2017 April epsucob@NEWS 07

(April 2017) The Estonian energy workers' union organised a picket of the Eesti Energia power company on 18 April supported by the EAKL trade union confederation and several other trade unions. The protest was over the threat by the company to end collective agreements and leave workers on legal minimum standards. The company also wants to consolidate various payments into the basic salary and effectively end collective bargaining. The union has also called on the public conciliation office to intervene and help resolve the dispute. Further information is in the attached union statement.

(April 2017) The International Labour Organisation has issued new guidelines for multinational enterprises. The revision has added to the longstanding ILO declaration by adding principles addressing specific decent work issues related to social security, forced labour, transition from the informal to the formal economy, wages, access to remedy and compensation of victims. The principles have been agreed with employers, trade unions and governments and set out responsibilities for public authorities.

(April 2017) In the current negotiations in the hospital sector the NVZ employers' organisation has offered a pay rise of 1.5% in 2017 and 1.75% in 2018 but this is seen as unacceptable by the FNV trade union which is looking for 2.5% in each year. The union has warned the employers that they are failing to acknowledge the urgent situation in the sector with many staff overworked, a shortage of specialist workers and many thinking of leaving the sector.

(April 2017) Services union ver.di has negotiated a new framework agreement with the Veolia waste and environmental company which it sees as a landmark agreement in a sector which has seen a substantial erosion of collective bargaining coverage with intense wage competition. Around 4500 employees will be covered by the agreement which will include rules on working time, leave, additional payments and retirement and other social provisions.

(April 2017) The unions organising workers in private eldercare companies that are part of the Adaste employers' organisation reported very solid support for the strike on 27 March. The level of support was anything from 70% across the different regions with some local unions facing problems where employers refused to negotiate minimum service arrangements. The four unions - FP CGIL, Fisascat Cisl, Uiltucs UIL and UIL FPL, have rejected an employers' offer of a EUR 19 increase after several years of pay freezes and want an increase of EUR 110.

(April 2017) Latest statistics show pay rises failing to keep pace with inflation and public service union have highlighted how their members have been losing out after several years of pay freezes and below-inflation pay increases. The GMB union estimates that a full-timie public sector worker has lost out by GBP 9000 (EUR 10600) since 2010.

(April 2017) The vpod public services union has welcomed the negotiation of a new collective agreement that covers around 18000 workers employed by health institutions in the Bern region. Nursing staff, doctors as well as catering and cleaning staff will all be covered by the agreement which will come into effect on 1 January 2018. There will be a new pay system and improved paternity and adoption leave in some institutions along with other benefits like additional holidays. The minimum wage in the agreement will be CHFr 4000 (EUR 3750) per month over 12 months although the unions were aiming

(April 2017) Services union vida is continuing its campaign to secure federally agreed minimum staffing levels in the health and care sectors. The union took part in a parliamentary hearing on the future of care and said that increasing patient numbers and widespread staffing shortages were creating major problems. Increase workloads were putting pressure on staff who are often stressed and overworked, posing a threat to the quality of care.

(April 2017) Municipal workers' union Kommunal has negotiated a year's extension to the three-year agreement which it negotiated last year with the SKL local government employers' organisation. The agreement provided for additional increases for nursing assistants and nurses as part of a strategy to close the gender pay gap. The basic increases in each of the four years 2016-2019 are SEK 520 (EUR 54), 530 (EUR 55), 535 (EUR 55.5) and 540 (EUR 56) while in the first and second years nursing assistants get 1020 (EUR 105) and 710 (EUR 75) while the third year includes 685 (EUR 70) for nurses. The

(April 2017) Workers employed by a range of companies providing private and public services, including health and social care, are set to benefit from a new pay deal negotiated with the Spekter employers' organisation. There will be a basic increase of NOK 975 (EUR 110) a year with an additional NOK 2925 (EUR 320) for employees earning less than NOK 407265 (EUR 44820). In addition to these general increases there will be local pay rises that will be negotiated in the weeks up to the beginning of May.