Wages under attack in local government

The three main trade unions in the municipal sector have agreed common demands in the current pay round and are looking for a two-and-a-half year agreement with significant increases in pay but allowing for more agreements at local level. The overall pay demand for the 30-month agreement is around 9%. JHL, the biggest union, has also put forward a number of qualitative demands. It wants changes to the way the local government workforce is used and making the prerequisites for local agreement more equal between employees and employers. This involves issues such as providing measures to

Services union ver.di highlights the findings of a recent TV documentary that exposes the permament pressure on pay and conditions in the health sector. Health workers are being outsourced to subsidiary companies where they face lower pay and even the transfer onto so-called service contracts rather than proper employment contracts. The use of agency work is also spreading. Ver.di argues that these changes are having a negative and potentially dangerous impact as morale falls, workers become ill and the quality of care is undermined. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://gesundheit-soziales