Sep. 13, 2019
Pay settlements
Aug. 08, 2019
Pay deals maintain higher trend
The WSI trade union-linked research organisation has published its half-year analysis of pay settlements and noted that the average increase of 3.2% is slightly up on last year's 3.0%. With inflation averaging 1.6% this means average real wage increases of 1.6%. WSI says this confirms an upward trend in pay and notes that in the first half of this year some of the large agreements have registered the highest increases, including engineering (4.1%), iron and steel (3.9%) and regional government (3.6%).
Jul. 25, 2019
New four-year agreement in water sector
The unions UGT-FICA and FSC-CCOO are both very positive about negotiating a new four year agreement with the AGA employers' organisation in the water sector. The agreement will run until 2022 and covers around 20000 workers. There will be a 3% pay increase in each year but there is also an opening clause if inflation exceeds this figure. Working time is reduced by eight hours with annual total of 1744 from 2020. There is a wide range of other measures relating to health and safety, work-life balance, equality and digitalisation among others.
Jul. 24, 2019
Positive bargaining developments for health workers
There have been two important developments covering health workers. The first is a new collective agreement after 10 years covering around 130000 doctors and managers in the national health service. The new agreement includes the EUR 200 a month increase enjoyed by public service workers in general but there are additional benefits for young doctors and additional payments linked to length of service. On-call night payments will increase from EUR 50 to EUR 100 (EUR 120 for emergency workers). There will be a joint initiative on well-being and measures to tackle violence against staff. In a separate development, public service unions have negotiated to ensure that 3000 health researchers on precarious contracts are covered by the main public health collective agreement.
Jul. 11, 2019
Mental health care workers get 8.38% increase over 2.5 years
The latest collective agreement covering 89000 workers in the mental health sector includes a 8.38% pay increase over 2.5 years (3% in October 2019, 3% in August 2020 and 2.1% in June 2021). Workers will also get a EUR 500 lump sum payment. The agreement includes a number of measures to address training needs and a 7% higher starting salary to attract new workers to the sector. There will also be measures to address stress-related sickness and employees who work in particularly intensive care situations will get an extra 16 hours of leave.
Jul. 09, 2019
Unions secure 3.7% increase for energy workers
The ver.di and IG BCE energy unions have negotiated a new 18-month agreement covering around 20000 workers. The TG Energie negotiations include EON Energie and a range of other electricity and gas companies. The main element of the agreement is a 3.7% pay increase. There will also be a 75 EURO a month increase for trainees along with a commitment that they will be offered a job once they successfully complete their training. This commitment will be in force until 2022.
Jun. 20, 2019
Survey finds increasing real wage growth across Europe
A survey of European wage developments by the Hans Böckler research organisation finds an upward trend since 2017, with the highest increases recorded in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Overall real wage increases across Europe averaged 0.9% in 2018, twice the level of 2017 and the figure so far for the current year is at 1.0%. The median increase in the 11 countries of North and West Europe was 0.6% in 2018, rising to 1.1% so far this year, contrasting with the higher figures for CEE countries of 5.2% in 2018 and 3.7% in 2019. The six countries in Southern Europe registered lower increases - a median of 0.2% in 2018 and 1.0% so far in 2019.
May. 28, 2019
Union gets confirmation of funding for pay rises in non-profit health and social care
The SIPTU general workers' union has confirmed that thousands of health and social care workers employed by non-profit organisations (Section 39) are set to get a EUR 1000 pay increase as part of a process of pay restoration in line with what has been happening in the public sector. Around 50 organisations are covered by the initial negotiations and the situation in a further 250 organisations will be taken up in negotiations beginning in July. The union managed to negotiate a deal last December after an 18-month campaign.
May. 28, 2019
Keeping private health pay in line with public sector
The ver.di health union in the Baden-Württemberg region has successfully negotiated a new pay deal with the Schmieder group of rehabilitation clinics that brings the pay of the 2000 employees in line with pay in municipal hospitals. The agreement will run until 31 March 2021 when the union will again aim to keep pay in alignment. There is only one other private health facility in the region - a non-profit organisation - that is also in line with the public sector. Ver.di sees the Schmieder deal as setting the standard and negotiated just in time to put pressure on the Waldberg-Zeil clinic in Oberschwaben where the next round of negotiations takes place on 19 June and where 600 workers have already taken strike action.
May. 14, 2019
Union secures major pay improvements for part-time firefighters
The Kommunal municipal workers' union has negotiated a new agreement covering part-time firefighters which includes significant improvements in pay and allowances that acknowledge the importance of this group of workers and the massive demands made on them recently as a result of widespread forest fires. There is a 30% increase for those working additional shifts, equivalent to SEK 1475 (EUR 137) a week. There is also extra pay for those on call during summer months and higher pay for longer shifts. There is also 5% addition on the extra payment for their first hour of work.
May. 02, 2019
Pay rises of 3%+ across local government
Local government unions are generally pleased about the outcome of negotiations over pay which will see most workers benefit from pay increases of 3%-3.5%.Unions have been keen this year to ensure that competences and education are properly rewarded in a context where there is recruitment pressure for skilled workers. Basic pay will rise, for example, by NOK 14000 a year (EUR 1440) to NOK 41000 (EUR 42200) for workers with a three-year college education while those with one-year vocational training will see basic pay rise by NOK 13000 (EUR 1340) to NOK 372800 (EUR 38380). The unions say that pay developments are line with other sectors. Meanwhile unions in the state sector have ended negotiations as employers have refused to ensure that pension arrangements will be as good as those in local government. Mediation will take place later in the month.
Apr. 16, 2019
Eastern countries have lowest labour costs but highest increases
The latest labour cost figures published by the Eurostat agency show that the highest increases were recorded in Eastern Europe but where average costs remain the lowest across the European Union. There were double-digit increases in Romania, Latvia and Lithuania with Hungary not far behind at just under 10%. Average hourly labour costs in Europe range from 5.40 in Bulgaria to 43.5 in Denmark with the average at 27.4 in the European Union and 30.6 in the Eurozone. The data excludes agriculture and public administration.
Mar. 28, 2019
Federal employees set to get 4.3% pay rise in October
The government has confirmed that around two million employees of federal government and related agencies will get a 4.3% pay rise in October. The increase corresponds to the level of inflation in December 2018, however prices have already edged up in 2019 with the inflation rate at 5.0% in January and 5.2% in February.
Mar. 27, 2019
Nurses to get additional allowance in deal with health firm
After three rounds of negotiations, the ver.di health union has managed to negotiate a 6.5% rise for the 18000 workers employed by the Helios health company. On top of this nurses and midwives will get an additional allowance worth up to EUR 300 a month depending on level of qualifications. The 6.5% will be paid in three stages: 3.0% backdated to 1 January, 2.5% from 1 January 2020 and 1.0% from 1 November 2020. There will also be increases of EUR 60 (January 2019) and EUR 40 (January 2020) for trainees. Ver.di is pleased that the additional allowance acknowledges the value of nurses' work and their heavy workloads but is disappointed the payment won't come until next year.
Mar. 15, 2019
