Spain, Denmark
Unions to launch dispute in Tax Agency
The FSC-CCOO and UGT-SP public service federations are to declare a collective dispute with the Tax Agency which will coincide with the start of the Agency’s campaign on filing income tax returns. The dispute will raise a number of issues related to professional career development, internal promotion, strengthening the mobility agreement, telework and negotiating a new collective agreement. The unions are also concerned about plans to increase the telephone service without specifying salaries or the need to increase recruitment. They will also raise concerns around productivity and about safe
Dispute in Ministry of Justice continues
The FSC-CCOO federation organised protest rallies on 20 and 21 March in its continuing dispute with the Ministry of Justice, marking almost a year since the union began a series of strike actions. The federation is seeking a salary increase for all staff in general and special bodies, negotiations on the Efficiency Law which has implications for workers’ pay and conditions, proper recognition of functions and career development. The FSC-CCOO says that the Ministry broke off negotiations on 7 March saying it would not negotiate a salary increase for all workers. The federation is also angry
Unions taking different approaches to working time
Following the article on Iceland, the latest in the series of articles on working time commissioned by EPSU from the Labour Research Department focuses on developments in the other Nordic countries. While several unions in Sweden have put shorter working time on the bargaining agenda (see also article on Sweden in this newsletter), there are only a few cases in social care where a shorter working week has been implemented. In Norway and Denmark the priority has been more to ensure that workers in health and care and other services have the right to full-time working although there are some
Unions want pay increase confirmed and austerity measures repealed
The UGT-SP trade union and public sector federations in the CCOO confederation are calling on the government to ensure payment of the 2% pay increase across the public sector as set out in the three-year agreement 2022-24. The agreement has so far delivered pay increases totalling 7% in 2022 and 2023 and there could be an additional 0.5% on top of the 2% in 2024 depending on economic developments. The unions also want confirmation that various measures introduced as part of an austerity package back in 2012 are finally rescinded. The unions want the government to immediately begin negotiations
Unions agree deals in municipal and regional government
The 480,000 workers in municipalities and 140,000 workers in regional government are set to get pay increases of 4% from 1 April as a first instalment of the 6.51% (municipal) and 6.53% (regional) increases over the next two years. An additional 2% fund is available for unions to negotiate separately for different groups of workers and so the overall pay rise will be closer to 8.8% and with an expectation that the real increase overall will be 2.17%. There are also additional amounts for the lower paid. At the end of 2025 there will be further negotiations that will focus on the comparative
State sector unions negotiate 7.4% pay increase over two years
Negotiations on a new agreement covering the state sector were concluded on Sunday 11 February with employees set to get a 7.4% pay increase over two years that should deliver a real increase of 2.5%. The first increase will be for 5.9% on 1 April 2024 with a further 1.3% due on 1 April 2025 and 0.2% on 1 November 2025. Additional funds have been allocated for the development of wages and other conditions in the individual collective agreements with the overall package worth 8.8%. There will be an extraordinary salary negotiation at the end of 2025 which will focus on the comparative
Unions welcome pay increase but call for urgent meeting on framework agreement
Public sector federations in the CCOO confederation and the UGT-SP federation have welcomed confirmation that a 0.5% pay increase (backdated to January 2023) will be implemented in line with the last three-year pay agreement. The 0.5% figure was linked to growth in the Spanish economy. They now also want action on the 2% promised for 2024 and an end to the limit on replacing employees who leave. In the meantime, the federations are calling for an urgent convening of the monitoring committee on the framework agreement that addresses important issues such as partial retirement, annual leave
Ministry of Justice negotiations begin with working groups
After lengthy strike action by Ministry of Justice staff through 2023, trade unions, including the FSC-CCOO and UGT-SP, are now sitting down with ministry officials to try to resolve some of the main areas of dispute. The FSC-CCOO was disappointed at an early stage when its proposals for the remit of two working groups were rejected. The federation wanted one to discuss a general pay increase and other issues and the working group on the efficiency law to discuss working conditions and not just job functions. The FSC-CCOO also raised a number of other issues it wants to see on the negotiating
Another municipality experiments with four-day week
The HK Kommunal trade union reports that the City Council of Vesthimmerland in the north of Denmark is giving all administrative employees the opportunity to divide their 37-hour working week over four days. This follows similar initiatives in other municipalities, including Odsherred, Gentofte, Esbjerg, Solrød. The experiment will be evaluated in November when it may be extended to other categories of employee. The option is entirely voluntary and will be based on allocating 74 hours over two weeks. Unscheduled citizen inquiries will be closed on Fridays and, as far as possible, there will be
Pay, hours and time to care at heart of staffing shortage
A new survey by the FOA trade union provides some insight into how increasing the number of part-time workers who work additional hours could help alleviate the major staff shortages currently affecting care for the elderly. The survey found that 36% of part-time employees in elderly care would work additional hours with a higher salary and that 14% just want more hours but are not given the opportunity to do so at their workplace. However, job satisfaction is also key along with the potential to develop professional skills. These are virtually impossible in the current climate as care workers
Unions agree improvements in pay and conditions for veterinary workers
After nine months of intensive negotiations, the UGT-SP and FSS-CCOO trade unions have negotiated a new agreement with the CEVE employers’ organisation covering 35,000 workers in veterinary services. Wages will increase by 11% over three years with annual increases of 4.5%, in 2023, 3.5% in 2024 and 3% in 2025. The agreement also includes a salary review clause linked to inflation and increases to mileage allowances and extra payments covering night work as well as holiday allowances. There are measures to improve work-life balance and career progression. The unions argue that all the
Tripartite negotiations deliver major boost for public sector pay
Public sector unions have welcomed the outcome of negotiations with the employers and government which have delivered a package of pay-related measures backed with DKK 6.8 billion (€910 million) of funding. A number of different groups of workers across the public sector will benefit, particularly those affected by major staff shortages. Around DKK 1.3 billion (€170 million) will go into health and elder care, for example. The package will have a wider impact than anticipated as, in addition to the higher pay for occupations like nurses, care workers, social educators and prison staff, a much
Union wins 10-year campaign on workplace cancers affecting firefighters
The FOA trade union has welcomed the decision of the labour market insurance body to recognise that there is sufficient evidence of a causal link between firefighting and two types of cancer: bladder cancer and mesothelioma. The first is linked to exposure to soot and related chemicals (PAHs) and the second linked to exposure to asbestos. This means that firefighters affected by the two serious illnesses will be able to have them recognised as occupational injuries. FOA is not only pleased that its 10-year campaign has led to the change of practice but it also means that previously rejected
Childcare workers strike over pay and precarious conditions
Members of the CCOO trade union in early years education have taken three days of strike action with a fourth planned for 15 November. They also came from all regions of Spain to join a national demonstration in Madrid on 2 November as part of their campaign to secure improvements to pay and secure real progress after over two years of negotiations with private sector employers. The union wants action to address precarious employment conditions and has had to resort to industrial action to put pressure on the employers to negotiate on the issue. The union argues that pay and working conditions