25 epsucob@NEWS 18 December 2006

The vast majority of Italy's 30,000 firefighters took strike action on 6 December with 3,000 members of FP CGIL, CISL and UIL, joining a national demonstration in front of the Italian Parliament in Rome on the same day. The protests were over the draft national budget for 2007. Fire services in Italy are already 15,000 below the number of firefighters needed to guarantee service levels with temporary workers used to fill gaps and local fire stations facing cuts. Unions argue that the situation is not only very difficult for workers in the service but also undermines the safety of citizens. The

The EIRO industrial relations observatory reports that new legislation has introduced the right to strike for workers in the civil service, energy, telecommunications and healthcare sectors for the first time.

The FGTB/ABVV union federation has released new statistics indicating the level of the gender pay gap in Belgium. Women's pay is on average 26% less than men's on a monthly basis and 18% lower in terms of hourly pay. The study indicates that there are a number of factors at work with women more likely to work part time and for small employers. They are also less likely to benefit from training. The data was collected using the website of the international wage indicator project www.monsalaire.be (FR) and www.mijnloon.be (NL) which is now available in 10 EU countries. [Read more at > FGTB (FR)-

Services union ver.di's federal negotiating committee has refused to take part in national negotiations over working time with the municipal employers' association, the VKA. The current working time agreement covering local authorities runs until 31 December 2007 but there is already scope within the existing agreement for negotiations on working time to take place at regional level. The municipal employers were looking to increase working time to 40 hours and six minutes a week. Ver.di has not only refused to negotiate but is also insisting that there is no further delay in putting into

A survey of working conditions in Finland by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions reveals that conditions are toughest in the local government sector. It showed the highest level of workers regarding their job as mentally (71%) or physically demanding (47%) compared to the overall figures of 58% and 38%. Municipal workers were also the most likely to have been subject to violence or the threat of violence over the previous 12 months (23% several times and 11% at least once) compared to the overall figures of 10% and 8%. [Read more at > European

The Common Front of trade unions in public administration have agreed to maintain their campaign against the government in 2007. They are resisting attacks on their working conditions including attempts to increase working hours and cut jobs. They are also campaigning against privatisation and the undermining of public services. A national meeting is planned for 10 January 2007 for leaders, delegates and trade union activists. There will be a forum in favour of quality public services on 22 February and a national demonstration or strike could follow in the first few months of the year. [Read

According to the European Commission its 2006 Industrial Relations in Europe report shows that co-operation between employers and trade unions plays an increasing role in the European workplace and can help to create the right conditions for strong growth. The report is a biennial review of developments in social dialogue and collective bargaining across Europe. This new edition highlights the need for action by social partners at national level to implement the intersectoral agreements such as those on telework and stress. The report notes the trend towards decentralisation in collective