Strike, Spain, Bulgaria

Care workers in the Basque region are engaged in long-term struggles to secure better pay and conditions and higher quality services for the elderly. Members of the ELA trade union working in residential care in Gipuzkoa province are set to take another 31 days of strike action from 11 November to 11 December, taking the total number of days to 149. Meanwhile the ELA, LAB, UGT and USO unions in Bizkaia province are coordinating action in home care. This follows 27 days of strike action in 2018 and a dozen days in 2017 in a campaign to end a seven-year pay freeze, improve health and safety and

Public service unions joined the national protest on 27 November calling for action to defend and improve sickness absence rules. Under the slogan "sick workers are not criminals" the Podkrepa confederation called for workers to be covered by sick pay from the first day of absence and for a range of other measures on sick leave and working time. Meanwhile on the same day social workers from the administrative services union in Podkrepa took an hour's strike action calling for a 40% pay increase.

The FSC-CCOO public services federation is organising a series of two-hour strikes in state museums and theatres in October and November. The union is protesting against the fact that workers in the sector are not properly covered by the collective agreement for the state sector. In particular, the union wants to ensure professional status for these workers and reduce the extent of temporary contracts. The strikes will begin on 25 October and will take place on 10 different dates up to 24 November with specific dates for different institutions.

The FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT have taken the government to task over the failure to implement a series of agreements. Around 200 FSC-CCOO activists protested outside the public services directorate on 9 July over employment, equality and, pay and other issues. The union wants action over jobs to make up some of the 43,000 that have been cut over the past 10 years. They also highlight the failure to properly implement equality plans and are calling for last year's agreement on pay to be put into effect to partially compensate for the 14% fall in purchasing power since austerity measures were in

Over 1500 employees of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) took part in a one-hour warning strike on 13 June organised by trade unions in the CITUB and Podkrepa confederations. The unions are calling for an increase on the basic salaries of all NHIF employees and the creation of at least 200 new full-time positions to ensure that the service can copes with new demand on the NHIF. The unions estimate that an extra BGN 10 million (€5.1m) is needed to cover these costs and wants to ensure that this is include in the NHIF budget for 2022. NHIF workers are highly qualified specialists

FSC-CCOO, FeSP-UGT and the other unions involved in strike action at the Ministry of Justice made sure their claims were heard at EU level when they organised a demonstration in Logroño to coincide with a meeting of justice ministers from across Europe. The protest was the latest action in the long-running dispute where the unions are demanding pay increases for the majority of workers in the ministry in line with increases already awarded specifically to lawyers. They also want measures to establish a fair salary system and improve career development. The next steps will depend on who forms

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

Six trade unions are coming together to take strike action over jobs and precarious employment in the public sector in the Basque region. The unions are responding to the failure of the regional government to address public employment and the persistently high levels of temporary contracts across the public sector. Action is planned for 22 April across all the main public services – municipalities, health, education, general administration, justice, public transport, public media and other sectors. The unions want to see the thousands of temporary workers who have been crucial to tackling the

Public service federations in the CCOO, FeSP-UGT along with ELA and other trade unions coordinated strike action across public services in the Navarra region on 15 February. The unions are calling for increased funding for regional government to guarantee quality, universal and free public services for all. They are also seeking an increase in pay to begin to recoup the 20% loss in purchasing power over the past decade. Other demands include a commitment by the regional authority to reach the long-standing target of having only 8% of all workers on temporary contracts as well as initiatives on

The FSC-CCOO public services federation is continuing to challenge the management of the ITSS Labour and Social Security Inspectorate over its failure to properly implement an agreement signed in July 2021 and the block on the agreement imposed by the Ministry of Finance. The union is planning further mobilisations over the coming weeks with a new call for strike action likely in May, including a threat to take indefinite action if the management and government fail to react. The federation is conscious of the impact of industrial action on those dependent on the ITSS’s services but argues

Trade unions, including FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT, are mobilising for what could be an indefinite strike of the 45,000 civil servants in the various bodies and agencies of the Ministry of Justice. The strike will begin on Monday, 17 April with partial stoppages from 10 am to 13 pm every day. On 19 April, a strike will be called for the whole day along with a national demonstration. The action follows the refusal of the Ministry to put forward a decent pay increase, in line with the demands on and responsibilities of workers. The unions say that the Ministry has recognised the need to adjust the

The FSS-CCOO, FeSP-UGT and other trade unions representing workers in the Ministry of Justice are stepping up their campaign of industrial action in what has become a long-running dispute over pay and restructuring. Partial stoppages of three hours a day earlier this month helped ensure a start to new negotiations with the Ministry but so far without positive results. Full day strike action is now planned for 4 May along with a national protest outside the Ministry. Further all-out action will then follow on 9-11 and 16-18 May.

The FSC-CCOO, FeSP-UGT and other trade unions in the ministry of justice have been maintaining their campaign of strike action with high levels of support for the strike that took place on 4 May and with further action set for 9-11 and 16-18 May. The main demands focus on the need to negotiate implementation of the law on organizational efficiency and to deliver salary improvements that recognise the functions workers perform and ensure the development of the professional careers. The ministry has so far rejected any salary increase for most staff – around 90% - despite agreeing to an increase

The FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT trade unions report continuing high levels of support for the all-out strike in the Ministry of Justice. The unions are calling for negotiations with the Minister of Justice over pay levels and implementation of the law on organisational efficiency which has serious implications for workers’ pay and career development. So far the Minister has refused to negotiate and the unions launched the all-out action following two three-day strikes earlier this month. Meanwhile, both FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT, are continuing their action in the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate

Unions representing workers in the Ministry of Justice, including FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT, are continuing their all-out strike action while the minister refuses to negotiate. The strike committee entered the ministry’s head office determined to demand that negotiations begin and remained there, waiting for a negotiator to arrive. But 24 hours later there had been no progress and the only steps taken by the Ministry was to try to restrict the movements of the committee and confined it to the meeting room with no access to food or drink. The all-out strike began on 30 May following two three-day