Health
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) & Life-Long Learning (LLL)
Continuing Professional Development and Life-Long LearningJoint HOSPEEM-EPSU working group on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and Life-Long Learning (LLL)Presentation on CPD by Mathias MaucherSSDC HS WG2/2016 - It2-CPD - 02.06.16Joint Declaration
All out ambulance strike set for 10 August
(August 2016) The planned industrial action in the ambulance service is due to go ahead on 10 August. The Health Service Executive failed to respond to key demands from the SIPTU trade union at their most recent meeting on 28 July. These include compensation due to ambulance workers under the Public Service Agreement, the implementation of a fully developed Intermediate Care Service as recommended by the Labour Court and the application of an annualised hours system. Read more at SIPTU.
Improved pay and hours for Red Cross workers
(August 2016) The ver.di service union has negotiated improved pay, hours and holiday entitlement in a new collective agreement covering 50000 workers employed by the German Red Cross. Pay will increase by 2.4% this month with a further rise of 2.35% in March 2017 and the pay structure agreed in the public sector for social services workers will be adopted. Emergency service workers will see a gradual reducation in weekly working hours from 48 to 45 by 2019 while those with less than 10 years' service will also see their annual leave increase from 26 to 29 days over the same period. Read more
Federations set out key bargaining demands
(August 2016) The public sector federations of the CCOO and UGT confederations have set out some key collective bargaining demands. The CCOO federations put their proposals to the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration at the end of July calling for a re-establishment of collective bargaining, creation of 356000 jobs and an end to restrictions on recruitment. They also want to see a recovery of purchasing power for public sector workers, a return to the 35-hour week and recuperation of other cuts to pay and conditions made since 2010. The FeSP-UGT federation demands include a 3% pay
High level of support for strike over working hours
(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
Ambulance strike suspended following commitments on staffing and pay
(August 2016) The all-out strike in the ambulance service planned by the SIPTU trade union was called off following guarantees on staffing levels, compensation for loss of earnings and the establishment of a working group to deal with other issues relating to the National Ambulance Service (NAS). The commitments include the recruitment of 150 new emergency technicians implementation of recommendations outlined in the NAS capacity review, 461 paramedics to be recruited over a five-year period. Read more at SIPTU and at SIPTU Health.
Nurses maintain strike action over 35-hour week
(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).
Strike vote enough to stop private contractor cuts
(August 2016) Staff at Cardiff Hospital working for the contractor ENGIE stopped proposed cuts to hours and pay enhancements following a 100% vote for strike action. The workers provide portering, catering, security, reception, housekeeping and cleaning staff to St. David’s Hospital could have lost hundreds of pounds a month under the changes, with redundancies also threatened. The company has withdrawn the proposals and also recognised Unison for collective bargaining. Read more at Unison.