Working Time, Outsourcing, Public Services, Prisons Services, Women & Gender Equality
Commission analyses reveal gaps in working time protection
European Commission reports on the Working Time Directive, published on 15 March, reveal that Member States’ legislation is generally compliant, but that some problems remain in ensuring that the legislation is having full effect, particularly across all public services.
History RePPPeated II - Why Public-Private Partnerships are not the solution
Back in 2020 EPSU welcomed the publication of Eurodad’s first History RePPPeated – see article - and this 2nd edition provides more useful evidence and examples of the failure of PPPs to provide added value compared to direct public investment and traditional public procurement.
Union makes series of demands to tackle gender discrimination in health
The health conference of the vpod public service union has called for action to tackle the stress, long working hours, involuntary part-time work and low pay in the sector which is part of the persistent discrimination faced by women workers. The union wants to see a revaluation of pay of health and care jobs to recognise the arduousness and increased responsibilities of many occupations. Vpod is also calling for major improvements to work-life balance, reductions in working time, better shift planning, possibilities for retirement from 60 and provision of necessary training. The union says
Municipal unions take initiative on full-time work
The public services unions Fagforbundet and Delta and the NSF nurses' union have signed a declaration with the KS municipal employers' organisation calling for further co-operation to create a culture of full-time work in the sector. The unions want to see a reduction in part-time work which leads to part time workers, the vast majority of whom are women, losing out, particularly in terms of their pension benefits. While some steps have been taken, the unions are still concerned that there is too much part-time work, especially in the health and social care sectors. A website has been set up
UK: the benefits of outsourcing – where's the evidence?
The university sector in the UK, and some universities in particular, are under pressure to cut costs and to outsource services - the Working Lives Research Institute (WLRI) at London Metropolitan University has produced a very useful overview of the evidence on outsourcing.
Finland: Many municipalities plan to recall work that has been outsourced
Many municipalities and joint authorities are disappointed with the results of outsourcing. And the dissatisfaction is so great that up to a fifth of these public organizations plan to take back outsourced work so that it can be done once again by their own personnel.