Environment/Climate Change, Demographic change, Digitalisation, Central government, Youth, EWCs, Embassy and household staff, Economic Policy
Unions get commitment to collective bargaining for overseas staff
The FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT public service federations have ensured that government employees working overseas will be covered by a proper process of collective bargaining. As a first step to address the lack of proper pay bargaining over the past 14 years, the unions have agreed a 3.5% pay increase for all overseas workers backdated to 1 January 2022. Negotiations over a pay rise for 2023 will begin in the first quarter of the year along with bargaining over a range of other issues including telework, the 35-hour week, equality plans and an updating of the 2008 agreement on working conditions.
5% for library workers but no agreement in central government
Workers in public libraries are set to get a 5% pay increase in a new collective agreement running from 1 July 2020 to 1 July 2021. A 3% pay rise will be backdated to 1 January and a further 2% increase will follow in January 2021. There will also be an overtime bonus for part-time workers, abolition of youth pay rates and limits on use of temporary contracts. However, the additional payment for Sunday work will be reduced and unions are unhappy about limited notice of rosters. Meanwhile unions have rejected a pay offer for central government workers arguing that a 0.7% pay increase and € 225
Public sector still has high level of temporary work
Latest figures on public sector employment show that the overall level has still not recovered from the impact of austerity with 112100 fewer in public sector employment than in 2011. The data also show the scale of the two major problems facing the sector - a continuing high level of temporary contracts (28.2%) and an ageing workforce. Workers aged under 30 make up only 7% of the workforce with those over 50 accounting for 43.6%. Young workers are also more than three times as likely to be on a temporary contract (78.9%).
Social care workers call on strengthening the workforce perspective in the transition from institutional to community-based care
This article summarises the main topics addressed at the meeting of the EPSU Working Group Social Services on 26 February, with one focus on the transition from institutional care to community-based care and how to make this transition also work for the social care and health workforce.
People and Planet Before Profit says group in support of #YouthforClimate Action
The demand for urgent action to address climate change by #YouthForClimate is supported by a broad group of trade unionists, environmentalists, energy poverty and social action campaigners that met on the eve of the 15th march Global #Strike for the Climate.
Unions push for pay equity for new entrants
Public service unions, including Fórsa and SIPTU, have met with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for discussions on dealing more rapidly with the problem of pay equity for new entrants to the public service. In the pay changes implemented as part of austerity measures in 2011, two additional points were added to the first two pay grades for new starters. This means that they need two more years to reach the top of their pay grades compared to higher grades. The unions argue that with economic growth and higher tax revenues, it should be possible to tackle this issue in advance
