2016 February epsucob@NEWS 02
Health union launches anti-violence campaign
Sanitas statementThe Sanitas health union has launched a campaign to try to tackle violence against health workers. The main objective is to get legislation to provide better protection to medical staff and discourage violence of any kind – physical or verbal. The union is organizing a series of debates with local authority representatives, hospital managers and people employed in the health care system to identify all the conflict situations that lead to violence and the possible solutions for preventing or sanctioning them. A survey revealed that around 85% of staff had faced verbal
Unions take joint action over power sector pay and jobs
Energy sections of the CGT, CFDT and FO confederations came together across the country on 18 February in various rallies, protests and strikes over pay and jobs in the industry. A major issue is the number of jobs under threat from power station closures and a delegation from the three unions had a meeting at ministerial level to discuss this. Read more at > CFGT (FR) And at > FO (FR)
Survey looks at trade union and employer role in Semester
The tripartite Eurofound research body has published a report that explores the involvement of peak social partners in the European Semester at EU and national level during the period 2011 to 2014. It assesses the degree to which the social partners are involved in the different stages of the European Semester procedure on matters regarding employment and social policy issues and how their involvement could be enhanced. Read more at > Eurofound (EN)
Health unions concerned over unsocial hours payments
Health unions are worried that the imposition of new contracts on junior doctors in England poses a broader threat to unsocial hours payments for other health workers. After months of negotiations and several days of strike action by junior doctors, the government has said it will impose new contracts that will reduce the hours for which additional payments are made. [Read more at > Unison->https://www.unison.org.uk/news/2016/02/nhs-staff-feel-quite-rightly-that-theyre-coming-under-constant-attack/] [And at > GMB->http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/unsocial-hours-pay] [And at > RCN->https://www
New agreement for church social welfare workers
Around 5000 employees of the Diakonie church social welfare organisation will benefit from a new agreement negotiated by the vida and GPA-djp trade unions. There will be a 1.35% increase on all pay and allowances apart from those workers on less than EUR 1500 a month who will be 1.5%. There will also be new rules on past work experience. Now half of all previous experience in any job will be taken into account in terms of the pay scale up to a maximum of 10 years. This should benefit many women workers in particular. [Read more at > vida (DE)->http://www.vida.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename
Pay claim of 6% for central and local government workers
Services union ver.di has submitted a claim for a 6% pay increase this year for over two million workers employed by the Federal government and local authorities. The union has also called for a EUR 100 increase for apprentices. Ver.di argues that recruitment is a priority when around 20% of the workforce is expected to retire in the coming years. The increase would go some way towards closing the gap with the private sector. Negotiations will begin on 21 March with two further rounds of bargaining already planned for April. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->https://www.verdi.de/presse
Union warns government over state of health service
The HWURF health workers' union has written an open letter expressing its grave concerns about the state of the health service. The letter was sent to the President, Prime Minister and the speakers of both chambers of the National Assembly. The union argues that funding for the service is critically low, threatening the quality of care. There is no provision for pay increases for 2016 and health workers across the country are seeing average pay fall as the prices of goods and services rise. With a recruitment shortage workers in the sector are having to work 50% or 100% more to try to maintain
Thousands of public sector workers join protest
Thousands of workers from across different parts of the public sector joined a national protest in Budapest on 13 February. Cuts to services and low pay were the main focus of the demonstration along with government education policy. The KKDSZ culture workers took part, highlighting again the poverty wages for many of their members. The BBDSZ childcare workers also supported the rally, urging action to prevent more skilled workers leaving the country. [Read more at > Budapest Beacon news website (EN)-> http://budapestbeacon.com/public-policy/our-patience-has-run-out-say-hungarian-teachers
Union launches 35-hour campaign
The FSP-UGT public services federation in Madrid has launched a campaign calling for a return to the 35-hour week. This is the central demand of a campaign calling for restoration of all the cuts imposed on public sector workers across areas and levels of government. The union is linking its campaign to the need to reduce unemployment. The union notes that the regional administration has begun to restore some cuts to pay and conditions and is negotiating over others and so it launched its campaign and is urging support for the initiative from other parts of the public sector. [Read more at >
Tough bargaining in local government
Municipal union Kommunal reports that it is facing very tough negotiations with the SKL local government employers' organisation. Union officials are shocked at the employers' approach with calls for no pay increases in an agreement to run indefinitely with no minimum wages and extended hours. Kommunal is putting for a number of demands inlcuding a 2.8% pay increase with an extra SEK 400 (EUR 42.50) for nurses. Read more at > Kommunal (SV)
Firefighters get new pre-retirement deal
As part of the 2015 public sector agreement, services union ver.di secured some improvements to the rules covering pre-retirement arrangements for firefighters with 35 years' service. Eligible firefighters can now get monthly payments, rather than a lump sum, worth 70% of monthly pay for a three-year period. The new rules also mean that some employment benefits, such as sick pay, are continued during the transition period. The only sour note is that employers have not been geared up to deduct the relevant employee contributions that they have to make to build up their entitlement. [Read more
Active ageing negotiations in preparation
Over 60 trade union and employer representatives from across country took part in a seminar in Brussels to discuss active ageing. The meeting was organised as an initial exchange of information before formal negotiations begin in March with a view to signing a European agreement on active ageing. EPSU contributed with a joint presentation with the hospital employers, HOSPEEM. Read more at > EPSU
ETUC supports unions over labour code changes
Proposed changes to the labour code amount to a massive attack on trade union and employment rights. Representatives of the ETUC and the SAK Finnish trade union confederation took part in a meeting in the Lithuanian Parliament on 10 February to put forward arguments against the changes. The unions have identified 45 proposed reforms that would have a negative impact, including giving the employers the right to ignore collective agreements, allowing zero-hours contracts and raising existing limits on working time. [Read more at > ETUC (EN+FR)->https://www.etuc.org/press/lithuania-needs-stronger
Collective bargaining news from across Europe
The January issue of the ETUI's collective bargaining newsletter again provides a wide range of news from across Europe. Its public service-related news includes strike action in Portugal and at the EDF energy company in France as well as news of a public service strike in Cyprus over unpaid wages. Read more at > ETUI (EN)
Draft law would undermine trade union rights
EPSU LetterBackground infoEPSU has written to the Speaker of the Parliament and head of the social affairs committee to express its serious concern about proposed changes to labour law. The changes would impose restrictions on trade unions in terms of membership rights, elections as well as introducing new requirements on publishing financial information. The letter underlines that a number of the proposals are in conflict with International Labour Organisation conventions.
Government challenged over non-payment of bonus
The FSC-CCOO has written to the government to complain about its failure to pay public sector workers the extra pay they are owed from December 2012. The additional payment was cut as part of austerity measures. However, the state budget law passed last year confirmed that the payment should be made. The union argues that there is no justification for holding back the payment and that it must abide by its agreement. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)
Unions negotiate new agreement for embassy staff
The CGIL, CISL and UIL trade unions and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have negotiated a new agreement covering staff at embassies, consulates and other international organisations in Italy. The agreement has several new features pay increases, the system of seniority and increased meal vouchers, along with a reduction in working hours to 36 hours a week. The agreement includes rules to ensure working conditions are in line with legislation related to workers suffering from cancer and chronic diseases and to the extension of rights for workers in same-sex marriages and civil partnerships.