Central government
Government threat to 30% of public sector jobs
(November 2016) EPSU has written a letter to the prime minister of Armenia to protest at plans to cut up to 30% of jobs in the public services. The letter also criticises the government for failing to carry out any consultation with trade unions on the planned restructuring. EPSU argues that the planned cuts will not resolve the economic problems facing the country and calls on the government to consult with all stakeholders.
Legal challenges launched against militarisation of forestry workers
(November 2016) Thousands of workers in the forestry service have launched legal actions opposing their loss of rights resulting from the militarisation of the service. The trade unions are combining this with their continuing campaign against the change. They argue that 7000 workers will lose their civilian status and full trade union rights. But the unions are also concerned about the impact on services as a result of the underminging of the wealth of expertise and professionalism that guarantees environmental and food safety.
Prison staff protest over staffing and safety
(December 2016) Prison staff, members of the FP-CGIL and UIL-PA federations, took part in a national demonstration on 29 November in protest at serious understaffing and assaults on staff. The unions argue that urgent action is needed to deal with dilapidated prisons and the long working hours and stress that are leading to sickness absence and additional pressures of work. They say that problems have been building up for years with cutbacks and lack of investment.
Real wage increase for public sector
(December 2016) After the third round of negotations, public sector unions have agreed a 1.3% pay increase for 2017, implemented from 1 January. With inflation at 0.75% this means an real increase of 0.55%. The main public sector unions, GÖD and younion, are please with the outcome which they say provides a share of economic growth, estimated at 1.7%, for workers.
Forestry workers face jobs chaos
(January 2017) In December forestry workers took to the streets demanding a delay in their forced transfer to the carabinieri police force. The transfer will deny them the right to strike. The government has not only gone ahead and abolished the state forestry service but has failed to respond to formal requests by hundreds of workers to be transferred to other parts of the public administration. The FP CGIL trade union is continuing to defend the workers through campaigning and legal action.
Pay deal delivers 6%
(January 2017) Public sector unions signed a new collective agreement with the government last month providing for a 6% pay rise. The increase will be paid in three instalments - 2% from 1. January,2%1.August and 2% 1.November. This was part of an agreement that pay would increase once the economy grew by at least 2% over two quarters. SDLSN union leader Boris Plesa reported on these developments at the EPSU collective bargaining conference on 10-11 January.
Privatised nuclear weapons workers strike over pensions
(January 2017) Workers at the AWE nuclear weapons company are planning two periods of 48-hour strike action in protest at plans to close their defined benefit pension scheme on 31 January and replace it with a defined contributions scheme. The Unite union says that this decision goes against the commitment made to maintain the pension scheme when the AWE was privatised in the early 1990s. The Prospect trade union called off a strike in December on the basis that a process of conciliation would begin.
70 years of the General Statute for public service workers in France: challenges ahead
Following World War (II) and the experience with fascism and nazism, the French people and government wanted to ensure that civil and public servants were not merely to be regarded as workers that blindly obey orders.
Unions raise concerns over public service jobs
(January 2017) The FP CGIL public services federation has analysed employment data to show the impact of job cuts and recruitment freezes. It estimates that there are some 237000 fewer public sector jobs than in 2007 while the health service has seen a fall of 50000 jobs since 2009. The recruitment freeze has also contributed to an ageing workforce with average ages across the public sector over 50 and rising. The union wants to see these issues addressed in collective bargaining with an urgent need to recruit young workers and for action on staffing levels in the health service.The CISL FP