Collective Bargaining, Social Dialogue
Collective bargaining – trends and developments
Collective bargaining is a core activity of trade unions and EPSU’s affiliates negotiate with public service employers at every level. This can range from national public-sector wide bargaining to sector and local negotiations with public sector employers but also private and non-profit providers of public services. EPSU works with the European Trade Union Confederation to try to improve collective bargaining rights for all workers across Europe. We also act as a European information point so that EPSU affiliates are aware of trends in public service negotiations. EPSU’s collective bargaining newsletter provides regular updates on developments across Europe.
LRG Social Dialogues adopt joint position on protecting workers from asbestos and the future of local emergency services
On 16 November, EPSU and CEMR sealed a number of important agreements setting the priorities for the next years and committing to political principles for the workers in emergency services and their protection from asbestos.
Unions to consult members over pay coordination plan
The LO, mainly blue-collar workers’ trade union confederation, has put specific figures to its proposed pay coordination formula that it has drafted for the pay bargaining round in early 2023 with a key aim of supporting lower paid workers. The general pay claim would be for a 4.4% increase but with a minimum increase of SEK 1192 (€110) for those earning less than SEK 27100 (€2500) a month and with an increase of SEK 1371 (€126) on minimum wages in collective agreements. The majority of LO member organisations backed the plan although there are some concerns that the overall target is too low
Confederations in joint national protest over cost of living
The CITUB and Podkrepa trade union confederations will come together in a national protest on 11 November. The union organisations are calling for action to protect purchasing power through higher pay and an increase in the national minimum wage. They have also called for a 15% pay rise for public sector workers. EPSU and the PSI board meeting in Geneva sent messages of support.
Confederation agrees to coordinate on pay
The LO confederation, with 14 affiliates representing mainly blue-collar workers, has agreed a formula to coordinate collective bargaining on pay in the upcoming wage round. This includes a commitment to focus on lower paid workers with an aim to secure increases in minimum wages in collective agreements by specific amounts in Krone to underpin general percentage pay rises. This first step in coordination was welcomed by EPSU’s affiliates in LO, Kommunal, SEKO and the transport workers’ union. However, there was also a recognition that discussions would continue on the specific figures to be
Call for Tenders: Research on evolving jobs, skills, and training needs in the social services sector
The Social Employers and EPSU are looking for a researcher/research team to produce a study on the evolving jobs, skills and training needs in the social services sector and the role of social partners in managing such changes.
EU Social Partners signed new agreement on digitalisation for central government
On Thursday, 6 October the EU social partners for central governments, TUNED for the trade union side and EUPAE for the employers, signed a new agreement on digitalisation with the participation of the European Commission.
ETUC welcomes progress on collective bargaining rights for self-employed
Following a long-running campaign, the ETUC has welcomed the adoption of new guidelines by the European Commission which make clear EU competition law does not stand in the way of solo self-employed workers engaging in collective bargaining. Self-employed workers make up around a tenth of the European workforce but research commissioned by the ETUC found that some form of (limited) access to collective bargaining for self-employed workers existed in only 10 EU countries. The ETUC says that removing this legal uncertainty will benefit many of the more than 24 million self-employed and freelance
Government agrees to negotiate public sector agreement
The public service federations in the UGT and CCOO confederations welcome the fact that their demands for public sector pay negotiations have been agreed by the government. The unions want a multiannual agreement that allows for the maintenance of purchasing power and, in particular, an increase this year on top of the 2% pay increase imposed by the government. CCOO and UGT want to see action to correct the long-term decline in purchasing power across the public sector, with foreign service personnel, for example not seeing an increase for 14 years. The unions want to ensure that the new