Working Time, EPSU Collective Bargaining News

(May 2016) The three confederations are mobilising for a series of actions over the next few months culminating in a general strike on 7 October, the second anniversary of the centre-right government. The unions are angry about continuing cuts to public services but also to the threat to the 38-hour week. They are calling for more investment in public services and a range of other measures to boost the economy. The first major event will be a joint national demonstration on 24 May in Brussels. Read more at FGTB (FR), ABVV (NL), CSC (FR), ACV (NL), CGSLB (FR), ACLVB (NL)

(July 2016) Public sector workers have won back their right to a 35-hour week. Legislation came into effect earlier this month reversing the increase to 40 hours a week pushed through as part of a range of austerity measures in 2013. Most workers benefit immediately although implementation in some cases may be delayed to ensure continuity of service. Public sector unions have been waging a high-profile campaign against the five-hour increase, negotiating hundreds of local agreements across the public sector to retain the 35-hour week. Read more at CGTP (PT) and UGT (PT).

(July 2016) Trade unions have welcomed the decision by President Dalia Grybauskaitė to veto the draft Labour Code. She said that the Code fails to provide adequate protections for workers and she has sent it back to Parliament with 22 suggested amendments. The unions have been campaigning against the Code since last autumn, warning of the impact of measures that would relax rules on working time and make it easier for employers to sack workers. Read more at Baltic Times (EN) and EPSU (EN).

(July 2016) Over 400 energy meter readers around the country took their second period of four-day strike action in protest at demands by the E.On company that they work 30 minutes extra three nights a week. The unions - Unite, Unison and GMB - are concerned about long working days and that the company won't stop there if the extra hours are agreed. Read more at Unite.

(August 2016) Unions representing health workers from both the CGTP and UGT confederations organised strike action on 28 and 29 July calling for implementation of the 35-hour week across the health sector. The unions are angry that the decision to return to the 35-hour week across the public sector has not been fully implement in the health sector where many workers are covered by separate collective agreements that continue to apply the 40-hour week. The unions involved were Sintap, FNSTFPS and SEP. The SEP nurses' union reported 75% and more support for the strike and plans further action

(August 2016) A report by the IGAS social affairs inspectorate provides evidence that the reduction in working time implemented with the introduction of the 35-hour seek in 1998 lead to the creation of 350000 jobs over the next four years. The report has not been officially published but was leaked to the Mediapart organisation. The CGT trade union confederation has criticised the decision by the IGAS not to publish the report officially and argues that the analysis supports its call for a further reduction of weekly working time to 32 hours. The CFDT confederatoin has also called for a cut in

(August 2016) Following their national action at the end of July (see last issue of epsucob@NEWS), nurses in the SEP trade union have been involved in a series of strikes at different hospitals around the country. Strikes at Barlavento Algarvio, Faro hospital and other institutions took place in the first half of the month and more are to follow with a five-day action planned at Tondela-Viseu in central Portugal. Read more at SEP (PT).

EPSU affiliate LAKRS organised a picket of the ministry of transport on 4 October calling for better pay and conditions and a collective agreement covering bus workers. The union wants to see a minimum wage of EUR 7 an hour for drivers and action to tackle the widespread problem of long working hours.

Ver.di, the main trade union in the health sector, is close to securing an agreement on staffing and workloads with Augsburg hospital in Bavaria. As the institution is set to become a university hospital from 1 January next year, the agreement has to be confirmed by the state health minister. Ver.di members at the hospital have voted 93% in favour of industrial action and so the union says it is ready to take action if the agreement is rejected. Similar to other agreements negotiated recently in hospitals in North Rhine Westphalia and Saarland, the Augsburg deal will mean additional jobs - 100

The GPA-djp private services union has underlined the need for action in the care sector to address the quality and quantity of services and the pay and conditions of care workers, three quarters of whom are women. With demand increasing, particularly as a result of the ageing population, the union wants to see the federal government take responsibility to introduce national standards of care to end the variation between the regions and to increase funding to the sector to help address low pay and the widespread use of part-time work.

The OSZSP health union took part in a tripartite meeting with the health minister and health employers last month with pay and staffing high on the agenda. The union is still seeking confirmation from the government that the 10% pay increase offered to health workers will be implemented from 1 January and that it will apply to all health workers. It warns that problems with the health service will arise if workers in some areas don't benefit from the same pay increase. The union has called for data on hospitals, patient numbers, staffing and average pay along with information on overtime hours

The ver.di health and social care union organised a national action day in the eldercare sector on 21 November. Along with local events across the country, the union coordinated a national photo action involving thousands of care workers. The aim of the day was to highlight the need for better pay and working conditions and more staff to tackle the increasing demands on the sector. Ver.di points out that staff face excessive overtime, extra shifts at short notice and long hours without breaks. The federal government is committed to creating 13000 new jobs in the sector but ver.di argues that

The FNV trade union is refusing to sign a new collective agreement covering the ambulance sector arguing that it fails to deliver on pay and jobs. Indeed, the union says that pay rates in the agreement are below those paid by agencies and so the agreement will do nothing to stem the flow of workers out of direct employment in the sector. The FNV organised a petition signed by over 2000 ambulance staff calling for better pay and action on jobs and hours but the head of the ambulance service didn't event meet FNV members to accept the petition. A two-hour work stoppage was organised in the

Following a surge in interest among local branches, the Forsa public services union has launched a debate about working time reduction with an international conference in Dublin on 22 November. The union underlines the potential of digitalisation to increase productivity and create the potential for a shorter working week. The conference included contributions from the UK where the Trade Union Confederation has called for a four-day week and from Germany where the IG Metall engineering union has negotiated major new agreements providing the potential for employees to reduce their working time.

Trade unions mobilised over 100000 workers on 30 June in protest at a draft bill that would allow a 12-hour day and 60-hour week and the unions have said they will continue their campaign despite the law being voted through on 5 July. The trade unions have been campaigning against the proposals not just because they pose a threat to workers' health and safety, their rights to work-life balance and undermine rules on overtime but by legislating on the issue the government has intervened in what is seen as a key area of responsibility for the social partners and works councils.