COVID-19, Low pay/minimum wages
Health union says care employers not abiding by agreement
The health and social care federation, FSS-CCOO, is closely monitoring companies in the care sector to expose those that fail to apply the salary increase of 6.5% from January 2022, in line with an earlier court ruling. The union has denounced the companies for their treatment of care workers and the wage freeze imposed since 2020, despite the provisions of the agreement. The union also points out that even with 6.5% wage increase, some workers will still be left on pay rates below the minimum wage – a situation made much worse by soaring prices. FSS-CCOO underlines that this only goes to
Public service unions take stand on pay
The FESAP federation of public service unions, including the SINTAP trade union, has written to the prime minister calling for a state budget in 2023 that would allow for pay increases across the public sector and a wide range of improvements in other employment conditions. Alongside the need to address the scourge of low pay across the public sector, especially for workers with long service, the federation also wants action on career development, precarious contracts and health and safety – all measures it says are necessary to address staff shortages. Meanwhile, the STAL local government
Union calls for action on staff shortages in public administration
Services union ver.di has welcomed the federal government’s statement that it wants to tackle skills shortages but argues strongly that in doing so it needs to address the big challenges in the public sector itself. Ver.di points out that education in kindergartens, schools – especially vocational schools – and universities, is key but the shortage of skilled workers in these sectors has long been a problem. Additional jobs and better working conditions in the public sector are needed. This not just about pay but about providing more training opportunities, better equipment and increased
Union gets clear message on pay from 1200 shop stewards
The FOA trade union has sent a wake-up call to politicians from all sides about the need to address pay in the welfare sector. The union brought together 1200 of its shop stewards from across the country in a two-day conference to discuss pay in health, social care and other services and to really gauge the feeling at the workplace. The message from the conference was a mounting concern that society does not recognise the value of welfare work. FOA warns of increasing frustration and discontent among workers if action is not taken. It is already extremely difficult to recruit workers to the
ETUC welcomes minimum wage vote but warns of growing pay crisis
The ETUC welcomed the vote in the European Parliament on 14 September in favour of the Directive on adequate minimum wages with 505 MEPs in favour, 92 against and 44 abstentions. The directive includes important new provisions on the setting of statutory minimum wages, the role of trade unions, new requirements on governments to promote collective bargaining and the obligation to draw up action plans to support collective bargaining where coverage is below 80% of employees. The vote in the European Parliament came shortly after the ETUC published new research showing that Europe’s lowest paid
ETUC exposes how dividends surge while real pay falls
An ETUC analysis reveals that European companies have paid inflation-busting dividends to their shareholders while workers have been struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis. The value of payouts to shareholders increased by 28.6% in Europe during the second quarter of this year, according to the newly-published Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index. That’s more than seven times faster than the rate at which wages are rising across the European Union. Dividend increases were particularly high in Spain (97.7%), Italy (72.2%), Germany (36.3%) and France (32.7%). The ETUC argues that the
Reports examine collective bargaining developments
New reports from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Eurofound research agency analyse developments in collective bargaining in the light of the pandemic and other important drivers of change. The ILO report provides an overview of developments in collective bargaining during the pandemic, focusing on seven countries – Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Belgium. The report argues that the role of strong sectoral collective bargaining institutions was particularly important, allowing sectoral actors to negotiate specific responses considering the impact and
Union movements organise protests over surge in inflation
With inflation increasing rapidly across Europe, trade union movements are mobilising to highlight the cost-of-living challenges facing workers, their families as well as pensioners and students. Latest figures show prices rising at anything from 6.5% to nearly 23% a year in Europe with further increases predicted. The CMKOS confederation in the Czech Republic is calling for a national demonstration in Prague on 5 September while the ÖGB confederation in Austria is coordinating protests around the country on 17 September. In between these two, the GSEE private sector and ADEDY public sector
Trade unions unite in call for action on cost of living
Nine trade unions and five student organisations have come together to issue a joint communique calling for action in response to the impact of inflation on the standard of living of workers, students and pensioners. They are calling for a policy of redistribution in favour of wages and action to tackle inequality, particularly between men and women. The organisations also underline that the minimum wage should be only regarded as appropriate as a starting salary and not a wage level that applies throughout a working life. The communique underlines that both public and private sector employers
Wages not driving inflation but price surge denies millions a holiday
More than 38 million people in Europe can’t afford a week’s holiday despite being in work, according to an analysis by the European Trade Union Institute for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The ETUC argues that the cost-of-living crisis is putting holidays even further out of reach with the share of the total population who cannot afford a holiday increasing in over half of EU member states since 2019 and even the share of working people who can’t afford one has increased in 11 countries. Romania, Greece and Lithuania have the highest share of workers unable to get away for a
Governments back directive on minimum wages and collective bargaining
The European Trade Union Confederation has welcomed the decision by member states to support the Adequate Minimum Wages Directive that it says will help ensure that millions of workers across Europe get fairer wages and improved rights to collective bargaining. The directive is now set for a final sign-off by MEPs and ministers in September. The proposal includes a framework for setting adequate statutory minimum wages and a duty on member states to promote collective bargaining and combat union busting and to produce an action plan to support collective bargaining in states where coverage is