Health

Several unions have reached new collective agreements with the Church of Sweden covering around 20,000 workers across the country. Vision , Kommunal , Vårdförbundet and Akademikerförbundet SSR concluded negotiations in mid-June with the Church’s employer organisation (SKAO). The new two-year agreements, covering the period from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2027, include a total wage increase of 6.4% – with 3.4% in the first year and 3% in the second – in line with the national benchmark. Pension premiums will be raised by 0.7% from May 2026, with the goal of a 2% increase over time. A number of

Unions including Fagforbundet , NITO , NTL , LO and others have reached an agreement with the employers’ organisation Virke covering workers in non-profit institutions delivering public services. The deal applies to a wide range of sectors, including kindergartens, health and social services, higher education, specialist health services, and cultural institutions. The agreement includes general wage increases for all covered workers. For those under the municipal wage structure (e.g. kindergartens and care services), workers will receive between NOK 14,500 and 21,200, while managers will get a

Dutch union FNV has reached a new collective agreement with employers for workers in general practitioner care. The agreement, covering staff in daytime GP clinics and out-of-hours care centres across the Netherlands, runs from July 2025 to July 2027. Wages will increase by more than 9% in three phases: 3% in November 2025, July 2026, and May 2027. A new generation scheme will allow eligible staff to reduce working hours while keeping most of their income and full pension accrual. Other gains include a rise in the Friday evening shift allowance to 50%, reimbursement for cycling to work, and

VPOD is backing a national demonstration planned for 16 August in Bern under the slogan “Mental health for all!” The action, supported by the “Mental Health Switzerland” initiative, aims to highlight the ongoing crisis in access to psychotherapeutic care. Despite the introduction of a new mandate model in 2022, therapists face impractical rules, inadequate tariffs, and stalled negotiations with health insurers. As a result, patients face growing delays, rejections in emergencies, and increasing inequality in access to care. The organisers are calling for fairer pay for psychotherapists, less

Following prolonged negotiations at ARAN, a new national collective agreement for Italy’s public healthcare workers (2022–2024) was signed by CISL FP , Nursind, Nursing Up, and FIALS. Covering around 580,000 workers, the agreement provides an average gross monthly pay rise of €172, applies retroactively, and introduces new professional roles such as the “assistant nurse,” along with updates to career structures and job classifications. While the signatory unions consider the agreement a step forward in recognising the evolving needs of the healthcare system and improving pay, CGIL FP and UIL

In France, negotiations in the non-profit health, social and care services sector (BASSMS) have been suspended after the employers’ organisation AXESS walked away from talks on the future collective agreement. The employers are demanding firm and long-term state funding guarantees before continuing discussions, especially regarding salaries. The CFDT Santé-Sociaux criticised the move, warning that it undermines social dialogue and breaches the jointly agreed negotiation timeline. While recognising the sector’s financial strain, the union insists that funding demands must be based on negotiated

Workers organized by Ver.di at Charité Facility Management (CFM), which provides non-clinical services at Berlin’s public university hospital, have reached a collective agreement with their employer to gradually align their wages with those set in the public sector collective agreement (TVöD). The agreement was reached on 6 June following several days of negotiations between ver.di and CFM. The deal covers staff in patient transport, cleaning, security, medical technology, and grounds maintenance—roles that were outsourced to CFM in 2005–2006. Since then, new hires have worked under less

Unions representing hospital workers in Norway have reached agreements with the employers’ association Spekter, securing real wage growth for 2025 in line with the framework of the so-called frontfag model. The settlement applies across Spekter’s health areas 10 and 13, covering a wide range of workers including nurses, midwives, ambulance personnel, porters, and administrative staff. LO-affiliated unions— Fagforbundet, FO, Creo and EL og IT Forbundet —negotiated general increases and higher minimum wages, with particular gains for low-paid groups. Midwives with over ten years of service will

In response to the worsening situation in public hospitals, the FO-SPS federation has filed a national strike notice from 7 May to 30 June covering all staff. The union points to closures of emergency services, restructuring of facilities, and ongoing budget cuts, while social dialogue has stalled. FO warns of serious staffing issues over the summer and says the government’s latest measures will only worsen the crisis. This action adds to growing unrest in the sector. On 1 April, five major unions—CFDT, CFE-CGC, CGT, FO, and SUD—organised a nationwide strike in the health and care sectors

Health workers across NHS Scotland have voted to accept a new two-year pay offer from the Scottish government. Members of the unions representing NHS staff— UNISON , Unite and RCN —backed the agreement, which includes a 4.25% increase for 2025/26 and 3.75% in 2026/27, alongside a commitment to ensure pay remains at least 1% above inflation (CPI). The deal, estimated at £701 million for 2025, was accepted by large majorities in each union’s vote. It is expected that the increase for 2025/26 will be paid in June salaries, with backdated pay from 1 April 2025 included in July. While the result