Unions demand to restart collective bargaining

The public service federations of CGIL, CISL and UIL have issued a joint statement calling on the government to unblock negotiations in the public sector. The unions were reacting to a report on pay and jobs from the ARAN agency that negotiates with public sector unions on behalf of the government. The report shows a 1.6% fall in public sector pay. Taking into account inflation during the 2010-2012 period this amounts to a 7.2% cut in real terms. The report also reveals that 265000 jobs have been cuts from hospitals, child care and other public services. [Read more at > FP CGIL (IT)->http:/

Members of the FNV union in the ambulance service have restarted their work-to-rule industrial action. The action had been suspended to allow for further negotiations but the employers then broke off negotiations and withdrew an earlier pay offer. The FNV is calling for urgent action to address staffing shortages. It is aiming for a 7.5% pay increase in 2018 and 3.5% in 2019 which it says are needed to keep ambulance pay in line with other parts of the health service. The union says that employers should fund higher pay rather than spending money on recruiting agency workers to cover

The two groups of public sector unions organised in the Frente Comum and FESAP federations have agreed their main collective bargaining demands for 2018. There are several common issues with unions calling for measures to tackle precarious employment, to unblock opportunities for career progression and confirm a 35-hour week for all public sector workers. The unions want to see a pay rise in 2018 that will begin to compensate workers for the loss of purchasing power since 2009, with the Frente Comum calling for at least 4% while the FESAP demand is for at least 2.5%. The federations also want