Staffing levels

Following intense negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission, Irish unions – INMO , Fórsa , Unite , Connect, and MLSA – have secured significant commitments from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to address critical staffing shortages in the public health service. The proposals, which led to the suspension of a planned work-to-rule in late March, have now been overwhelmingly approved by union members in workplace ballots. Under the agreement, the HSE committed to replacing all posts that become vacant through retirement, resignation or transfer, within staffing and budget limits. The

The UGT Public Services Union has welcomed the steady recovery in staffing levels in Spain’s State Administration following years of austerity-driven cuts. According to the latest Statistical Bulletin, the number of workers increased by more than 15,000 between July 2022 and July 2024, with notable growth since mid-2023. This positive trend follows the signing of the Fifth Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining on 10 May 2023. The agreement was signed by the trade union confederations UGT and CCOO, together with the employers’ associations CEOE and CEPYME. It provides a national

Psychiatric hospital workers across Bulgaria, represented by the Federation of Health Trade Unions at CITUB , have launched protests demanding higher wages and improved working conditions. On 17th March, doctors, nurses, and support workers at the state psychiatric hospital in Sevlievo began a three-day action, calling for a 50% wage increase and recognition of their work as second category due to its complexity and risks. Workers in psychiatric hospitals in Pazardzhik and Tsarev Brod have joined the protests, with further action planned in Karlukovo on 18th March. The union demands include a

Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have served notice for industrial action in Ireland’s public health system, starting on 31 March 2025. The dispute stems from chronic understaffing, worsened by a government-imposed hiring freeze that has left critical healthcare positions unfilled. The Health Service Executive (HSE) and publicly funded Section 38 hospitals have faced escalating recruitment restrictions since 2023. What began as a limited hiring pause expanded into a full freeze, preventing the replacement of vacant posts. Despite repeated union demands, the HSE has

Dentists working in the public sector held a one-day strike on 14 February to protest against heavy workloads, low wages, inadequate working conditions, and deteriorating employment rights. Supported by SES trade union , the strike highlighted issues such as understaffing, increasing patient numbers, short appointment times, and widespread burnout in oral and dental health services. Demonstrations took place across the country, with dentists calling on the Ministry of Health to improve working conditions, address material shortages, and hire more support staff. Their demands include involving

Belgian unions FGTB-ACCG , CSC-ACV , and CGSLB-ACLVB are calling for a national demonstration in Brussels on 13 February to defend public services and purchasing power. Organised by a united trade union front, the mobilisation comes in response to proposed austerity measures, cuts to pensions, and threats to automatic wage indexation. Unions warn that political leaders are pushing for 14 billion euros in cuts to public services, along with a further 3 billion in pension savings. Other proposed measures include restricting early retirement (RCC), making end-of-career arrangements less

Ireland’s healthcare unions, including the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and Fórsa , are planning industrial action to address severe staffing shortages in the public health service. Recruitment restrictions and suppressed posts by the Health Service Executive (HSE) have been criticised for placing services under strain and jeopardising patient safety. Union leaders have called the current situation unsustainable and are meeting to finalise strategies for industrial action. The HSE has labelled these plans as regrettable, pointing to its Pay and Numbers Strategy as evidence of