Strike, Quality employment
EPSU Executive Committee stands with French workers against pension reform
Members of the Executive Committee, representing over eight million public service workers across Europe, sent letters to French President Emmanuel Macron outlining their solidarity with French trade unions and their concern for the protection of workers' rights and social benefits.
Justice ministry unions set to strike
Trade unions, including FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT, are mobilising for what could be an indefinite strike of the 45,000 civil servants in the various bodies and agencies of the Ministry of Justice. The strike will begin on Monday, 17 April with partial stoppages from 10 am to 13 pm every day. On 19 April, a strike will be called for the whole day along with a national demonstration. The action follows the refusal of the Ministry to put forward a decent pay increase, in line with the demands on and responsibilities of workers. The unions say that the Ministry has recognised the need to adjust the
Industrial action across waste, infrastructure and health sectors
Members of the STAL trade union working in the waste sector have been taking action over pay, collective bargaining rights and precarious employment. The workers at FCC Environment were set to strike on 7-11 April while those employed by ERSUC were due to take action on 10-11 April. Action over pay was also planned for 6-9 April by STAL members employed by the PSML company that maintains the Parque de Sintra site. Members of the SINTAP union were due to take industrial action at the Infraestruturas road and rail maintenance company on 6 April over pay, collective bargaining and staffing while
Industrial action continues across public services
Members of UNISON at the Environment Agency will take four more days of strike action on 14-17 April with the employers failing to respond to calls to negotiate on an improved pay offer. After the latest strike day on 31 March, health workers in Northern Ireland have called off further action pending a re-opening of negotiations over pay. This is separate from the pay dispute in England where unions are awaiting the response to their consultation of members over a revised pay offer. However, junior doctors in England in the BMA trade union, who are covered by a separate agreement, are
Local and federal negotiations to go to mediation
Despite a major strike across the public transport network involving 500,000 workers, in the lead up to the third round of bargaining, federal and local government employer organisations failed to come up with an improved pay offer for the 2.5 million employees covered by the agreement. Ver.di and the other unions involved in the negotiations had been seeking a 10.5% pay rise with a minimum increase of €500 which they argue is essential to protect the purchasing power of those on lower and medium rates of pay. The breakdown in negotiations will mean the process moves to mediation.
Industrial action continues across central government
While action in the health service has been paused as trade unions consult members of the government’s pay offer, the campaign of strikes and industrial action across central government continues. The PCS trade union has called its third day of national action for 28 April following the strikes on 1 and 15 March. In the meantime its targeted campaign across different government departments continues. The union is also balloting more than 120000 workers across 186 government employers to join the action. Members UNISON at the Environment Agency are also maintaining their campaign of industrial
Unions continue to mobilise in Labour and Social Security Inspectorate
The FSC-CCOO public services federation is continuing to challenge the management of the ITSS Labour and Social Security Inspectorate over its failure to properly implement an agreement signed in July 2021 and the block on the agreement imposed by the Ministry of Finance. The union is planning further mobilisations over the coming weeks with a new call for strike action likely in May, including a threat to take indefinite action if the management and government fail to react. The federation is conscious of the impact of industrial action on those dependent on the ITSS’s services but argues
Union takes action in infrastructure company and health services
The SINTAP union is planning strike action on 6 April in the government’s Infraestruturas company that deals with road and rail building and maintenance. This follows two days of action on 28 February and 2 March and the failure of the company to respond to the union’s demands on pay, purchasing power, collective bargaining and staff shortages. SINTAP is also planning 12 days’ of strikes and a one-month overtime ban at the Fernando Fonseca hospital in protest at management’s failure to implement the collective agreement signed in 2018.
General strike forces government to pause legal reforms
A general strike organised by the Histradut confederation was a key part of the national mobilisation against the government coalition’s plans to weaken the role of the Supreme Court. As a result the government, which includes parties of the far right, said the proposals that would prevent the Court from ruling on legislation and allow the government to appoint judges, would be put on hold.
National industrial action across hospitals
The FNV and NU’91 unions have called a national day of industrial action across the hospital sector on 16 March when only a Sunday service will be provided. The unions are demanding a 10% pay increase in response to the surge in the cost of living and as one measure to help deal with the staffing crisis. The NU’91 also is also organising a broader campaign on the crisis in care with a demonstration in Utrecht on 9 March where it encouraged everyone to wear black and then to back its “every Tuesday in black” campaign.
National strike across central government
The PCS civil service union has been running a targeted campaign of industrial action to support its claim for higher pay and in defence of pensions and jobs. A nationwide action was organised on 1 March and then again on 15 March another national strike took place to coincide with the announcement of the government’s budget. The campaign of industrial action continues with various government agencies targeted with a series of one- and two-day strikes until the end of March. Meanwhile, some health service unions have suspended strike action during talks with the government over pay. However
Health workers join action in federal and local government
Health workers were involved in warning strikes across the country on 14 and 15 March as the ver.di trade union builds support for its negotiations covering 2.5 million workers in federal and local government. The union is seeking a pay rise of 10.5% with a minimum increase of €500 a month. There was also action by workers in early years education and other social services to coincide with International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Nurses’ union could take action on safe staffing levels
The INMO nurses’ union is to ballot intensive care unit nurses at University Hospital Limerick in pursuance of safe staffing, having exhausted local negotiations to resolve the problem. The union argues that the lack of consistent safe staffing is having a detrimental impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of workers and patients. This follows INMO’s executive council decision in February to sanction a campaign of industrial action in response to members reporting that unsafe staffing is the norm in many hospitals. The union has also called on the Department of Health and the Health
Strike in private hospitals and across public services
Nurses in Portugal have been involved in strike action in both private and public sectors. The SEP trade union organised a one-day strike on 16 March over pay, hours and other conditions in the private sector and it joined a larger strike across public services on 17 March with similar demands and involving other public service trade unions, including STAL.