Union targets split shifts in bargaining

Hundreds of home care staff, members of the Unison trade union, joined a strike and demonstration in Birmingham in central England on 20 January in protest at plans to slash jobs and impose a new three-shift pattern on workers. The workers had voted by a massive majority to take strike action with the first stoppage running from 11.30 to 14.00 and with a further stoppage taking place on 6 February. The workers say that the new shift pattern (7.00-10.00; 12.00-14.00; 16.00-22.00) will make it impossible for them to have proper rest breaks and put the quality of care at risk. Around 150 jobs are

The are now two collective agreements in the energy sector – one for production and supply companies (PLB) and the other for network companies (NWB). There are similarities between these new agreements that both run for 24 months from 1 May 2011 to 1 May 2013. Both apply a 1.5% overall pay increase in both 2011 and 2012. Both also have contributions into a so-called benefit budget which workers can apply depending on their personal preference for particular benefits such as more leave. In the PLB agreement the benefit budget payments are 0.5% of salary in 2012 and 0.75% in 2012. The NWB

A new 12-month collective agreement has been negotiated in the energy sector with a 1.1% pay increase from 1 June 2010. There will also be a lump sum payment worth 0.4% of annual salary to be paid in January 2011 into a so-called benefit budget. This is for employees to use according to their personal preference and so could provide greater working time flexibility or taken as salary. The agreement also included provisions on training and initiatives to take on young unemployed workers. From next year there will be two separate negotiations for two collective agreements. This acknowledges that