(December 2016) Health unions, including the FNV, NU'91, CNV and FBZ have negotiated a new separate collective agreement for midwives that runs from April 2016 to December 2017. The agreement has been declared generally binding which means it will cover all 10000 workers in the sector. Some terms and conditions have been inherited from the nursing and care agreement which previously covered midwives. Employers and unions hope to address some of the specific demands of the sector including working time and excessive workloads. Wages will rise by 3% and there will be a higher year-end bonus and an increased allowance for irregular hours.
New collective agreement for midwives
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Union secures new agreement covering midwives
Public services union ver.di has negotiated new provisions covering midwives who are studying and working in municipal hospitals. The measures cover tuition fees and the rights to 30 days’ leave (with additional leave for shift work) and to monthly family trips home. Ver.di argues that this is a good collective bargaining result and that the collectively agreed study conditions are indispensable for attracting young talent. It also believes that the agreement with the municipal employers’ organisation is ground-breaking for the sector and that other employers will negotiate with the union over
Pay deal for midwives
The FNV and NU'91 trade unions have negotiated a new collective agreement that provides for a 3% pay increase for workers in maternity care. The last collective agreement actually expired on 1 January this year but bargaining has been difficult not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic but also because the unions are looking for key improvements on work-life balance and on-call time which the employers are reluctant to agree. As a result the agreement is only for this calendar year. It also includes a 1.5% increase on the end-of-year bonus taking from 6.2% to 7.7% of salary and there is a one
Unions argue strongly against new contracts for nurses and midwives
Unions representing nurses and midwives have been in the Labour Court where hearings continue over a new contract. Both the INMO nurses' and midwives' union and the SIPTU general union have strong objections to the government proposals. The unions point out that the working time arrangements would be too rigid for an overwhelmingly female workforce as would reducing shifts to only four hours or requiring nurses and midwives to work up to 45 km away from their normal workplace.