22 epsucob@NEWS November 2009
Public sector strike planned for 24 November
Public sector unions have drawn up plans for a national strike on 24 November in protest at government plans for more cuts to public sector pay. The unions have called on the government to quantify and recognize the effect of the pensions levy imposed on public sector workers as well as the freeze on recruitment and pay over the next three years. The Impact union estimates that these measures have saved the government €1.3 billion in 2009 and will mean savings of €2.4 billion in 2010. Unions want the government to negotiate over the crisis and find alternatives to the cuts to pay and services
ETUC warns against pay cuts and public spending cuts
The ETUC has called for public spending to be maintained and that governments should not be looking for exit strategies until it is clear that a recovery is really underway. The ETUC was putting forward its arguments at the Macroeconomic Dialogue where it meets with the European employers, European Central Bank, European Commission and Council of Ministers. The Confederation also warned that pay cuts would not help the economic recovery and the more labour flexibility and precarious employment would not be a long-term solution to the crisis. [Read more at > ETUC (EN)->http://www.etuc.org/a
Waste sector conference highlights attack on pay and conditions
Waste sector works council representatives in the public and private sector met on 21-22 October to discuss the challenges facing the industry. The conference discussed how employers in the private sector were trying to cut pay and conditions, with public sector employers following trends in the private sector. Participants called for a minimum wage for the sector as well as a national legal minimum wage of €7.50 an hour rising to €9.00. The conference also heard how the BDE private sector employers’ organization wants a two-tier pay system and opening clauses to try to bring more employers
Public sector pay negotiations head for third round
The first two rounds of negotiations over the 2010 pay increase for public sector workers did not produce any major developments. In the first round the employers and trade unions heard a report on the economic situation from the WIFO institute and the second round of bargaining broke up with no result. The next round takes place on 19 November. In his public statements state secretary Reinhold Lopatka has spoken repeatedly of minimal increases to pay. In the meantime, the GDG has highlighted actions by the Salzburg municipal justice department which has announced changes to pay and pensions
Cleaners win better pay and conditions
Earlier this year cleaners working at the federal parliament took strike action to prevent their jobs being outsourced. Now, following negotiations, they have won improved pay and conditions. There will be a higher starting rate for cleaners with experience and the VPOD union believes this is an important recognition of the work done by cleaners. There will also be improved training provision for them and in future they will be able to carry over some additional hours rather than just losing any overtime hours that they have worked. [Read more at > VPOD (DE)->http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell
Union welcomes report highlighting need for quality social care
Public services union UNISON has endorsed one of the key conclusions of a report on social care from the non-profit organization, the National Care Forum. The report emphasizes the point that quality care depends on the level of resources provided including the pay and conditions of social care workers. UNISON’s response highlighted the continuing problems of low pay and high staff turnover in the sector and the need to improve pay and conditions as well as training provision. Read more at > UNISON (EN)
EPSU agrees procedure for negotiating transnational agreements
Following detailed discussions in the utilities standing committee over a period of three years, a procedure for negotiating transnational agreements was debated and approved at the EPSU Executive Committee meeting on 9-10 November. Increasingly agreements have been signed with multi-national companies, often by European works councils, but European Federations like EPSU, following the initiative in the European Metalworkers Federation, have been working to establish procedures that give a clear role for trade unions in the process.
New negotiating body for school staff
The pay and conditions of around 700,000 workers in schools are now negotiated in a new structure - the School Staff Negotiating Body. The SSNB will cover teaching assistants, nursery staff, administrators, secretaries, policy officers, technicians, cleaners, special needs staff, caretakers and school meals workers. Unions believe that this is an important development that will help ensure a fair and equal pay system for school support staff across the country. The three trade unions on the body are UNISON, GMB and Unite. [Read more at > UNISON (EN)->http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack
Unions join together to demonstrate against privatization threat
Around 1,000 firefighters and emergency service workers took to the streets of Santiago de Compostela on 30 October to demonstrate against plans by the Galician government’s privatization plans. The three main union federations – CCOO, UGT and CSI – supported the march, warning of the impact of privatization on the quality of services and of an increase in precarious employment conditions. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)
Workers agree to new 26-month agreement in disabled care sector
Employees in the disabled care sector will see their salaries increase by 1.5% in December and will receive a lump sum worth 1.25% of their annual salary. This is part of the new collective agreement that runs from 1 January 2009 to 1 March 2011. There will also be a 1% pay increase from 1 July 2010. The year-end bonus is increased by 0.5% this year and by 0.65% next year, taking it to 5.75%. Read more at > Abvakabo (NL)
President defies IMF to sign bill to increase pay and pensions
Unions have welcomed the fact that President Yuschenko has signed a bill increasing pay and pensions despite a call by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Prime Minister to veto the bill. The IMF says that the implementing the bill requires an increase in public spending above the limits it set as part of its loan package conditions. The FPU union confederation had had a video conference with IMF head office in order to stress the need to tackle poverty in the country. It then picketed the IMF offices in the Ukraine in protest at the failure of the institution’s insistence on
Unions call for real pay increase for 75,000 health and social care workers
Negotiations are underway between the GPA-DJP and vida trade unions and the BAGS employers’ organization over a new agreement covering 75,000 workers in private health and social care services. The unions argue that it is vital to maintain increases in earnings for this group of workers particularly as the majority are women and their aim is to obtain a minimum amount of increase in euros as well as an overall percentage rise. Vida is also in the middle of negotiations covering the 15,000 employees in private health institutions. The union is again looking for a real increase in pay along with
Strike action against church employers ends in court
Public services union ver.di has been trying to win pay increases and improved working conditions for its members who work for health and social care institutions run by the church. Ver.di members have taken strike action but the church employers have tried to argue that their workers don’t have the right to strike. The legal dispute is now with the courts in Bielefeld. Ver.di executive committee member Ellen Paschke said that organizations that cut pay and jobs cannot deny the fundamental right of workers to strike to defend their pay and conditions. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://presse
Union condemns sackings and disciplining of strikers
The FNME-CGT energy sector federation has attached the EDF and GDF-Suez companies for the intimidation and disciplining of union activists who took part in strikes and demonstrations to defend pay, employment and working conditions earlier this year. Over 200 union members have been targeted by the companies with four from the Toulouse region sacked for their involvement in the action. The union has also criticized the intervention of government ministers who have endorsed the companies’ actions against the union activists. Read more at > CGT (FR)