Collective Bargaining, Energy
Collective bargaining – trends and developments
Collective bargaining is a core activity of trade unions and EPSU’s affiliates negotiate with public service employers at every level. This can range from national public-sector wide bargaining to sector and local negotiations with public sector employers but also private and non-profit providers of public services. EPSU works with the European Trade Union Confederation to try to improve collective bargaining rights for all workers across Europe. We also act as a European information point so that EPSU affiliates are aware of trends in public service negotiations. EPSU’s collective bargaining newsletter provides regular updates on developments across Europe.
Employees of church-based organisation flex their bargaining muscles
For the first time, employees working at care facilities run by the Protestant church in Hesse in central-west Germany are mobilising to support their union ver.di in collective bargaining. The workers have only been covered by a collective agreement since April 2022 and so building support for their key demand – an increase of €450 a month – is a new experience. They managed to get over 550 signatures on a petition handed to management. In the past, pay and working conditions were simply laid down in church employment contract guidelines. The collective agreement negotiated by ver.di and the
Trade union rights report paints grim picture
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has published its annual review of trade union rights which again reveals a challenging environment for trade unions with 87% of countries violating the right to strike and 79% violating the right to collective bargaining. In Europe, Belarus, Turkey and Kazakhstan are again among the worst offenders with no guarantees for trade union rights. Seven European countries feature in the next worst category – systematic violation of rights – Greece, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia. The ITUC survey indicates that the situation
Union launches petition for equal rights for church employees
The trade union ver.di has launched a petition calling on the government to ensure equal rights for workers employed by church organisations. Currently special rules apply to the major protestant and catholic employers who employ around 1.8 million people and run many health and care services, including hospitals, nursing homes and services, facilities for the disabled and youth welfare, emergency services, daycare centres, etc. As, ver.di points out, these are financed almost exclusively from tax revenues and social security contributions. Employees of these bodies have fewer protections
Unions continue to challenge social employer over collective agreement
Trade unions from the three main confederations – CGIL, CISL and UIL – are maintaining their campaign against the Anaste non-profit social services employer organisation for signing an agreement with unrepresentative trade unions. After a mobilisation in March, the unions have been busy lobbying regional authorities to get them to take action and put pressure on Anaste to negotiate with the representative organisations. The Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Piedmont regions have already taken some initiatives in support of the unions.
European Parliament calls on the Commission to support more, not less, EU sectoral social dialogue
In a resolution on the Commission’s Communication and Council Recommendation on EU and national social dialogue of 25 January, the European Parliament calls upon the European Commission to increase its financial, legal and technical support for EU sectoral social dialogue.
ETUC celebrates 50 years at Berlin Congress
A large EPSU delegation joined hundreds of other trade unionists from across Europe to celebrate 50 years of struggle for Europe’s workers and people. We ended the ETUC Congress with the election of a new team and the adoption of an action plan titled ‘Together for a Fair Deal for Workers in Europe’.
New Right to Energy manifesto calls for a European ban on energy disconnections
The Right to Energy coalition has launched a manifesto advocating for a European ban on energy disconnections, urging the European Parliament to leverage the demand as they review the European Commission’s proposal to revise the energy market.
Unions fight for collective agreement in voluntary sector emergency services
The FP-CGIL, CISL-FP and UIL-FPL public service federations are mobilising their members in the Misericordie emergency service provider. The unions are responding to the decision by the religious organisation not to re-negotiate a collective agreement and following the failure of conciliation. The federations are angry that Misericordie is not only failing to acknowledge the sacrifices made by their emergency service workers during the pandemic but are also creating disparities between their workers and others employed in the third sector that are covered by the collective agreement negotiated
Gas social partners to launch negotiations for first Just Transition Agreement
Eurogas, EPSU, and industriAll Europe have notified the European Commission of their intention to enter into negotiations towards a European Framework Agreement. The negotiations will be the first of their kind to focus on a Just Transition.
Stop Cancer at Work welcomes new EU guidelines and list of hazardous medicinal products, but more needs to be done to protect workers
Employers, workers and Member States need to work together to raise awareness, enhance best practice and implement the guidelines and list of hazardous drugs in the workplace.
Pay deals in public sector plus private health and energy
Ver.di and other public sector unions have negotiated have a new agreement on pay covering 2.5 million workers in federal and local government. The agreement runs from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024 and this year will mean that employees get a €3000 tax-free lump sum paid in instalments – €1240 in June and then €220 a month between July 2023 and February 2024. There will then be an increase to pay rates of €200 plus 5.5% in March 2024. The consultation with members will begin on 4 May and the collective bargaining committee will make the final decision on 15 May. As in previous
Price rises twice the level of wage increases
Using figures from the Eurostat statistics agency, the ETUC shows how prices soared in 2022 by 9.2%, more than double the level of pay increases, recorded at 4.4%. The ETUC points out that the gap is even wider for the most essential living costs with housing and utilities prices rising by 18%, four times faster than wages, while transport and food (12%) increased three times faster. Real wages, taking into account inflation, have fallen in every EU member state this year by as much as 9%. The ETUC contrasts this with data on real profits which actually increased by 1%.