Unions set out claim for hospital negotiations

The VPÖD/SSP public service union has said that it wants at least a 2%-3% pay increase for all public sector workers. It is also calling for an increase in public sector employment to ensure and improve the quality of service to citizens. VPÖD/SSP says that public sector employers should acknowledge the substantial savings have been delivered by public sector personnel along with higher productivity and these factors certainly justify an across-the-board increase. It also emphasizes the fact that the public sector has retained a fairer pay system than in the private sector with better pay on

The FOA public service union along with four other organisations representing 200,000 health workers has drawn up an eight-point plan for long-term improvements in the healthcare system. The unions argue that workers need to be properly trained and should focus on their appropriate tasks and competences. This means doctors and nurses concentrating on treatment while white-collar workers tackle the relevant administrative tasks. The plan also calls for a more transparent and effective financial management system and the improvement of trust and co-operation between workers and management. [Read

The CCOO and UGT unions in the public sector met with the finance ministry on 19 February to underline their demands for a new agreement on public employment that would include a target of reducing temporary employment to 8% of total employment over the next three years and to end the restriction on replacing employees who leave which has had major implications not just for workers but also the quality of services. The unions are also looking for an above-inflation pay rise and a restoration of the 5% salary cut from 2010. They also want to see a return to the 35-hour week across the public