Central government

A new collective agreement has been signed between the General Workers' Union and Malta’s National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, covering both general and managerial grades. The agreement, in place until 2030, brings improvements to salaries and working conditions, providing long-term stability for staff engaged in equality work. The agreement includes commitments to improve working conditions and ensure fairer compensation for all employees. It is also expected to support the retention of experienced staff and strengthen the Commission’s ability to attract skilled professionals in

CCOO , UGT, CSIF and CIG have denounced the Ministry of Defence for failing to present a proposal for a fair and adequate salary increase for civilian personnel. A rally is planned for 12 June in front of the Ministry in Madrid to demand action. Since February, the unions have been calling for a pay rise for all civilian workers in the Ministry — including civil servants, employees and statutory staff — comparable to that granted to military personnel. Despite these efforts, the Administration, led by Minister Margarita Robles, responded only to two organisations not recognised in the official

The union of state and local government employees (SDLSN) in Croatia is stepping up its pressure on the government following a series of escalating warnings about the critical situation in the prison system. A peaceful protest was held on 4 June to highlight longstanding issues such as staff shortages, unsafe working conditions, and the absence of a legal framework to protect prison workers. A recent union meeting at the Zagreb prison underlined the daily challenges facing prison staff, including the urgent need for improved working conditions, fair classification of facilities, and

After difficult negotiations, a new federal collective agreement has been concluded for workers in the chimney sweep trade in Germany. The agreement includes a general wage increase and updates to the wage classification system, aiming to reduce tensions between the key representative bodies— the Trade union and Central Association of German Chimney Sweeps (ZDS) and the Central Guild Association (ZIV). Wages will increase by an average of 12.6% as of 1 May 2025, including a 5.5% rise now calculated on the basis of hourly wages. This change was a key compromise by the ZDS. New agreed hourly

The second edition of the CEECAW newsletter offers new insights into the state of collective bargaining in Central and Eastern Europe. The project supports unions in 12 countries to improve bargaining outcomes in the care, public administration and waste sectors. This issue reports on national workshops held in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia. It confirms that bargaining coverage remains low across the region, with agreements often repeating legal texts rather than addressing workplace realities. Still, the newsletter documents encouraging signs, including renewed organising strategies

After more than 80 days of strike action, unions representing maritime fisheries inspectors in Spain have reached a historic agreement with the government, securing major improvements to working conditions and pay. The agreement was signed by CCOO , UGT, CSIF, and CIG , while ELA initially held out but later also ended the strike. The inspectors had been demanding recognition of their special working hours, pay improvements, and the creation of a dedicated inspection scale. The government has now committed to begin negotiations on these points, including a new job classification structure

The unions representing workers in Finland’s state sector including JHL and Trade Union Pro —have approved a new collective agreement covering 76,000 civil servants and contract-based workers. The agreement was reached on 30 April and formally confirmed by the unions’ governing bodies on 5 May. Government approval is expected later in May. The new agreement runs from 1 March 2025 to 29 February 2028, with a possibility to terminate it a year early. It provides general-level pay increases totalling 7.8% over the period. The first across-the-board increase of 2.4% will take effect on 1 July 2025

CCOO has announced a nationwide two-hour strike on 19 May in immigration offices across Spain, protesting a collapse of the public service due to severe understaffing, rising workloads, and institutional neglect. The action will take place from 12:30 to 14:30. According to the union, immigration offices have resolved more than 1.2 million cases in 2024, yet resolution times have dramatically worsened—from an average of 22 working days in 2024 to 47 in 2025. In Madrid and Barcelona, wait times now exceed 70 days. The root of the crisis is understaffing: over 30% of posts in immigration offices

Trade unions in Estonia are calling on the government to withdraw proposed amendments to the Employment Contracts Act and to restore meaningful tripartite negotiations at national level. The Trade Union of State and Local Government Institutions Employees (ROTAL) and the Estonian Energy Workers’ Trade Union Federation (EEAÜL) warn that the government is retreating from core elements of social dialogue and undermining collective bargaining structures. One of the unions' main concerns is the government’s decision to downgrade tripartite negotiations. National-level dialogue between the

Wage negotiations in Norway’s state and municipal sectors have reached a critical phase, as LO Stat, LO Kommune, and YS Kommune have broken off talks with public employers. The dispute centres not on the overall wage increase—set at 4.4%—but on how it should be distributed. In the state sector, LO Stat rejected the government’s proposal to allocate most of the increase to local-level negotiations. The union is demanding general increases through centrally negotiated flat-rate additions to ensure more equal pay outcomes. The matter has now been referred to the National Mediator, with a strike

ČMKOS unions representing workers at the Labour Office of the Czech Republic—the national public employment service—have reached an agreement with the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and the Director General of the Office to limit staff reductions and ensure adequate funding for salaries in 2025. While the previously agreed decision not to fill 250 vacant posts will go ahead by the end of June, the unions have succeeded in halting any further reductions, ensuring that no current staff will be laid off. The government has also committed to providing additional funds to cover this year’s

CGT, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires, CFE-CGC have announced a national mobilisation for 13 May in response to the government’s failure to address workers’ concerns over pay, job security and the future of public services. Despite the strong signals sent by the strike action and demonstrations in December 2024, the latest proposals do not go far enough to ensure decent working conditions and proper funding. Unions are particularly concerned about plans for the 2026 budget, which could result in job losses, a continued freeze on salary indexation, and the weakening of essential public service missions

The first wave of strike action involving 76,000 Finnish state sector workers began on 15 April, following earlier protest measures including bans on overtime, shift swaps, and the accumulation of flex hours. The industrial action is organised by JUKO , JHL and Trade Union Pro . The strike affects a broad range of government institutions, including prisons, police departments, administrative agencies, and the State Treasury. Tasks essential to life, health, or safety—as well as those linked to elections—are excluded. A second strike is planned from 22 to 24 April if no agreement is reached in

Following intensive negotiations and arbitration, the Federal Collective Bargaining Commission for the Public Service (BTK öD) has approved a new collective agreement for the federal and municipal public services in Germany. The agreement includes a general wage increase of 3% as of April 2025, with a guaranteed minimum increase of €110, followed by a further 2.8% increase in May 2026. These measures particularly benefit workers in lower pay groups. The agreement will remain in force for 27 months, until 31 March 2027. Substantial increases were also secured for allowances related to demanding

An overview of current disputes led by PCS highlights growing resistance to the erosion of hybrid working rights across UK public services. At the Met Police, PCS members staged two weeks of strike action in March after management attempted to raise office presence from two to three days. Nearly 1,100 workers at the Office for National Statistics have maintained action short of a strike since May, opposing a 40% in-office requirement. Similar disputes are ongoing at the Land Registry, where almost 4,000 members began indefinite work-to-rule in January, and at the Parliamentary and Health