Water, Culture
Pan-European Conference on Public Utilities
EPSU’s Pan-European Conference on Public Utilities is back! Join us online on Tuesday, 10 May 2022 for the opening proceedings and a panel discussion on an issue that is only becoming more important: rising energy prices, and how unions can take action.
Still some way to go to establish pension scheme for culture workers
Trade unions Fagforbundet, NTL and Creo working with the LO confederation are in negotiations over a pension scheme for the culture sector. This follows last year’s strike where the unions achieved a commitment from the employers for a hybrid scheme that ensured payments for life and equal treatment of men and women. The main sticking point is that the Spekter employers’ organisation is talking about a defined contribution scheme but the unions argue that this will make it impossible to determine what individuals will actually get at retirement. The negotiations will form part of the spring
Water company unions target government in pay campaign
The STAL public service union and FIEQUEMETAL industrial union targeted the government in the latest stage of their long running campaign to win improvements to pay and conditions at the AdP water company. The unions were responding to the company’s claim that the government wouldn’t allow it to increase salaries by more than the 0.9% that it had already offered to the unions. The unions are pushing for a range of improvements on top of pay, including a 35-hour week, implementation of an allowance for arduous work, increased recruitment and a better career structure.
Library workers vote on new agreement
Members of the FNV trade union are voting on whether to accept the new negotiated agreement covering staff in public libraries. The two and a half year agreement actually covers the period from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022 with some measures already implemented including a 3% pay increase in 2020 and a 2% increase in 2021. There will be a further increase of 2% as of 1 July 2022 and a one-off pro-rata payment of €300 gross in March 2022. The agreement covers other working conditions including the introduction of an annual hours system this year, a new compensation scheme for working on
Unions maintain their campaign over pay and collective agreement
January will see further action by the STAL municipal services union and the Fiquemetal industrial union as they continue to campaign to the get the AdP water company to abide by and properly implement the collective agreement negotiated in 2018. The unions are also calling for pay increases for AdP workers and application of an allowance for arduous work. The two unions have been coordinating action and organised a joint national strike in June with a range of demands including a €90 pay increase, measures on career development and cuts to working time.
EC event on the concessions directive – first public information on the implementation of the Directive since 2014!
On 15 November the European Commission organised a stakeholder event on the functioning of the Concessions Directive adopted in 2014 and the assessment of the water exclusion.
Culture workers take action over grading and recruitment
The FSC-CCOO public services federation organised a protest outside the General Directorate of Public Administration on 15 October in anticipation of a series of one-day strikes by theatre and museum staff. The dispute is over two issues. The first is the demand that museum security staff should be on the E2 pay grade and not the only group of workers stuck on the E1 grade. The second issue relates to access to technical jobs at the INAEM cultural agency and the failure to recognise certain training and qualification. FSC-CCOO argues that the INAEM should be fully integrated into the IV
Pay rise for childcare staff as culture workers continue strike over pensions
The Fagforbundet and Delta trade unions have negotiated pay increases for workers in early years education in the private sector. The pay rise is around 4% varying according to skill level with the minimum annual salary for assistants rising by NOK 13000 (€1325) to NOK 325800 (€33265). The trade unions and the PBL employers’ organisation also agreed to continue negotiations over pensions. In contrast, pensions are at the heart of a dispute in the culture sector with theatre, opera, ballet and orchestral workers on strike since 3 September. Temporary pension arrangements were agreed in 2016 but
Health workers’ protest while utility workers get 15% pay rise
The five national trade union confederations sent a solidarity message to the MESZK chamber of healthcare professionals in support of its protest march in Budapest on 31 July. The demonstrators called for pay increases for nurses in line with those already awarded to doctors and argued this was crucial to help stem the migration of nurses to western Europe. Earlier this year the five confederations also came together to file a complaint with the International Labour Organisation over the government’s imposition of new legislation which removes the rights to negotiate and take strike action