(November 2016) A common front of trade unions in the non-profit sector organised a national demonstration on 24 November in opposition to continuing austerity and in support of new collective agreements. The sector, with over 525000 workers, covers a broad range of health, social and cultural services. The trade unions are calling for more jobs, a real pay increase and other measures to ensure qualiity employment and quality services, particularly to improve work-life balance, particularly for workers coming up to retirement.
National protest in non-profit sector
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Protests produce results in non-profit sector
The SETCA services union reports that the regional government of Wallonia has agreed to allocate an additional €4.5m to the non-profit sector in response to demands from the trade unions. The sector includes a range of health and social services and the extra cash will cover a harmonization of pay structures across the sectors, proper application of elements of the 2007-2009 agreement and a range of measures on employment. The union sees this as a first step to meeting its collective bargaining demands and believes that union action, including a national demonstration on 8 June, was important
National demonstration keeps pressure on employers in non-profit sector
Over 16,000 workers joined the national demonstration on 9 June calling for new, long-term agreements in the non-profit sector, covering a range of health and social services. The unions are looking to negotiate deals at national, regional and community level and emphasise the need to improve employment conditions in order to make it a more attractive sector in which to work and so increase recruitment. [Read more at > SETCA (FR)->http://www.setca.org/News/Pages/nonmarchanddesmanifestantsvenusenmasseafindedefendreleursconditionsdetravail.aspx] [And in Dutch at > BBTK->http://www.bbtk.org
Joint union protest in non-profit social services
(March 2017) Unions organising workers in the non-profit social services came together in a major demonstration in Brussels on 21 March. The unions want to see urgent action to tackle major problems facing the sector - poor pay, understaffing and excessive workloads leading to burnout for many workers trying to maintain services in impossible conditions. The unions want to negotiate a new agreement for the sector which addresses pay and working conditions but they also underline the link between quality employment and delivery of quality services. EPSU sent a message of solidarity.