Pay agreement in private waste sector
After a series of warning strikes the services trade union ver.di has secured a new agreement with the BDE employers' organisation covering 20,000 workers in the private waste industry. The agreement runs until 30 April 2010 and workers get a basic increase of €50 from 1 May 2008 plus 2.8% and then a further 3% increase on pay from 1 May 2009. A lump sum of €100 is to cover the period between 1 January and 30 April 2008 - the previous agreement ran to 31 December 2007. The BDE wanted a two-hour increase in the working week but in the end the union agreed to a one-hour increase implemented over