Sweden
Following a check on their contracts by a representative of the municipal union Kommunal, firefighters in the central province of Jämtland have been paid around SEK 40000 (€1500) in missed overtime payments. The workers hadn't been paid the overtime for hours worked above 168 a month and the union negotiated a total payment of SEK 565000 (€61000) for the 14 firefighters on the basis of 10 years of non-payment.
Read more at > SVT news website (SV)
The TEHY nurses’ union is running an overtime ban to put pressure on municipal employers to allow the union a greater role in collective bargaining. The union is ensuring that patient safety is not jeopardised and says that the action is having an impact on patient waiting times. The current collective agreement was negotiated in 2007 and runs until 2011. A conciliation process is due to begin on 17 May. Read more at > TEHY (FI) And at > YLE news (EN)
Five firefighters are set to receive a total of almost half a million euros in compensation following a victory in a legal case on working time supported by their union, JHL. The city of Jyväskylä will have to pay the unpaid wages and the costs incurred by the union. The Labour Court ruled unanimously that the firefighters should have been paid in full for working time for periods on standby. In a system in force between January 2004 and the end of March 2016, the firefighters were required to arrive at the fire station within five minutes of the alarm being sounded. The court ruled that five
The continuing demands imposed by the COVID pandemic are being addressed by municipal trade unions and employers through a new agreement setting out rules on overtime. The agreement will be applied locally if agreed between the local union and employer and provides for higher overtime rates and limits on overtime hours. Overtime rates are increased to 200% on normal days and 300% on weekends and holidays. The rates also apply to part-time workers above 20 hours a week. The agreement sets a range of daily, weekly and monthly limits to overtime hours.
