Tax justice, Health, Slovak Republic, Norway

The Fagforbundet trade union has secured another legal victory against a care company cutting employment costs by misclassifying workers as self-employed. Three of the union's members in the private care company Recoveryakademiet have been awarded NOK 7 million (€600,000) in back pay (salary, overtime and holiday pay). The three, classified as “consultants” by the company, worked for several weeks without a legal working hours scheme being established, and were therefore paid much less than they were entitled to. They were also denied their right to holiday pay and sick pay. This follows a

The NSF nursing union reports that the latest data from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration reveals a shortage of 4650 nurses and 700 specialist nurses, making it the occupational group with by far the greatest shortage in Norway. They account, in fact, for more than 10% of the total shortage. The NSF says that the figures have never been so bad, excluding the impact of the pandemic in 2021-22 and there is a rising cost to the health system with NOK 2.4 billion (€208 million) spent last year on temporary nursing staff. The union is calling for urgent action on pay and workloads in

Public services union Delta has welcomed implementation of the amended Working Environment Act that ensures that employers give priority to full-time employment. The law requires that employers document any decision to hire workers on a part-time basis and to discuss issues relating to part-time employees with trade union representatives. The Labour Inspection Authority has powers to enforce compliance with the new regulations. The legislation means that part-time employees get preferential access to any extra shifts and to extend their hours before employers hire new employees or take on

The NSF and Fagforbundet trade unions have been considering the findings of a major survey of over 5000 nurses, nursing auxiliaries and assistants in their 50s and 60s, that reveals the pressure they face in terms of physical and mental stress and the main reasons why they tend to leave before retirement age. Increased staffing is seen as an essential measure to address the problem and help ensure that more of this skilled and experienced group of workers stay in work for longer. The unions also focus on the extent of part-time work and that while some nurses opt for fewer hours because they

The SOZZASS health workers’ union has expressed concern over the way that the health ministry is addressing health workers’ pay and its failure so far to undertake proper negotiations with the unions. In its latest announcement the ministry has indicated its willingness to increase pay for nurses and refers to bringing average nurses’ pay up from 89% to 100% of average earnings. While SOZZASS welcomes a commitment to increase pay for nurses it says that this should be as the result of collective bargaining and that all health workers deserve a pay rise.

Trade unions in the health sector have negotiated a new agreement with the Spekter employers’ organisation. Fagforbundet reports that it was an acceptable result, in line with other settlements in the public sector. It was disappointed that it couldn’t make more progress on gender equality but pleased about further progress on ensuring more full-time contracts across the sector and in increases to payments for late shifts and weekend work. The new minimum annual salary in the main pay structure is NOK 350000 (€33320), an increase of NOK 12000 (€1140). Other unions were involved in the

Following the large demonstration in October in support of a pay rise for public service workers, unions are angry and disappointed that the government has failed to respond. Marián Magdoška, president of the KOZ trade union confederation said that unions were presented with the budget for 2022 a day before a tripartite meeting and realised that, despite promises from last year, it didn’t include any provisions to cover even a pay rise to compensate for inflation. The health union is also angry that in negotiations at the end of October the government was effectively blackmailing unions by

The KOZ trade union confederation organised a national demonstration in Bratislava on 27 October in support of the 13% pay claim by public service trade unions. The government has not offered any pay rise at all for 2022 and the unions are looking to ensure that workers are compensated for inflation, as energy and other prices soar, and for recent years when pay in the public sector has lagged behind increases in the minimum wage. KOZ also used the demonstration to draw attention to the impact of prices rises across the economy and to call for increases in pensions and other social benefits.

Public sector unions have negotiated a wage settlement with the Virke employers’ organisation that includes private and non-profit companies delivering public services. The deal is in line with the settlement in the government sector, with a 2.7% pay increase but with a flat rate payment of NOK 1,500 (EUR 145) at all salary levels, backdated to 1 May. In addition, there is NOK 4,000 (EUR 390) for the lower paid and an equal pay supplement starting at NOK 3,800 (EUR 370) and falling by NOK 200 (EUR 20) for each move up the salary scale. A further 1.8% is set aside for local negotiations, with

The UNIO trade union confederation whose members cover workers with higher education has been pushing for higher pay deals in three negotiations – national local government, Oslo municipality and public companies represented by the employers’ organisation, Spekter. The NSF nurses’ union is one of UNIO’s members involved in the strikes and negotiations and they are calling for higher pay for nurses to tackle major staff shortages. The government has stepped in to end strikes in local government and the Oslo municipality on the grounds, rejected by the trade unions, that the actions pose a

The NSF nurses’ union has negotiated a new agreement with the NHO employers’ organisation that represents private sector providers. A key aim of the union has been to reduce the large differences between the conditions in NHO companies and conditions in other collective agreements. The NSF believes that the settlement for 2020 is a new step in the right direction. With effect from 1 October 2020 the new minimum wages for nurses is NOK 412000 (EUR 40500). There is a general increase of NOK 0.5 (EUR 0.05) an hour for everyone from 1 May 2020 and there will be local negotiations conducted in

The Fagforbundet public services union is celebrating a positive result after 30 days of strike action by some of its members in the private health sector. The aim of the strike was to ensure that agreements in the sector kept pay in line with the public sector. This was achieved including an historic rise in the minimum wage up by NOK 80000 (EUR 7800) to NOK 300000 (EUR 29250). The strike action was challenged by the NHO employers’ organisation, but the Labour Court ruled that the strike was legal and not in breach of the peace obligation. The union and employers are now committed to further