [And at > IMPACT-
