The SIPTU trade union has again called on the government to concede its responsibility for the funding of pay increases in the voluntary sector - so-called Section 39 organisations - many of which cover the care sector. In recent negotiations over sleepover allowances the health ministry has conceded that it should fund these payments but it has resisted calls to provide funding for these organisations to award pay increases to their employees to bring them in line with the pay restoration arrangements in the public sector. SIPTU members are being balloted for strike action.
Union steps up pressure on government over pay in voluntary sector
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Union pay campaign in community and voluntary sectors
Public services union IMPACT has launched a campaign to restore pay and conditions for workers in the community and voluntary sectors. Many of these workers suffered the same kinds of pay cuts imposed on public sector workers during the crisis while their organisations were supposed to take up any slack created by cuts in the public sector. With pay restoration now on the bargaining agenda in public sector, the union wants to make sure that voluntary and community sector workers are not left behind. [Read more at > IMPACT->http://www.impact.ie/impact-launches-campaign-to-restore-pay-in
New two-year agreement in voluntary sector
The Kommunal municipal union has negotiated a new two-year collective agreement with the Arbetsgivaralliansen employers' organisation in health and social care. The organisation has around 3000 members employing some 250000 people. The agreement runs from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2016. The pay increase was negotiated as a flat-rate amount so as not to increase the gap between male-and female -dominated industries. Salaries will be increased by SEK 550 (€60.5) from 1 April 2014 and SEK 600 (€66) from 1 April 2015. Minimum wages will be increased by the same amount and will mean SEK 19720 (€2170
Unions step up action to increase pressure on municipal employers
With municipal employers failing to come up with a decent pay offer, local government unions have planned a series of targeted actions in addition to the ban on overtime and shift changes that ran from 7 to 13 March and will be repeated from 21 to 27 March. Six municipalities have been designated for the two-day stoppages beginning with Jyväskylä and Rovaniemi from 23 to 24 March, then Tampere and Kuopio from 29 to 30 March, followed by Oulu and Turku on 6-7 April. In total the actions cover around 50,000 workers and the unions want to underline the importance of protecting workers’ purchasing