2015 June epsucob@NEWS 09

Following disappointing recommendations from the arbitration commission and a meeting of strike activists, ver.di's members in social care will be consulted over whether to accept what its on offer from the employers or whether to re-commence their strike action. Ver.di has been campaigning for a revaluation of social services jobs, particularly in childcare, in recognition of the increased responsibility and workloads in many of the occupations. While there have been some concessions from the employers to the benefit of some workers in disability care and child care, the overall goal of

Ver.di members at the Charité university hospital in Berlin have voted overwhelmingly (96%) for all-out strike action calling simply for increased staffing. Union members at the hospital have been warning for a long time of the critical situation and the union has been calling for an agreement on minimum staffing levels since 2013. The hospital management claims that minimum staffing is a political issue and more staff required extra funding. Ver.di argues that the hospital's income is already enough to increase staffing levels. The strike action began on 22 June and is the second action this

The FNV and CNV trade unions have been overwhelmed by the level of support for their petition calling for an end to cuts to the care sector. The target of 300000 signatures was reached within weeks and the final total was 736759 when the petition was handed over to the government on 19 June. At the same time FNV members employed by the TSN home care organisation have been protesting against the employers plans to cut 650 jobs and cut the pay of its remaining employees by 30%. The workers have organised a four-day protest across four towns beginning on 22 June. [Read more at > FNV (NL)->http:/

On 24 June, services union ver.di coordinated a national action at health facilities across the country to underline the need for urgent action to tackle staff shortages. Thousands of health workers left their workplaces at lunchtime carrying numbered cards to represent each of the 162000 jobs that are needed in the sector of which 70000 in nursing alone. Staff shortages are impacting on all areas and all occupations making it difficult for workers to maintain services without working excessive hours, skipping breaks and suffering stress from overwork. Ver.di hopes that the action will help

ETUC general secretary Bernadette Ségol has sharply criticised a key proposal in the Five Presidents' report on closer economic and monetary union. The report, from the presidents of the European Commission, Central Bank, Council, Eurogroup and Parliament, puts forward the idea of national competitiveness councils to monitor and recommend on wage developments. The ETUC argues that this undermines the autonomy of the social partners and reflects, once again, the European institutions' obsessions with wages rather than with serious measures to reform the financial sector which was the central

Conciliation agreementUnions' demands on governmentAfter several weeks of rallies and picketing the national confederations in dispute with the government over wages, pensions and issues such as energy prices, have agreed to join a Conciliation Commission. However, the confederations have also raised serious concerns with the government about the role of security services in intimidating trade unions leaders. The confederations have received support from the International Trade Union Confederation which has written to the government calling on it to immediately stop the harassment. [Read more

Members of the PCS civil service union are continuing their industrial action against privatisation of staff at the National Gallery in central London. Around 400 of the 600 workers at the gallery are under threat of outsourcing and are in the middle of a 10-day action which takes their total number of days on strike to 45. The issue of privatisation is being debated in parliament and the union is approaching the new director of the Gallery to try to resolve the dispute. An employment tribunal has ordered the reinstatement of a PCS rep who was sacked but management at the Gallery have refused

The LCB-NVK and BBTK-Setca trade unions brought together several thousands members from the non-profit sector to protest in Brussels on 19 June. The demonstrators passed the offices of the Flemish and Walloon governments as well as the office of federal health minister Maggie Block. The unions see this protest as laying down a marking for more action in the autumn if the government fails to deliver on increased funding for health and social care. In the autumn, the unions also hope to start negotiations on new multi-year agreements for the healthcare sector. These will cover pay and conditions

The public service federations - Fp-Cgil, Cisl-Fp, Uil-Fpl and Uil-Pa - have set out clearly their demands on the government in advance of their big regional mobilisations on 1st, 2nd and 3rd July. The trade unions argue that the current and previous governments have failed to undertake serious reform and instead have hampered change by freezing collective bargaining since 2010 as well as freezing recruitment and cutting 222000 jobs. The federations maintain that a proper process of reform can only be effective through negotiation and they indicate that they are willing and ready to undertake

The health federations of CGT, FO and SUD are taking strike action and mobilising on 25 June to defend the health service, to call for salary increases and to protect working time arrangements which have been under threat particularly at the AP-HP public hospitals in the Paris region. While these unions are focusing in particularly on health the CGT confederation has also called a more general mobilisation calling for a general increase in salaries. [Read more at > CGT Sante Sociaux (FR)->http://www.sante.cgt.fr/Materiel-pour-preparer-la-greve-du] [And at > FO Sante (FR)->http://www.fosps.com

State sector unions are running a campaign to put pressure on the government to negotiate a new collective agreement. The unions are angry that the civil service minister has only offered a 0.5% increase after four years of pay being frozen. The unions are calling for a 3% pay increase and improvements to employment conditions, particularly a reduction in flexible contracts. The unions are involving workers in a range of different protests at different times across the country. For example, customs staff will be doing full checks of all goods and baggage going through the port of Rotterdam on