Culture, Economic Policy
Still some way to go to establish pension scheme for culture workers
Trade unions Fagforbundet, NTL and Creo working with the LO confederation are in negotiations over a pension scheme for the culture sector. This follows last year’s strike where the unions achieved a commitment from the employers for a hybrid scheme that ensured payments for life and equal treatment of men and women. The main sticking point is that the Spekter employers’ organisation is talking about a defined contribution scheme but the unions argue that this will make it impossible to determine what individuals will actually get at retirement. The negotiations will form part of the spring
Library workers vote on new agreement
Members of the FNV trade union are voting on whether to accept the new negotiated agreement covering staff in public libraries. The two and a half year agreement actually covers the period from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022 with some measures already implemented including a 3% pay increase in 2020 and a 2% increase in 2021. There will be a further increase of 2% as of 1 July 2022 and a one-off pro-rata payment of €300 gross in March 2022. The agreement covers other working conditions including the introduction of an annual hours system this year, a new compensation scheme for working on
No to austerity and mobilising for alternatives argues EPSU at ETUC MidTerm Conference
As recovery from the pandemic is taking place several finance ministers have started to argue we have to go back to balanced budgets and reduce state debts. EPSU and many other unions argued at the ETUC mid term conference that we can not go back to austerity.
Public services, climate action and how austerity will kill our planet
For countries to become zero Co2 emitters they have to address the emissions from the public services. Unison, one of the UK public service unions, researched what this would mean for the UK. A new report published on the occasion of COP26 in Glasgow.
Culture workers take action over grading and recruitment
The FSC-CCOO public services federation organised a protest outside the General Directorate of Public Administration on 15 October in anticipation of a series of one-day strikes by theatre and museum staff. The dispute is over two issues. The first is the demand that museum security staff should be on the E2 pay grade and not the only group of workers stuck on the E1 grade. The second issue relates to access to technical jobs at the INAEM cultural agency and the failure to recognise certain training and qualification. FSC-CCOO argues that the INAEM should be fully integrated into the IV