New agreement for staff in primary care

The CGIL, CISL and UIL trade unions and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have negotiated a new agreement covering staff at embassies, consulates and other international organisations in Italy. The agreement has several new features pay increases, the system of seniority and increased meal vouchers, along with a reduction in working hours to 36 hours a week. The agreement includes rules to ensure working conditions are in line with legislation related to workers suffering from cancer and chronic diseases and to the extension of rights for workers in same-sex marriages and civil partnerships.

The Kommunal and Vision municipal service unions commissioned a report that reveals how new arrangements for providing home care can benefit both staff and users. The report by the Forum for Health Policy describes the new approach taken in Skönsmon in the city of Sundsvall in central Sweden. Staff are given more responsibility for running the service, planning their working hours and ensuring that staffing levels are adequate. Managers have taken a step back but available to support and supervise their staff. The new system has led to less sick leave, lower staff turnover and reduced costs