State sector trade union members are currently being balloted over a new three-year agreement worth 12.8%. The major part (8.17%.) will be spent on general wage increases while 2.2% has been set aside as “pool funding” for other improvements. In addition to this, the regulator mechanism (which ensures a parallel wage development between the public and private sector) and local wage developments will account for 2.23% of the increase. A new element is compensation to state employees for the growth in fringe/staff benefits in the private sector. This is set at 0.2% and means that the wage difference between the state sector and the private sector has been narrowed by 0.2% on a permanent basis. The general pay increase thus amounts to 8.37% over the next 3 years (the 8.17%. in general wage increases plus the 0.2%. compensation for fringe/staff benefits). The agreed wage increases guarantee a real wage development each year. Overall this is the largest wage hike n the state sector in 20 years (since 1987).
State sector unions secure significant pay increase
More like this
Union secures significant pay increases for outsourced workers
A long-running dispute in hospitals in North West England has been resolved with pay rises for workers employed by the outsourcing company Compass. Before the deal, Compass employees were on the national minimum wage (£8.21 per hour/EUR 9.65), while colleagues employed directly by the NHS were earning at least £9.03 (EUR 10.60). This meant Compass workers were losing out to the tune of around £1,500 (EUR 1760) a year (see EPSU CB News August 2019, 15). The agreement negotiated by UNISON and overwhelmingly supported by the workers means they’ll now receive a significant pay rise, more money for
Municipal unions call for significant pay increase
Trade unions representing over 430,000 municipal workers have come together to call for a significant pay rise for their members. The unions argue that public sector workers were negatively affected by the competitiveness pact agreed in 2016 with cuts to holiday entitlement. The sector has also seen massive cuts, including job losses, and that a pay freeze would be totally unacceptable. The unions argue that a pay rise is necessary and would mean a major boost for the economy.
Report notes significant increases in minimum wages
A new round-up of developments in legal minimum wages by the trade union-backed Hans Boeckler research institute notes some significant increases in Latvia (47.8%), Estonia (34.3%) and Slovakia (32%). The study also points out that in west European countries the minimum wage average around €8 an hour, with Ireland, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg all registering rates of more than €8 an hour. The target of the DGB union federation is for a minimum wage of €7.50 an hour which would put it just below the levels in Belgium (€7.93) and the UK (€7.96). [Read more at > Hans Boeckler (DE)-