Portugal
The SINTAP union has met with officials of the Ministry of Finance to protest against government proposals of another five years of pay cuts for public administration workers. The union not only said that it would not negotiate on this basis but also warned the government that it would face another challenge in the constitutional courts and that, on the basis of previous cases, any new pay cuts would also be rejected as unconstitutional.
Read more at > SINTAP (PT)
The IMPACT public sector union has attacked the Health Services Executive over plans to cut 14,000 temporary jobs, freeze recruitment for all but the most essential jobs and stop allowances for workers who have taken on extra responsibilities. The union says this will be a further pay cut on top of the pensions levy imposed by the government on all public sector workers. The HSE plans are set out in a circular that the union believes will be sent out shortly. IMPACT is asking members not to take on any extra duties that might arise from the recruitment freeze or generally co-operate with any
The UGT and CCOO trade union confederations have criticised the latest proposals on pensions from the government both because of the impact on workers and the fact that it flies in the face of the social and economic agreement negotiated in 2011. The reforms will mean cuts to early retirement and partial unemployment benefits. The unions argue that early retirement provisions are not about abuse of the system but are reserved only for older workers (61 or 63 years) with long careers (between 30 and 33 years), and whose pensions are reduced to take account of being paid early. [Read more at >
Public sector unions may take strike action in response to the government’s intention to go ahead with a pay cut of 10%. Separate negotiations are likely with the health unions but a change in the public sector structure could involve even deeper cuts in pay. Read more at > Czech news website (EN)
