2010 March epsucob@NEWS 06
Confederation plans further strike action
The ADEDY civil service confederation has warned of further strike action in March or April in protest at cuts to public sector pay and pensions. ADEDY joined with the GSEE private sector confederation in a general strike on 11 March. Following a two-day strike on 16-17 March, energy workers have threatened another 48-hour strike unless the government withdraws a 7% pay cut and 10% cut in pensions. Read more at > Reuters (EN) And at > ADEDY (EL)
Unions step up action
Public sector unions have decided to step up their industrial action in response to the government’s failure to negotiate over further pay cuts. The unions want the government to agree a transformation programme that would allow pay cuts to be reversed as savings are made. As part of the industrial action low paid workers in seven Dublin hospitals will be taking strike action both over the current national dispute but also over the threat to outsource services. [Read more at > IMPACT (EN)->http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/unions-announce-escalation-public-service-industrial-action-n-311.html] [And
Unions suspend all consultations with local authorities
Following further negotiations on 8 March, the local government employers are sticking to their demand for a pay freeze. In response the three trade unions – FNV Abvakabo, CNV Publieke Zaake and CMHF – have said that they will suspend all consultations with the employers over issues like restructuring for at least three months. The unions are determined to secure a deal that at least protects their members’ purchasing power. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/Thema's/cao-lagere-overheden1/?OverviewType=Nieuwsbericht&id=212061] [And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (NL)->http:/
High level of support for strike
Both the STAL and SINTAP trade unions report a very high level of support for the national public sector strike on 4 March. They estimate turnout at between 75% and 85% with all parts of the public sector affected. The strike was in protest at the government’s call for a public sector pay freeze and with a demand for a proper process of negotiation. Read more at > SINTAP (PT) Read more at > STAL (PT)
Confederation claims a million workers on the streets
The CGIL trade union confederation organised a four-hour general strike and a series of demonstrations across the country in protest at the government’s policies on dealing with the crisis, taxation, employment rights and migrants’ rights. Read more at > CGIL (EN) Read more at > CGIL (IT)
Regional conference debates equal pay, outsourcing and precarious employment
Forty-nine participants from nine countries took part in the first of three regional collective bargaining conferences in Copenhagen on 16-17 March. The discussed the implications of the European Commission’s interventions in the Greek financial crisis and its support for public sector pay cuts. Commons issues for virtually all participants was the spread of outsourcing, the growth of fixed-term and agency work and the persistence of the gender pay gap. A report of the conference and other documents will be added to the EPSU website shortly. [Read more at > EPSU (EN)->http://www.epsu.org/a
University agreement secured after strike threat
After some hard bargaining and the threat of strike action across the university sector, unions have managed to negotiate a deal that they believe delivers good employment protection with the employer withdrawing their demands for much greater working time flexibility and cuts in sick pay. The agreement runs from 1 March 2010 to 29 February 2012 and includes a pay increase of 0.98% from 1 November 2010. This is a 0.4% general increase and a 0.58% instalment for the development of the salary system. In addition, a 5.5% lump sum of the monthly salary will be paid to compensate for the
National strike over threats to pre-school provision
The CFDT has organised a national strike on 11 March in protest at changes to regulations covering nurseries that will lead to lower staffing levels and the employment of less qualified staff. The union is concerned about the implications for both nursery workers and the children in their care. Read more at > CFDT (FR)
Confederation co-ordinates range of action around collective bargaining
Trade union affiliates of the LO blue-collar workers’ confederation have been involved in a range of demonstrations and events highlighting the importance and value of collective agreements. The main collective bargaining round is underway and LO wants to ensure that workers are aware of the benefits of collective agreements both to those covered by them but also to the working of society and the economy in general. Read more at > LO (SE)
Union highlights impact of pay freeze on low-paid women workers
Public services union UNISON has called on local government employers to withdraw their demand for a pay freeze. The union argues that women will be most affected by a freeze as three out of four local government workers are women and two-thirds of them earn less £18,000 (€20,000) a year. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
Union calls on parliament to address burn-out and stress in health and social care
The VIDA services union is urging parliament to launch a study into the increasing pressure under which health and social care employees work. Long working hours, long periods on call and too few staff are creating major problems in the sector and 22,000 workers signed a petition organised by VIDA and the GPA-DJP services union. Read more at > VIDA (DE)
Parliament votes for common training provision for hospital cleaners
The FOA public services union has welcomed a parliamentary vote in favour of requiring hospital cleaners to be properly trained. The union referred to recent scandals about the standards of cleanliness in metropolitan hospitals and is pleased that the need for proper training for cleaning staff has been recognised. Read more at > FOA (DK)
PCS continues action over compensation scheme
After two days of national strike action, the PCS civil service union is organising a day of campaigning on 19 March followed by another full day of strike action on 24 March, when the government announces its Budget. This will also coincide with the introduction of an overtime ban. The union is protesting against changes to the civil service redundancy compensation scheme. Read more at > PCS (EN)
Report highlights restructuring in local government
The Eurofound research organisation, in conjunction with EPSU and the CEMR local government employers’ organisation, has published a report examining a range of developments in local government. Apart from looking at restructuring the report also examines changes in employment relations and trends in pay. The report includes comprehensive data on real and nominal pay increases for the five year period 2004-2008. Read more at > EPSU (EN)
Union campaigns for increased health service training
The VPÖD/SSP public service union is campaigning for a substantial increase in funding for healthcare training. The latest step in the campaign is a resolution going to the federal government calling for annual additional funding of 90m CHF (€62m) and co-ordination between the federal and cantonal (regional) authorities. VPÖD/SSP estimates that at the moment an additional 4,600 people need to be trained to fill the growing shortfall in trained personnel that threatens the quality of healthcare across the country. [Read more at > VPOD/SSP (DE)->http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell/nachrichten/ansicht
Public sector workers taking action in lead up to 23 March
The CGT reports that many groups of workers at local and sectoral level are taking action over pay and government proposals to restructure public services. Nursery workers, sports employees, housing workers and police are among the specific groups of workers who are organising demonstrations and other action in the lead up to or following the main day of action on 23 March. Read more at > CGT (FR)
Minimum wage to match living costs
After a major trade union demonstration and months of negotiations, employers and unions have agreed to increase the national minimum wage. There will be three increases over the next three years in order to bring the minimum wage in line with basic living costs for a single person. The overall 22.9% increase will take the minimum rate to €562 a month by 2012. Read more at > Slovenia Times (EN)
Energy workers balloted for industrial action
Around 8,000 members of the GMB union working for British Gas are being balloted for industrial action. The employees, mainly engineering workers, have already given 90% support for action in a consultative ballot. They are responding to threats from management to cut up to 25% of full-time equivalent staff working in non-customer facing roles. Read more at > GMB (EN)
State sector unions avoid pay freeze
Negotiations in the state sector were initially difficult as the government wanted to freeze pay over the next two years. However, the unions managed to negotiate increases in pay and protection of the employment status of civil servants in light of the major reforms taking place across the state sector. The agreement runs from 1.3.2010 to 29.2.2012. An across-the-board-increase of 0.55% will be paid as of 1 March and an agency-specific instalment of 0.43%, which is to be agreed and implemented locally, will be paid on 1 September. The agreed increases for the year 2010 are around 0.98% per