Netherlands
Around 3000 home care workers gathered in the Hague on 8 November to protest against the adoption of a new law on long-term care which would lead to cuts in public spending, closure of care centres and loss of jobs. The demonstrators handed in more than 159.000 signatures to protect care services and plan a further petition if the legislation is passed.
Read more at > EPSU (EN)
And at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)
Home care workers employed by Birmingham council in central England have been taking strike action and organising protests in the city against plans to cut hours and jobs. In the latest development, the council has said that full-time workers must reduce their hours. If they don't move to part-time work they will either have to take another job in the council or redundancy. This is a long-running dispute which has seen the workers take 17 days of strike action over several months (see February epsucob@NEWS 03).
Over 6000 home care workers joined a demonstration in the Hague and formed the number 100000 to indicate the jobs at threat from government proposed cuts to the sector. The FNV Abvakabo trade union was very pleased at the turn out noting that this is a sector where many carers work alone and so is often a challenge to organise. The protesters delivered a petition signed by 137000 people rejecting the cuts which amount to €1.1 billion, effectively 75% of what local authorities spend on home care. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/thuiszorgers-zeggen
Home care workers in the Basque region of northern Spain are in the third month of their campaign to secure better pay and employment conditions. Their latest partial work stoppage took place on 25 January and further action is planned for 12 and 27 February to put pressure on city councils and the regional council to act on the low pay and precarious employment conditions that are common to the contracts run by private companies across the region. EPSU sent a solidarity message.
