Slovenia, Belgium

The ZSSS trade union confederation reports that some public service trade unions have expressed dissatisfaction with the government's handling of negotiations on wage disparities and the renewal of the wage system. The unions say that the government's lack of commitment to fair negotiations has resulted in a stalemate and the government's failure to provide a counter-proposal for eliminating wage disparities, despite assurances, has led to frustration among union representatives. They argue that the government's approach undermines the importance of public sector workers in maintaining the

The SDE energy trade union has raised concerns about the capacity of the energy sector to cope with the green transition. The union highlights slow wage growth in the sector, which is adding to the major challenges in recruiting new staff and the lengthy training required to ensure they have the specific skills needed. The SDE is also worried that existing staff are leaving the energy sector and seeking employment in better-paid positions in other industries. The union points out that a lack of skilled staff will make it difficult to successfully upgrade energy facilities. It has also raised

The ZSSS trade union confederation reports that, following its industrial action last November, the Trade Union of State Authorities of Slovenia (SDOS) organised further strike action from 29-31 January. The union says there has been no progress with the negotiations, particularly in regard to measures for the lowest paid and in contrast with other parts of the public sector. The SDOS has also rejected the proposal from the government to wait and resolve the main issues in the framework of negotiations on the public sector wage system is not acceptable to the union. The union says that workers

The ZSSS trade union confederation reports that some public sector unions have signed an agreement on a partial alignment of wages with inflation, which foresees a wage adjustment of 80% of inflation over the one-year period from December 2022 to December last year, and an earlier holiday payment in February rather than June. With inflation at 4.2%, this means a pay increase of 3.36% in June this year. The government also wanted to agree a delay in negotiations over implementation of the reform of the wage system that was due to start on 1 January. To go ahead, this agreement must be signed by

Public sector unions, including those in the PSSJS confederation, were set to organise a national rally in Ljubljana on 7 December to push for government action on a range of key pay and conditions issues. The unions want the government to commit to implementation of wage indexation in 2024 and completion of the reform of the public sector wage system by 30 June 2026. They are also calling for the elimination of wage discrepancies across different parts of the public sector which should ensure that large parts of the public sector get the level of wage increases already agreed for some groups

The ZSSS trade union confederation reports that, following unsuccessful negotiations at the Ministry of Public Administration on 14 November, the SDOS public administration trade union organised one-day strike action the day after in seven administrative units across the country. The union demands include an increase in wages for seven pay brackets, improvements to allowances, and a decent level of remuneration for new recruits as part of measures to tackle the current staffing shortage. The SDOS has been pushing for some time for action on a range of issues and the government has failed to

The three main trade union confederations – ACV/CSC, ABVV/FGTB and ACLVB/CGSLB – are taking further steps to defend trade union rights and particularly the rights to strike and protest. They will be joining other civil society and campaigning organisations on 5 October in a national demonstration against the Van Quickenborne law which will make it increasingly difficult to organise protests. The unions have already challenged attacks on trade union rights and particularly legal action taken against trade union strikers and protestors in the recent long-running Delhaize dispute in the retail

Over the past month the SDE energy workers’ union has submitted a proposal for extraordinary salary increase in the energy sector and has been lobbying on the draft of the law on energy policy, provisions of which could limit the right to strike. The union is also still active in providing support to energy workers that were affected by major floods in Slovenia in August. The solidarity fund initiated by the SDE has received wide support both nationally and internationally.

The ZSSS trade union confederation has published a detailed article looking at the impact of outsourcing across many sectors and the initiatives taken by trade unions to prevent or end the process. The examples show the negative effects of outsourcing on pay and conditions, health and safety and union organisation and how agencies and outsourcing companies abuse employment law. Energy union, SDE, an EPSU affiliate, contributed to the overview highlighting how it was trying to reduce and restrict the impact of outsourcing in the sector. The union is particularly concerned about the increased

The three trade union confederations – ACV/CSC, ABVV/FGTB and ACLVB/CGLSB are organising a national demonstration on 22 May in protest against increasing anti-union actions by employers and the authorities. The coordinated action is prompted by the conflict in the Delhaize supermarket chain where unions have been striking and campaigning against the company’s plans to franchise all its stores, posing a major threat to jobs and working conditions. Unions have been met with a hardline response from both the employer and aggressive tactics from the police. The confederations are concerned that

A trade union alliance involving the CNE, CSC Services Publics, CGSP, SETCA, CGSLB and SLPF coordinated a demonstration in Brussels on 26 April to raise concerns about the state of childcare provision. The protest involved a delegation meeting with the minister for children and health in the Brussels-Wallonia Federation with demands to tackle the long-standing problems of understaffing and precarious work and to prevent the extension of private, for-profit provision across the sector. The union were supported by non-profit providers in the sector.