ETUC exposes wage/productivity gap

Figures produced by the ETUC and the European Trade Union Institute show that wages across Europe would have been four times higher than they are now if they had kept pace with productivity. Tracking wage increases against productivity developments the figures for some countries even show productivity rising while real wages have fallen. This was the case in Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Greece.

A new report published by the Kommunal municipal workers' union and the Swedish Municipal Pensioners Association reveals that a majority of female pensioners who have retired from the sector cannot survive on the pension alone. Seven out of 10 are dependent on the guaranteed pension and on average they get almost SEK 4000 (€430) less per month than men who have retired from the municipal sector. The data comes from information on 150000 pensioners previously active in the municipal sector. The union is fully aware that urgent action is needed to improve the pay and hours of women in local