Following strike action the FSAP-CCOO and CSIF unions concluded a new agreement on 16 November covering workers in the special Madrid courts that deal with violence against women. An all out strike began on 6 November after the employers failed to respond to union demands over excessive working hours and a claim for a special payment to take account of the stressful working conditions. The dispute was settled with the employers offering a special €200 payment from 1 January and agreeing that work beyond the normal working hours would be purely voluntary.
Read more at > FSAP-CCOO (ES)
Unions win pay supplement and improved work-life balance for workers
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Workers in disabled care see work-life balance improvements
The collective agreement covering workers providing disability care has new elements to improve work-life balance. There is an annual hours system based on a 36-hour week for a full-time worker. This alllows for flexibility to help address peaks and troughs in the service but on the basis that employers have to abide by clear rules in both the collective agreement and legislation. Workers in the sector can also now look to the collective agreement to assert their right not to be contactable during their time off. The FNV trade union sees this as an essential measure to tackle increasing stress
Telework and work-life balance
After the surge in remote working as a result of the pandemic, trade unions in Ireland, Russia and Spain have welcomed new initiatives, including legislation and collective agreements, that regulate telework. Research by the Eurofound research agency also looks into the negative and positive implications of telework for workers’ autonomy and work-life balance raising again the challenges to ensure that workers have control over their working time and underlining the importance of current discussions at European level on the right to disconnect.
Positive impact of work-life balance
Widespread family-friendly working could be a real boost to jobs, productivity and growth according to a study commissioned by the German Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The survey covered eight major employers in the private and public sector including the Vattenfall utilities group and the Federal Insurance Institution for Salaried Employees. It found higher commitment from employees and lower staff turnover as a result of family-friendly policies. Read more at > EIRO