Netherlands
The FNV Abvakabo public services union has expressed major concerns of falling quality standards in the ambulance service. The union reports that some staff have not been fully trained while workers are also facing longer hours with more overtime and 12-hour days. On top of this Abvakabo says that vehicles and equipment are not properly maintained or renewed.
Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)
The latest official statistics show the impact of the recession in the Baltic states. In Latvia average wages fell by 1.8% but the fall was much sharper in the public sector (-9.5%) where a cut in salary is part of a government deal with the International Monetary Fund. In Lithuania national average earnings were down by 0.9% although the fall in public sector earnings was lower (-0.1%) than in the private sector. In Estonia average earnings fell by 4.4% according to the latest figures, the first fall in 16 years. [Read more at < Latvia statistics (EN)->http://www.csb.gov.lv/csp/content/?cat
(August 2016) Local government union Vision reports that the latest analysis of pay inequality by the Swedish statistics agency (SCB) reveals a small fall in the gender pay gap. Men are now paid on average 13% more than women compared to 14% two years ago. The report also shows that even taking into account different professions and educational backgrounds there is still a 6% pay gap. Read more at Vision (SV).
The FBU firefighters' union has expressed disappointment that the employers' organisation has failed to provide a response to the union's pay claim that was submitted in early June. The union is looking for an immediate and substantial increase in pay to take account of 10 years of pay freezes and below-inflation increases. Meanwhile, the main civil service union, PCS, has launched a campaign on pay with the aim also of securing a pay increase that will begin to restore pay levels after a similar period when pay has been frozen or kept inflation.
