On 29 July the STAL local government union joined with other public sector unions in the Common Front to demonstrate against government policy to increase working time and weaken unfair dismissal rules. The unions sees the 35-hour week, seven-hour day and 25 days' annual leave as fundamental rights for workers that were fought for in the past and now need to be strongly defended.
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Union campaigns against increased hours
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Campaign builds against longer working hours
Services union ver.di is warning local authority employers that they will face strike action if they push ahead with plans to increase the working week. The union says it will defend jobs and working time in local authorities and maintain pressure on the regional government employers to sign up to the deal agreed with federal and local government at the beginning of last year. Local authorities in Baden-Württemburg, Lower Saxony and Hamburg have all announced their intention of increasing hours. The union's response is that strike action will begin in Baden-Württemburg from 6th February. s
Union launches 35-hour campaign
The FSP-UGT public services federation in Madrid has launched a campaign calling for a return to the 35-hour week. This is the central demand of a campaign calling for restoration of all the cuts imposed on public sector workers across areas and levels of government. The union is linking its campaign to the need to reduce unemployment. The union notes that the regional administration has begun to restore some cuts to pay and conditions and is negotiating over others and so it launched its campaign and is urging support for the initiative from other parts of the public sector. [Read more at >
Unions to fight on against 12-hour day
Trade unions mobilised over 100000 workers on 30 June in protest at a draft bill that would allow a 12-hour day and 60-hour week and the unions have said they will continue their campaign despite the law being voted through on 5 July. The trade unions have been campaigning against the proposals not just because they pose a threat to workers' health and safety, their rights to work-life balance and undermine rules on overtime but by legislating on the issue the government has intervened in what is seen as a key area of responsibility for the social partners and works councils.