2011 January epsucob@NEWS 02
ETUC attacks European Commission interference in collective bargaining systems
The ETUC has criticised the European Commission and called for an urgent meeting with Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn over calls for changes to collective bargaining in Ireland and increased labour market flexibility, including cuts to the minimum wage, as well as similar interventions in Greece. The criticisms of the Commission come at the beginning of the so-called European Semester, the new system of economic governance that is being established and that could lead to more permanent threats to national collective bargaining autonomy. [Read more at > EPSU (EN)->http:/
Energy companies face warning strikes
Ver.di has called on its members in the Vattenfall and RWE energy companies to support warning strikes in order to strengthen the unions’ position in the next round of collective bargaining. In Vattenfall the union has criticised the company for failing to make a concrete offer after two bargaining rounds in response to the union’s demands for a 6.5% increase for the 20,000 employees. Unions in RWE also want a 6.5% increase and there the employers have so far offered only 2.4% plus a lump sum after already five rounds of collective bargaining. [On RWE read more at > ver.di (DE)-> http://presse
Private sector agreement goes out to consultation
The three trade union confederations have agreed a new framework agreement for the private sector for 2011-2012. A key element of the deal is maintenance of the system of indexation which had recently been a target of employer criticism. There is also a small additional amount (0.3%) that is available above the level of indexation. The other main elements of the agreement, which now goes out to consultation, include increases to welfare benefits, extension of some temporary agreements including early retirement pensions and continued commitment to a very long-running aim to harmonise the
Further strike action against austerity
The ADEDY civil service confederation is planning another 24-hour strike on 10 February in protest against the harsh measures adopted by the government in line with its agreements with the European Commission and International Monetary Fund. The Confederation has also called for support from the GSEE private sector confederation. Read more at > Reuters news website (EN)
Health and social care workers get 2% increase
After difficult negotiations the VIDA and GPA-DJP trade unions have agreed a 2% pay increase for the 80,000 workers in the private health and social care sector. The agreement runs for 12 months from February 2011 and the unions argue that they have secured a small real pay increase as well as improvements in two areas – leave to look after seriously ill relatives and past service entitlement. The new rules on past service will benefit workers who change employers within the sector as it will mean there past service will have to be taken into account in setting their pay level. [Read more at >
EPSU and ETUC hold meetings on working time
With the second phase consultation on working time under way, both EPSU and the ETUC are organising meetings to discuss the issues. The ETUC conference is broadly on innovative working time practices but will include debate about the Working Time Directive. The conference is in Brussels on 8-9 February and will include a workshop on working time in the health service with a contributions from EPSU Finnish affiliate Super. The EPSU meeting will take place on 18 February in Brussels and is specifically for EPSU affiliates to discuss their concerns about the Working Time Directive and to help
Main public sector negotiations to start
The JHL union is preparing for negotiations in the state and municipal sectors and is concerned to secure pay increases for its members, arguing that workers’ salaries should be increased in line with general labour market developments and not be used as the way of tackling the public sector deficit. The union will also be looking to continue moves to reduce the gender pay gap and to ensure equal treatment for temporary workers. Read more at > JHL (EN)
Unions highlight spread of precarious employment in public sector
As negotiations are set to begin over employment conditions in the public sector, seven trade union federations have set out their main demands and criticized the way that precarious employment conditions have spread in the three main areas of public service – national administration, local government and the health service. The unions’ want more workers to be on full civil service terms and conditions rather than being taken on as public sector employees or temporary contracts. They are also calling on the government to withdraw its proposal for new short-term, “project-linked” contracts.
Union wants high salaries regulated by collective agreement
The FNV Abvakabo trade union has expressed concern in the past about high salaries in the public sector but is not convinced by proposals from the Interior Minister to introduce regulations to limit pay. The new proposals would impose a maximum annual salary of €187340 in the public sector and there would also be limits on pay in institutions relying on public funding such as care homes and hospitals. However, FNV Abvakabo would prefer to see all this controlled by collective bargaining with a maximum overall pay and benefits package no more than 10 times the level of the lowest paid in the
Unions take to the streets in lead up to negotiations
The ver.di services union and dbb civil service union are co-operating in a week of activities to highlight the work of regional government employees. In the week of 24-28 January there will be a series of events in major cities that will focus on different occupations – such as hospital and college employees, teachers and tax workers. The unions want to emphasise the important services provided by these works and the challenging working conditions they fact. The unions want a 3% pay increase plus a flat-rate rise of €50. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen
48-hour strike by call-centre staff
Around 2,400 members of the PCS civil service union took two days’ of strike action in protest at call targets set by management. The employees work for the Job Centre Plus part of the Department of Work and Pensions and they argue that the targets put them under excessive pressure while failing to take account of the level of service provided to enquirers who may have serious worries about their welfare benefits. Read more at > PCS
Call-centre workers have had enough
The three union federations representing call-centre workers employed by the federal government have submitted a number of key demands to management over staffing levels and working conditions. The unions argue that failure to recruit adequate numbers is putting an intolerable burden on employees who are being forced to work excessive hours as well as regular weekend shifts. The unions warn of strike action if nothing is done and are calling for better training, working conditions and career development for call-centre workers. [Read more at > CGSP (FR)->http://www.cgsp-ministeres.be/index.php
Municipal union calls for more jobs and funding for elderly care sector
New regulations have applied in the elderly care sector from 1 January which include a set of values about the treatment of the elderly, including dignity and personal integrity. The Kommunal local government trade union argues that it is all very well to have such regulations but staffing shortages means there is a serious question as to whether the values can be delivered. The union says that it is not just a question of ensuring minimum staffing levels but also on improving pay and conditions to attract more staff and ensure that they are properly trained. [Read more at > Kommunal (SV)-
Union criticises health plan
The FP-CGIL public service federation has criticised the government’s latest plan for the health service. The union points out that the plan has lots of proposals about improving services at the same time as needing to implement large cuts in funding. FP-CGIL also highlights what the plan says about social integration and ensuring services to all groups of citizens, including the elderly but with no funding provision for long-term care. In particular, the union asks how can this be done at the same time as freezing pay and employment and cutting the jobs of 50% of fixed-term workers in the
No progress in bargaining with regional government
The FOA public service union is concerned about the lack of progress in the main collective bargaining with the regional and local authority employers. The current three-year agreements expire at the end of March and the FOA says that negotiations are already well behind schedule with the regional employers refusing to budge on their demand to abolish extra leave for older workers and also rejecting union proposals for extra protection for shop stewards curing restructuring and redundancies. [Read more at > FOA (DK)->http://www.foa.dk/Forbund/Presse?newsid={AA291E2F-1D68-423B-A7D9-7DF81AB1E0DC
Public service federations organise regional action
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT public service federations are mobilising at regional level in response to attacks on pay and pensions in the public sector. The federations are working together in the region of Andalucia with mobilisations on the 19th, 25th and 28th of January that they hope will push the autonomous government of the region to negotiate agreements that generate employment, guarantee employment rights and maintain social protection. Earlier this month, the two federations also organised a major demonstration in Murcia, attracting over 40,000 people, in protest at the regional
Unions attack local government employers for failure to make pay offer
The three local government unions, UNISON, Unite and GMB, have criticised local government employers for failing to respond to the unions’ pay claim. The unions point out that last year pay was frozen and the employers didn’t even pay the £250 payment for those earning under £21000 a year that had been part of the government’s budget. Furthermore, local government workers had suffered below-inflation increases for five years and were now looking at an increase in pension contributions of 3%. Read more at > UNISON
Sacked refuse workers sue employment agency
Refuse workers sacked last year by the Adecco employment agency are taking the company to court. The men were recruited in Poland and offered work in Norway (see epsucob@NEWS 23, December 2010). They were sent to work for the Ragn-Sells waste collection company but they were sacked when they complained about their working conditions and so faced the prospect of having to return to Poland as they had no employment. However, they are now taking Adecco to court over its failure to meet is commitment to find them a permanent job in Norway. [Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO)->http://www.fagforbundet
Union welcomes court ruling over right to strike in church sector
Ver.di is pleased that a regional labour court has ruled in favour of the right to strike for workers employed by church organisations. The churches are significant employers in the health and social services sector and a protestant church organisation had tried to get strike action outlawed by arguing that it had a special status and was not party to normal collective bargaining. Ver.di pointed out that if church managers act like any other employer in using agency workers, outsourcing services and putting pressure on wages then it was the right of their employees to use their right to strike
Monthly action over staff shortages
The LBC-NVK public service union is organising monthly strike action at the social care organisation Broeders van Liefde. The staffing shortage in the organisation is so bad that some workers are doing more than 300 hours of overtime a year. The union says that an additional 500 jobs were promised in 2009 but nothing has come of that commitment. The monthly actions will continue until there is an adequate response from the employers and other protest activities will also be organised. [Read more at > LBC-NVK (NL)->http://lbc-nvk.acv-online.be/sectoren/non_profit/actueel/2011/02012010_Nonprofit