Health workers protest secures meeting with government

EPSU joined with the ADEDY civil service trade union confederation in sending solidarity messages to trade unions representing health and social security workers taking action to defend jobs and services. The POEDHN health union organised demonstrations on 7 April and plans work stoppages for 22 April to promote a wide range of demands. The union wants COVID-19 to be recognized as an occupational disease and is calling for better pay for health and social care workers as an essential measure to tackle staff shortages. Meanwhile, the POSE-IKA and POPOKP trade unions organised a 48-hour warning

Trade unions in the health sector have negotiated a new agreement with the Spekter employers’ organisation. Fagforbundet reports that it was an acceptable result, in line with other settlements in the public sector. It was disappointed that it couldn’t make more progress on gender equality but pleased about further progress on ensuring more full-time contracts across the sector and in increases to payments for late shifts and weekend work. The new minimum annual salary in the main pay structure is NOK 350000 (€33320), an increase of NOK 12000 (€1140). Other unions were involved in the

Unions in the health sector, including Fagforbundet, YS and unions represented by LO-Stat, are celebrating a positive ruling by the National Wages Board. The ruling means that pensions will now be based on all earnings which ensures that part-time workers will be entitled to pensions for the first time. The Board also endorsed the pay rise that ensures that all workers benefit from an increase already agreed for nursing staff. The unions' strike action had been brought to a halt in the summer when the government claimed it posed a threat to health and referred the matter to the National Wages