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Jul. 23, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 22 July 2005

Doctors continue protests over pay and hours

Doctors employed by the regional governments in Germany are continuing their protests over pay and working hours. Their union, the Marburger Bund, has organised a week of action beginning with a national demonstration on 5 August. Read more at > Marburger Bund

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Aug. 04, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 5 August 2005

Doctors' strikes and demonstrations

The German doctors' union, the Marburger Bund, has backed a week of action by doctors across the country with a national demonstration taking place on Friday 5 August. The union is campaigning over pay and long working hours. Read more at > Marburger Bund

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Aug. 04, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 4 July 2005

GERMANY - doctors strike in protest at threat to hours and bonuses

Doctors organised in the Marburger Bund trade union, were on strike last month in protest at plans by their regional government employers to raise weekly working hours and cut Christmas and holiday bonuses. The union is now planning a week of action at the beginning of August. Read more at > Marburger Bund

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Aug. 18, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 19 August 2005

Debate over level of minimum wage

A statutory minimum wage has become an issue for debate in the current German election campaign. However, ver.di notes some disagreement among leftwing candidates. Left Party campaigners have called for a minimum of around 1,200-1,250 euros a month while the PDS party has referred to 1,400 euros. Frank Bsirske, ver.di chair, argues that the figure should be 7.50 an hour (just under 1,270 a month for a 39-hour week) which would put German around the average for the EU15. Read more at > verdi]

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Aug. 18, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 19 August 2005

Call for later retirement

Claims that the German state pensions system is under pressure have led to calls for an increase in retirement age 70 from an expert from the DIW economic think-tank. Other industry experts have rejected this but still call for an increase to 67 from the current 65. The idea of an increase to either 67 ro 70 has been rejected as nonsense by ver.di which is calling for action to deal with unemployment as a priority. Read more at the IPE pensions news site > IPE Read more at > verdi

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Aug. 18, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 19 August 2005

Positive impact of work-life balance

Widespread family-friendly working could be a real boost to jobs, productivity and growth according to a study commissioned by the German Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The survey covered eight major employers in the private and public sector including the Vattenfall utilities group and the Federal Insurance Institution for Salaried Employees. It found higher commitment from employees and lower staff turnover as a result of family-friendly policies. Read more at > EIRO

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Sep. 02, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 2 September 2005

Doctors continue action

Another nationwide day of strike and protest action is planned by the Marburger Bund doctors' union on 6 September. An estimated 10,000 joined strike and protest action in August in opposition to the regional government employers' plans for a 42-hour working week and to cut Christmas and holiday pay. Read more at > Marburger Bund

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Sep. 16, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 16 September 2005

Doctors' union meets with regional government employers

After months of protests and strike action the Marburger Bund doctors' union is resuming talks with the regional government employers over pay and working hours. The key demands of the union include withdrawal of the employers' decision to cut holiday and Christmas payments which have cost doctors up 15-20% of their pay and to set out a strategy for doctors' income to rise by 30%. Read more at > Marburger Bund

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Sep. 16, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 16 September 2005

Regional government employees strike and demonstrate in Hannover

This month sees the implementation of the new collective agreement covering public service workers employed by federal and local government. However, the regional employers continue to refuse to agree a similar deal. Thousands of members of public services union ver.di in Hannover supported warning strikes and demonstrations to keep the pressure on the regional government. Read more at > ver.di

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Oct. 02, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 1 October 2005

Doctors' union resumes negotiations

The Marburger Bund doctors' union will resume negotiations with the regional government employers over a new collective agreement covering 22,000 doctors in university clinics. The most recent demonstration on 6 September in Stuttgart involved 5,000 doctors. Read more at > Marburger Bund

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Oct. 02, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 1 October 2005

Talks start with regions as public sector agreement takes effect

Services union ver.di and the dbb civil service union have agreed to start talks with the regional government employers over a new collective agreement. The new 27-month agreement with the federal and local authorities comes into effect as of 1 October but the regional employers have so far refused to sign a new agreement. The main sticking point has been their demand for longer working hours. Read more at > verdi

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Oct. 15, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 15 October 2005

Doctors get to negotiating table

The Marburger Bund doctors' union has had an initial two-day meeting with the regional employers over its pay and conditions claim. Two further rounds of negotiations are planned for the end of October and mid-November. Read more at > MB

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Oct. 15, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 15 October 2005

Health workers take action on pay and to defend working hours

Health workers in Baden-Württemberg, including nurses, ancillary and technical staff, are continuing their protests over pay and working hours with strike action at the Freiburg University Clinic on 6 October when only emergency operations will take place. Around 5,000 workers took action no 5 October in the south west of the region. Read more at > ver.di

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Oct. 31, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 1 November 2005

Health workers bargaining success

Services union ver.di, representing health workers at university hospitals, has managed to win concessions from employers over hours and special payments. In line with trends in the rest of the public sector the employers had demanded a 40-hour week and cuts to Christmas and holiday pay. The final agreement involves a change in hours according to age. Those under 40 will work 39 hours (up 30 minutes) while those aged 40-55 will remain on 38.5 hours. Workers over 55 will get a 30-minute cut to 38 hours. The agreement also involves a lump sum payment for 2005 in addition to those offered for

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Nov. 12, 2005

epsucob@NEWS 12 November 2005

ver.di attacks 41-hour week for federal civil servants

Frank Bsirske, chair of the ver.di services union, has attacked government plans to increase weekly hours for 300,000 federal civil servants to 41 a week and to cut special payments. This follows only shortly after the new agreement for federal employees came into effect with a 39-hour week and retention of some special payments. From verdi's viewpoint the negotiations were on the basis that the conditions would also apply to civil servants who don't have the right to collective bargaining. [Read more at > verdi->http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen/showNews?id=3936ee50-5129-11da-792f

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