Unions step up action in university medical centres

A new two-year agreement has been negotiated to cover the 67000 workers employed by University Medical Centres. There will be a 1% pay increase on 1 October 2013 and a further 1% on 1 August 2014 along with a €500 payment to protect purchasing power. Staff development was also part of the negotiations and each worker's personal budget will be increased from 1.3% to 1.5% of pay with workers also allowed to use the budget for more time off. Younger workers will benefit from higher pay as youth rates have been abolished. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws

The collective agreement covering 80000 employees in University Medical Centres is due to expire at the end of the year and the FNV trade union has begun consulting workers over the main demands that should feature in the upcoming negotiations. The union is particularly concerned that action is needed to improve conditions for permanent employees and tackle the impact of poor rosters and excessive workloads that lead to absenteeism and high turnover of staff. A central demand will be for pay to increase in line with inflation in January 2024 with an additional payment of €100 a month. The