Collective Bargaining, Staffing levels, Privatisation

The ZSSS trade union confederation reports that some public service trade unions have expressed dissatisfaction with the government's handling of negotiations on wage disparities and the renewal of the wage system. The unions say that the government's lack of commitment to fair negotiations has resulted in a stalemate and the government's failure to provide a counter-proposal for eliminating wage disparities, despite assurances, has led to frustration among union representatives. They argue that the government's approach undermines the importance of public sector workers in maintaining the

Health workers around the country, many of them employed by private contractors and among the lowest paid, have had to resort to strike action to ensure they get a £1600+ (€1870) lump sum payment that was paid to most directly employed staff last year. Action has just paid off for members of UNISON and Unite in Dudley in the West Midlands where until recently their employer, Mitie, had refused the payment. UNISON members were also successful following their action in the South West against the contractor Sodexo and Wiltshire Health and Care, a company jointly owned by three NHS trusts. UNISON