2014 July epsucob@NEWS 13

On 10 July thousands of public service workers across the UK took strke action over pay, jobs and pensions. The largest action was in local government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with unions calling for an improvement on the 1% pay offer from employers. The FBU firefighters' union was continuing its dispute over changes to their pension scheme while civil servants in the PCS union were also taking action over pay and jobs. EPSU affiliates involved in the action included UNISON, Unite, GMB, PCS, FBU, NIPSA and SIPTU. They were joined on the day by teachers organised in the NUT trade

After strike action and demonstrations on 18 June and 18 months of on-and-off negotiations, unions have finally lead to a new collective agreement covering the 165000 workers in local government. The agreement is backdated to 1 January 2013 and will run until 1 January 2016. There is a 1% pay increase from 1 October 2014 and a €50 a month flat-rate increase from 1 April 2015 that will in effect mean a 4% rise for the lowest paid and around 2.5% for those on average pay. There is also a €350 one-off payment to compensate for the delay in negotiating the new agreement. The agreement also

EPSU affiliates FSP-UGT and FSC-CCOO, along with the CSIF union, met Antonio Beteta, secretary of state for public administration, on 14 July to discuss restarting social dialogue in the sector. The minister said that there were now some prospects to negotiate following some improvement in the economic situation. The unions want to ensure that a number of key issues are on the bargaining agenda such as the restoration of the cuts in pay and conditions that have been imposed in recent years. The unions are cautiously optimistic about these developments, recognising that the government may have

A new report from the EIRO industrial relations observatory takes stock of developments in industrial relations in central government administration. It analyses the varied arrangements at national level and concludes that overall the quality of social dialogue has deteriorated. It also provides further evidence of the attacks on pay and conditions across Europe, with pay freezes and pay cuts along with reductions in other benefits, particularly pensions. It argues that: “While the social partners are actively responding to the crisis at the European level, their actions have yet to halt these

The FNV Abvakabo and CNV Publieke Zaak unions have agreed in principle a new collective agreement with the WENb employers in the waste sector. If backed by members the agreement will run from 1 September 2014 until 31 December 2015 and will include a 2% pay increase for the 5600 workers covered. There will be a 1.25% on 1 September, followed by a 0.75% increase in June 2015. The unions have also secured a change from a performance-related bonus to a year-end bonus that they aim to convert into a 13th month payment over the long term. [Read more at > FNV Avakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl

Local government union STAL joined other unions in the CGTP-IN confederation in a national demonstration calling for a reinstatement of pay cuts, defence of the 35-hour week, no to water privatisation and an increase in the minimum wage. Public sector unions have been successful in negotiating to maintain the 35-hour week at local level in the face of government attempts to impose a 40-hour week. However, the government is still refusing to officially publish these local agreements and this was another key demand in the demonstration. [Read more at > STAL (PT)->http://www.stal.pt/index.php

The two main trade union confederations called a general strike and national protests on 17 July in their continuing campaign against changes to the labour code and cuts to pensions and disability benefit. A one-hour general strike was widely supported in January and the unions have had to maintain their campaign despite a change of government. The strike this time was called at short notice reflecting union concerns that the government was trying to push the measures through parliament without following due procedure. The ETUC has written to the government calling on it to get involved in

The ETUC's collective bargaining committee is carrying out a consultation over the impact of country-specific recommendations on collective bargaining and wages. It is also asking its affiliates whether they want to highlight any particular issues in the lead up to consultations over the 2015 Annual Growth Survey that will be published in November. The ETUC collective bargaining committee has set up a website where affiliates can input information and comments on various aspects of the European Semester. If EPSU affiliates have any concerns about collective bargaining and wages in the public

The health federation - CGT de la Santé et de l’Action Sociale - has been mobilising its members to support negotiations with the FDH federation of private hospitals. With two days of action on 25 June and 10 July and other mobilisations in between the union has been calling for better pay and conditions and recognition of qualifications for workers in clinics and private homes for the elderly run by the EHPAD organisation. [Read more at > CGT (FR)-http://www.sante.cgt.fr/LES-SALARIE-E-S-DES-CLINIQUES-ET]

Services union ver.di has welcomed the Federal parliament's vote to implement a national minimum wage which will be introduced at €8.50 an hour from 1 January 2015. The union sees this as an important step in ending poverty wages. However, it is very concerned about the exceptions allowed and estimates that over two million workers may be prevented from getting the full rate. These include the long-term unemployed for the first six months after getting a job and newspaper delivery workers to whom a lower rate applies. In the meantime the sector minimum wage that already exists in the waste