France
The FNME-CGT energy union organised another day of action across the country on 21 January in defence of workers' purchasing power and their pay and conditions. The various demonstrations, strikes and lobbying of employers were also used to underline the threat to services from further privatisation and inadequate investment in the sector.
Read more at > FNME-CGT (FR)
Around 12000 workers employed by various public monitoring and regulatory bodies are set to join the three-month rolling industrial action called by the PCS civil service union. The campaign began with a national strike on 20 March to coincide with the government's presentation of the Budget. Since then the action has involved different departments and agencies and now involves a range of public bodies such as the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and the utilities regulators. [Read more about the current action at > PCS->http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/index.cfm/id
The unions organising in the prisons sector - FSC-CCOO, ACAIP, FeSP-UGT and CSIF - continue to press the government to honour its original commitment to increase funding to the service. The unions organised a demonstration outside the General Directorate of Public Services on 18 February. They are particularly angry that the government withdrew its offer of EUR 123 million to cover pay rises for the 23000 workers in the sector over the period 2019-2021.
Around 20,000 workers in the Ministry of Defence and the Identity and Passport Service have been called out on a one-day strike on 30 March as part of the PCS union's campaign on pay and jobs that was launched with a two-day national strike in January. Around 230,000 civil servants will be taking action short of a strike on 30 March while a further 20,000 in a number of different departments will begin a month of working to rule. [Read more at > PCS (EN)-> http://www.pcs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=908761
