Waste, Social Services, Local government
Decision of the European Committee on Social Rights : it’s time for States to stop using volunteer firefighters as a cheaper way to provide emergency public services !
EPSU welcomes the decision of the European Committee on Social Rights (ESCR) recognising that volunteer firefighters are workers within the meaning of the European Social Charter.
Local and Regional Government Social Dialogue preparing to negotiate digitalisation guidelines
Social Partners agreed to publish a joint statement on the negative impact of the proposed fiscal rules on local and regional governments and advanced in their discussions on the future negotiations of sectoral guidelines on digitalisation.
Pay rise in water – action in waste
The SINTAP trade union has reached an agreement with Águas de Portugal water company that applies to the union’s members and delivers a 3% increase, with a minimum of €53, an increase in the food allowance to €7.60, as well as establishing an entry salary in the company of €905. Workers with more than 10 years’ service get further improvements. Meanwhile, the STAL trade union has been active in the waste sector where it has been involved in protest and industrial action to secure better pay and conditions for workers in the FCC and Resinorte companies. At FCC the demand is for a 15% pay
Agreement, conciliation and dispute in municipal sector
Trade unions in the municipal sector have been negotiating with the SKR and Sobona employer organisations in local and regional government with differing outcomes so far. The Vision trade union, representing mainly white-collar workers has settled on the basis of a 3.3% general pay rise and commitments to a review of working hours and joint initiatives to deliver healthier workplaces. The Vårdförbundet health professionals’ union has gone to mediation mainly because it has major concerns over the employers’ proposals on working time and the work environment which it believes will mean worse
Public sector workers back new collective agreement
Members of public sector unions have voted by a large majority to accept the pay agreement negotiated earlier this year. The agreement runs from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026 and provides for pay improvements worth 9.25% but because of flat-rate elements this rises to 17.3% for lower paid workers. This agreement also provides specific provisions for local bargaining, which will give trade unions the scope to negotiate up to an additional 3% of pay costs, inclusive of allowances, for particular grades, groups or categories of employee. The agreement also sees the full and final unwinding of
Regional government agreement to apply to church employees
The ver.di trade union has reached a collective bargaining agreement with the EKBO evangelical church which employs approximately 8,000 employees. The wage increases that were agreed in regional government earlier this year will be taken over in full by the EKBO collective agreement, albeit with a slight time delay. There will be a tax-free one-off payment of €3000 to mitigate inflation followed by salary increases of €200 in January and a further 5.5% in March 2025 by which time full-time pay will be €340 higher per month. In addition, there are improvements to social and educational services