Health

EPSU affiliates and other trade unions in the CMKOS confederation are on strike alert in response to a range of government proposals to consolidate public finances that pose a threat to public employees but also to tax allowances and other benefits for all workers. A potential 2% cut in staff costs in the public sector could have major consequences for pay and jobs with inflation reaching 30% over two years and so far no pay rise for public service workers this year. Public sector unions, including OSSOO and OSZSP, have expressed concern over the failure of the government to engage in social

A picket of the Ministry of Health on 23 May organised by the Sanitas health federation was key to getting the government to sit down with the union to discuss a range of issues relating to pay, bonuses, food allowances and funding for the health and social care system. Meetings took place on 24 and 25 May with the union setting out its key demands and the government indicating it would respond in early June. Sanitas will continue to mobilise its members and hasn’t ruled out warning strikes and potentially a national strike if the government fails to come up with solutions to its demands.

The recent campaign of protests by the HSSMS-MT and SSZSSH health unions, “We are health care”, led to a meeting with the government to discuss pay and how to ensure that nurses and other health workers do not lose out in comparison to doctors and other health professionals. The government’s promise that a new pay agreement in 2024 would resolve the issue was not enough to convince the unions who said that they cannot wait until next year to see progress. Further negotiations are now planned. Meanwhile, the SDLSN trade union has called for mediation over its claim for a €400 pay increase for

After two rounds of collective bargaining, the ver.di trade union has agreed a new 26-month deal with the German Red Cross covering around 50000 employees. Members have until June 15 to vote on the agreement which runs to 31 May 2025. From 1 August this year there will be a €1200 tax-free payment which employers can deliver in five instalments by the end of the year. In addition, workers will get €200 a month from September 2023 up to and including May 2024. There will be a pay increase of €200 plus 6% in June 2024. Various allowances are set to increase by 12% and there are also pay rises for

Strike action could be on the cards across local government in England and Wales as members of the main trade unions – UNISON, GMB and Unite – have rejected the £1925 (€2215) flat-rate pay offer. Meanwhile, action over pay is continuing in the National Health Service in England where Unite is continuing its campaign to get pay negotiations re-opened with targeted strike action in hospitals and the ambulance service. The RCN nursing union is balloting its members in England over further action while RCN members in Wales have also rejected the separate pay offer there. In central government, PCS

The HSSMS-MT nurses’ union with the support of the SSZSSH independent health workers’ union has been continuing its series of protests around the country, with a major demonstration planned for 12 May – International Nurses’ Day. The unions are angry that their members have been offered pay rises of only 3%-5% when doctors have been awarded 10% or more. The HSSMS-MT argues that staffing shortages are becoming acute with many workers leaving the sector because of low pay noting that hospital cooks and cleaners, for example, are on salaries below HRK 4000 (€500) a month.

The campaign of industrial action over pay, jobs and pensions by the PCS trade union is set to continue following a new strike ballot. The union managed to secure reach the threshold required for public sector strike action in 106 government departments and agencies. In Scotland, with separate negotiations on pay, PCS members have accepted an increased pay offer delivering a total increase of at least £2200 (€2535) for all staff earning £36000 (€41455) or less. The guarantee of no compulsory redundancy for all staff is extended to 31 March 2025 and there is a commitment to review the lowest

The FNV is seeking pay rises for workers in both the mental health and eldercare sectors with actions planned for this month. In eldercare, on 12 May, the union has organised an online “talk show” bringing together politicians, employers and workers to discuss how to make the sector more attractive. On 25 May, the FNV will present its pay demands to the employers, Actiz and Zorghuisnl, as part of a national action in Utrecht. Meanwhile, in the mental health sector the union, along with NU’91, is pushing for a pay offer to cover the surge in inflation, although the current collective agreement

The FP-CGIL, CISL-FP and UIL-FPL public service federations are mobilising their members in the Misericordie emergency service provider. The unions are responding to the decision by the religious organisation not to re-negotiate a collective agreement and following the failure of conciliation. The federations are angry that Misericordie is not only failing to acknowledge the sacrifices made by their emergency service workers during the pandemic but are also creating disparities between their workers and others employed in the third sector that are covered by the collective agreement negotiated

In three separate disputes, members of the Fórsa and SIPTU trade unions have voted in favour of industrial action. In the ambulance service, SIPTU members voted with a 95% majority to back industrial action following the refusal of management to implement a restructuring plan that had been negotiated with and was fully supported by the union. Meanwhile, SIPTU members in the water sector will take strike action on 7 June unless there is a guarantee that their local authority pay and conditions will be protected when they transfer to a new employer, Uisce Éireann, a new standalone public utility

A major survey of more than 4000 workers by the FOA trade union shows that 35% of employees in the health and care sector have experienced threats of violence in the past year. This compares to only 6% for the general population. Some 30% say that they have been subjected to physical violence. The union is worried that the real figures may be even higher as it believes many employees have come to accept that violence and threats are part of the job. The evidence indicates that the most vulnerable places of work are psychiatry, nursing homes and special and disability areas. FOA highlights the

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