The response of governments and other public sector employers to the crisis is having a major impact on collective bargaining. In some cases this is the result of individual national government strategy and in other cases collective bargaining is affected when governments agree to loan packages and the requirements of the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.
EPSU is providing short briefings on some of these country developments:
The ÖGB trade union confederation has called for a national protest on 20 September to put pressure on the government to address the cost-of-living crisis. The confederation estimates that food inflation alone has increased the annual bill for a family with two children by €1234, with higher energy costs adding a further €1335 on average. The ÖGB is calling for action on housing costs, including a freeze on rents, as well as measures to ensure affordable energy and a tax on energy companies’ excessive profits. The demonstration on 20 September will create a human chain around the national
Around 150 participants from over 30 countries joined the debates and discussions at this year’s collective bargaining and social dialogue conference. The sessions and workshops covered the economic crisis, decent work, precarious employment, women and equality, working time and lifelong learning. The conference agreed a statement rejecting pay cuts and pay freezes as measures that not only penalize public sector workers but only run the risk of deepening the recession. Read more at > EPSU (EN)
