Electricity, Transparency & Corruption
EPSU agrees firmer EP action needed on lobby transparency
EPSU fully supports the lobby transparency coalition position that ‘the European Parliament (EP) must do much more to improve lobby transparency’. A 100 civil society organisations have written an open letter to MEPs asking the EP to do more to improve lobby transparency.
EPSU’s government affiliates restate backing for EU whistleblowers’ legal protection
EPSU’s NEA Committee, consisting of affiliates from central government and EU institutions, reiterated its support for legal protection of whistleblowers across the EU when meeting in Brussels on 3 March.
Pay rise for 20000 workers in electricity sector
(March 2017) Around 20000 workers in the private electricity sector saw their pay increase by 1.55% from 1 February following a new pay deal negotiated by the GPA-djp and PRO-GE trade unions. The increase is above the 0.9% average inflation rate for 2016. Trainees will also get the increase. The agreement includes a commitement to contiinue discussions about pay and job content, working in difficult circumstances as well as shift work and arduous work at different phases of the working career.
EPSU echoes MEPs calls for comprehensive EU-wide protection for whistle-blowers
EPSU welcomes today’s adoption by the European Parliament of a resolution which demands that the European Commission immediately puts forward effective and comprehensive Europe-wide whistle-blower protection.
Energy workers strike over pay
(January 2017) Member of five trade unions organising in the energy sector, CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC, called for strike action on 31 January in protest at the employers' attempt to freeze pay in the sector. The unions say that workers will not pay the price of restructuring in the sector and want immediate negotiations on pay. They also call on the government (the majority shareholder in the major energy companies EDF and ENGIE) to come up with an industrial strategy for the sector. EPSU sent a message of support.
Energy unions end strike over rest periods
(November 2016) Energy unions have agreed a new collective agreement and ended their strike over rest periods. The new collective agreement increases minimum wage rates and allows for local bargaining around a 2.4% pay increase. The strike was over an attempt by the employers' organisation to reduce rest periods for workers who have been on call. In the end it was agreed to negotiate this at company level where the unions are positive about maintaining the appropriate rest periods.
EPSU’s Standing Committee on Utilities strongly supports Norwegian energy sector’s industrial action
(5 October 2016) EPSU’s Standing Committee on Utilities meeting today in Brussels voted unanimously to strongly support the industrial actions currently underway in the Norwegian Energy sector.The EL and IT
Union organises strike against network privatisation
(September 2016) The FNME-CGT energy trade union is planning a day of action on 21 September by workers at the RTE electricity network. The union is very concerned about the impact of a sell-off on prices and services to users as well as the implications for the pay and conditions of workers in the sector.