Pay settlements

Fagforbundet , Delta , EL og IT Forbundet and Akademikerne have reached a 2025 wage agreement with the employer organisation Samfunnsbedriftene. The deal covers workers in municipally-owned companies. The agreement provides general pay increases of NOK 14,500 for unskilled workers, NOK 15,500 for skilled workers, and NOK 16,700 for skilled workers with vocational college education. Staff in unregulated positions—typically managers not covered by fixed pay tables—will receive a general increase of 2.7%. In addition, from 1 August, 1.15% of the total amount agreed will be allocated for local

After difficult negotiations, a new federal collective agreement has been concluded for workers in the chimney sweep trade in Germany. The agreement includes a general wage increase and updates to the wage classification system, aiming to reduce tensions between the key representative bodies— the Trade union and Central Association of German Chimney Sweeps (ZDS) and the Central Guild Association (ZIV). Wages will increase by an average of 12.6% as of 1 May 2025, including a 5.5% rise now calculated on the basis of hourly wages. This change was a key compromise by the ZDS. New agreed hourly

Workers organized by Ver.di at Charité Facility Management (CFM), which provides non-clinical services at Berlin’s public university hospital, have reached a collective agreement with their employer to gradually align their wages with those set in the public sector collective agreement (TVöD). The agreement was reached on 6 June following several days of negotiations between ver.di and CFM. The deal covers staff in patient transport, cleaning, security, medical technology, and grounds maintenance—roles that were outsourced to CFM in 2005–2006. Since then, new hires have worked under less

Trade union JHL and the Finnish Electrical Workers' Union have secured a new collective agreement for the energy sector, delivering a total pay increase of 7.8% over three years. The deal, which runs until March 2028, also includes improvements to family leave, local agreement procedures, and employment protections. The agreement includes annual pay rises from 2025 to 2027, combining general increases and company-level allowances. Key updates include stronger rules on local bargaining, an end to separate local deals on minimum wage scales, and a major extension of paid family leave for both

Unions representing hospital workers in Norway have reached agreements with the employers’ association Spekter, securing real wage growth for 2025 in line with the framework of the so-called frontfag model. The settlement applies across Spekter’s health areas 10 and 13, covering a wide range of workers including nurses, midwives, ambulance personnel, porters, and administrative staff. LO-affiliated unions— Fagforbundet, FO, Creo and EL og IT Forbundet —negotiated general increases and higher minimum wages, with particular gains for low-paid groups. Midwives with over ten years of service will

Health workers across NHS Scotland have voted to accept a new two-year pay offer from the Scottish government. Members of the unions representing NHS staff— UNISON , Unite and RCN —backed the agreement, which includes a 4.25% increase for 2025/26 and 3.75% in 2026/27, alongside a commitment to ensure pay remains at least 1% above inflation (CPI). The deal, estimated at £701 million for 2025, was accepted by large majorities in each union’s vote. It is expected that the increase for 2025/26 will be paid in June salaries, with backdated pay from 1 April 2025 included in July. While the result

The unions representing workers in Finland’s state sector including JHL and Trade Union Pro —have approved a new collective agreement covering 76,000 civil servants and contract-based workers. The agreement was reached on 30 April and formally confirmed by the unions’ governing bodies on 5 May. Government approval is expected later in May. The new agreement runs from 1 March 2025 to 29 February 2028, with a possibility to terminate it a year early. It provides general-level pay increases totalling 7.8% over the period. The first across-the-board increase of 2.4% will take effect on 1 July 2025

Unions in Finland, including JHL , Jyty , Super and Tehy , have approved a new general agreement for workers in municipalities and wellbeing services counties, covering the period 1 May 2025 to 29 February 2028. The deal lays out a framework for pay and working conditions for around 500,000 workers. The agreement provides for average wage increases of 7.37% over the three-year period, alongside a jointly agreed pay development programme to be implemented from 2026 to 2028. In the social and healthcare sector, the total increase is expected to exceed 14% according to Tehy , with targeted

CCOO has announced a nationwide two-hour strike on 19 May in immigration offices across Spain, protesting a collapse of the public service due to severe understaffing, rising workloads, and institutional neglect. The action will take place from 12:30 to 14:30. According to the union, immigration offices have resolved more than 1.2 million cases in 2024, yet resolution times have dramatically worsened—from an average of 22 working days in 2024 to 47 in 2025. In Madrid and Barcelona, wait times now exceed 70 days. The root of the crisis is understaffing: over 30% of posts in immigration offices

Akademikerförbundet SSR , together with other academic unions, has reached two new two-year collective agreements with the state-owned company Samhall. The agreements cover approximately 20,000 workers across Sweden, many of whom are employed in cleaning, logistics, manufacturing, and service roles, with a focus on creating employment for people with disabilities. Salaries will increase by at least 3.1% in 2025 and at least 2.7% in 2026. In addition, 0.2% will be allocated annually to the flex pension scheme in both years, bringing the total flex pension contribution to 1.7% of wages by 2026

Unions in Norway have reached an agreement with Norlandia on the 2025 interim wage settlement for kindergarten workers. The negotiations were conducted jointly by Fagforbundet , Delta , and the Education Union, under Spekter Area 12. While the agreement will formally take effect once all negotiations in Area 12 are concluded, the unions report that the outcome is positive for members. The agreement includes central wage increases effective from 1 April 2025: NOK 16,000 for staff without specific qualifications, NOK 18,000 for skilled workers and assistants, and up to NOK 26,000 for

The longest garbage collection strike in Madrid in ten years came to an end on 27 April 2025, following a collective agreement between unions and the private companies subcontracted by the Madrid City Council. The strike, which lasted from 21 to 27 April, was called by Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), and Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT). Around 1,800 workers employed by six companies—FCC, Valoriza, Acciona, OHLA, PreZero, and Urbaser—took part in the action. The unions demanded fairer conditions across the workforce, improved pay, and greater job

Wage negotiations in Norway’s state and municipal sectors have reached a critical phase, as LO Stat, LO Kommune, and YS Kommune have broken off talks with public employers. The dispute centres not on the overall wage increase—set at 4.4%—but on how it should be distributed. In the state sector, LO Stat rejected the government’s proposal to allocate most of the increase to local-level negotiations. The union is demanding general increases through centrally negotiated flat-rate additions to ensure more equal pay outcomes. The matter has now been referred to the National Mediator, with a strike

A new collective agreement for municipal workers in the Netherlands will see salaries rise by an average of 7.64% over two years. The agreement, negotiated by FNV and other unions with the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), also raises the minimum hourly wage to €16. The agreement covers 220,000 municipal workers and runs from 1 April 2025 to 1 April 2027. While unions welcomed the new minimum wage, they described the overall wage increase as modest, with FNV noting that it reflects a compromise based on the final offer made by VNG. Lower-paid workers will see higher gains due to a €35

Hospital and rehabilitation centre workers in the Netherlands have secured a new two-year collective agreement after 77% of FNV members voted in favour of the negotiated outcome. The agreement delivers a total wage increase of 8%, improved allowances, and stronger protections for work-life balance. The deal includes a first pay rise of 2% retroactive from 1 February 2025, with further increases bringing the total to 8% over the agreement’s duration. Workers will now also receive compensation for changing at the workplace and a higher travel allowance approaching the fiscal maximum. The