2012 November epsucob@NEWS 17

In preparation for the its collective bargaining conference in Brussels on 13-14 December, EPSU has produced a briefing document summarising the main issues for debate in the various sessions and providing links to relevant documents. The briefing is available on the conference website where you can also register and find other practical details. There will be sessions on: - economic governance and wages - public sector restructuring and the impact on collective bargaining - evaluation of the social dialogue and - attacks on labour law and trade union rights. [Read more at > EPSU->http:/

The International Labour Organisation has issued a report critical of the attacks on trade union and collective bargaining rights. In response to complaints bought by the ADEDY civil service confederation, GSEE private sector confederation and GENOP-DEI power sector trade union, it concluded: "While deeply aware that these measures were taken within a context qualified as grave and exceptional, provoked by a financial and economic crisis, the Committee found that there were a number of repeated and extensive interventions into free and voluntary collective bargaining and an important deficit

The position of the European Commission is becoming more transparent. In its recent analysis Labour Market Developments in Europe DG ECFIN identifies what it claims are employment-friendly labour reforms, most of which are about increasing flexibility. However, in terms of industrial relations DG ECFIN is explicit about its negative view of collective bargaining and trade unions in relation to employment ( annex to the report, page 104). Ronald Janssen, economic advisor at the ETUC, looks at the report and warns of its implications and the threat of the "wild west" attacks from the cowboys

Public services union Unison has analysed the latest official pay statistics and put forward two key arguments for why any evidence of a public sector pay premium needed to be treated with caution. In the first place the outsourcing of services like catering and cleaning mean that many low paid workers are now in the private sector although still working for the public sector. Secondly, there are large numbers of specialised professional jobs in healthcare, education and other parts of the public sector that require significant training and so pay rates reflect this. [Read more at > Unison (EN

The Vision white-collar local government union has commented on the latest official pay statistics that show a persistent structural gender pay gap in nine out of 10 professional groups. Vision president Annika Strandhäll is on the government committee on equality and is concerned not only about the very slow trend towards closing the pay gap but also the fact that sectors where women make up the majority of workers have lower pay then those dominated by men. This is despite the fact that women are, in general, better educated than men. [Read more at > Vision (SE)->http://vision.se/Opinion

The LO blue-collar workers' confederation has confirmed plans to coordinate bargaining in the next pay round. The aim will be secure pay increases of 2.8% for all workers earning at least SEK 25000 (€2900) a month. The pay claim for workers on less than SEK 25000 will be a flat-rate amount of SEK 700 (€81). The aim is to boost lower pay rates and contribute to closing the gender pay gap. The coordinated claim will include a number of other elements including an allowance for those on parental leave. [Read more at > Kommunal (SE)->http://www.kommunal.se/Kommunal/Nyheter/2012/LOs-krav-en-laglone

A hearing in the federal labour court in Erfurt on 20 November was due to consider the question of the right to strike in church organisations. This is a key issue for ver.di members working for the Elisabeth Foundation in Darmstadt. The Foundation is part of the Agaplesion health group which takes advantage of the so-called third way used by church organisations to avoid applying the employment laws that apply in the rest of the economy. Workers at the Elisabeth Foundation are calling for a proper collective agreement, along the lines of the main public sector agreement. Currently they face