Ukraine, Estonia

The EAKL trade union confederation reports that health sector trade unions have negotiated pay rises of around 10% for health workers, due to be paid from 1 April. There are some variations across occupations with 10.01% for doctors; 10.03% for specialists; 10.07% for clinical psychologists; 10.09% for nurses and health care support specialists; 14.22% for specialty nurses and midwives; 9.89% for emergency technicians; 10.11% for emergency medical technicians 10.11%; and 10.14% for maintenance workers.

The EAKL trade union confederation reports that the state wants to give additional pay to carers from July, which requires trade unions and employers to negotiate an agreement. Monthly pay in nursing homes varies from €725 to €1300 per month, depending on the region. EAKL says that trade unions want to negotiate a minimum wage for care workers in a sector collective agreement with a view to achieving the same level as that in the collective agreement for health workers where the minimum wage for care workers in health care institutions is set to reach €1160. With staff shortages reaching

EPSU has joined with the European and global trade union confederations, ETUC and ITUC, in protests over anti-union legislation passed by the Ukrainian parliament. A major concern is law 5371, which has been attacked by the FPSU confederation for severely restricting employment protection, but other legislation also weakens workers’ rights, including law 5161 which allows the use of zero-hours contracts. The ETUC and ITUC have called on the European institutions to intervene in the light of Ukraine’s new status as an EU candidate country. EPSU has also written to the European Commission about