Ireland
The public expenditure minister has indicated that 2015 could see negotiations between the government and public sector unions that would look at clawing back some of the pay cuts that have been imposed since 2009. The cuts began with the introduction of a "pensions levy" in 2009 and cuts in basic and other pay elements followed in 2010 and 2011.
Read more at > IMPACT
(September 2016) The FeSP-UGT public services federation has called on the interim government to open negotiations with trade unions to ensure that the law setting out the budget for 2017 includes provisions for increased employment and a pay rise for public sector workers. The federation says that urgent action is needed to fill vacancies, take on temporary staff on permament contracts and reinstate the 170000 jobs cut since 2011. It is also arguing for a 3% pay increase in line with overall economic growth. Read more at FeSP-UGT (ES).
The Frente Comum of public service unions, including local government union STAL, has set out its list of key demands for negotiations in 2016. Central to the unions' claim is restoration of the pay and conditions that have been cut or frozen since austerity measures were implemented in 2011. In terms of pay this is not just about restoring pay levels but also re-establishing other pay rights such as overtime rights. And one of the main demands is the revocation of the law requiring public sector workers to increase their working week to 40 hours without any compensating pay increase. Public
In response to speculation about pay cuts and worsening employment conditions, state sector union Pardia has made it clear that cross-sector bargaining would be unacceptable on this basis. With an election due next spring, Pardia wants to see what the government programme will say about working life, the public sector, the position of state employees and any changes affecting the position of employees. For Pardia there is recognition that non-pay issues are increasingly important and that negotiations could focus on improvements in working lives. [Read more at > Pardia (EN)->http://www.pardia
