19 epsucob@NEWS September 2009
No deal in local government
Local government employers have only offered trade unions a small one-off payment and a freeze on pay over the next two years. Public services union Abvakabo points out that this is despite the fact that local authorities have received government funding that covers pay increases in line with the national guideline of 1.5%. The union also argues that at the same time as wanting to freeze their own employees pay, councils are increasingly hiring outside personnel to do local authority work at twice or three times the cost of direct employees. [Read more at > Abvakabo (NL)->http://www
30,000 demonstrate over crisis and public services
The VPOD/SSP public services federation took part in the demonstration of over 30,000 people in Bern on 21 September. Trade unions had organised the march in protest at attempts by employers and the government to make workers pay for the crisis. The VPOD/SSP stressed the need to maintain public services particularly at a time of recession and called for measures to improve public services such as an investment in improved childcare. [Read more at > VPOD (DE)->http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell/nachrichten/ansicht/article/eindrueckliche-gewerkschaftsdemo-30-000-in-bern.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=34
Unions sign three-year agreement with government
The three main Spanish public service federations – CCOO, UGT and CSI-CSIF – have signed a new agreement with the government covering 2010-2012. On pay the agreement allows for a 0.3% increase in 2010 but a revision clause in the agreement allows for a higher increase to maintain purchasing power. The agreement includes a number of other measures covering modernisation of the public administration and implementation of elements of the basic law on public employment that was passed in 2007 but not fully put into effect. [Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)->http://www.fsc.ccoo.es/webfsc/menu.do?Inicio
Public sector unions warn of strike action
Unions across the public sector have warned the government of the possibility of all-out strike action unless it negotiates a deal over planned changes to pay and cuts in jobs. The government is responding to demands from the International Monetary Fund to reduce public spending and reform public sector pay as part of a loan package that was also negotiated with the European Union. The Sed Lex civil service union oragnised a demonstration outside parliament on 16 September and is gearing up for a public sector wide strike on 5 October. [Read more at > Sed Lex (RO)->http://www.sedlex.ro/main
Ver.di launches week of action for better pay in church organisations
Services union ver.di is organising a series of strikes and demonstrations between 22 and 25 September as part of a campaign to secure decent pay for decent work in church organisations. The union says that there have been no pay increases in the sector for over four years and that the main employers’ organisation, the VdDD, is pursuing a wage dumping policy to finance the expansion of its organisations. The union has also attacked church employers for arguing against their employees’ right to take strike action. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen/showNews
Federation issues strike notice
The CGT it one of seven federations and unions in the public sector that are joining demonstrations on the World Day for Decent Work to put across their case. The unions continue to campaign for pay increases that compensate for the loss of purchasing power of public sector workers over several years. They also want a revision of the public sector pay structure as well as action to defend jobs. The other confederations and unions joining the demonstrations on 7 October are CFDT, CFE-CGC, FSU, UNSA and Solidaires. Read more at > CGT (FR)
New collective agreement signed
The SINTAP and STE public sector unions were among those signing a new collective agreement covering workers in public administration. The agreement lays down rules regarding training, working time - including flexible working hours – and telework. SINTAP believes the agreement will be an important step towards ensuring equal treatment of workers across the public administration. The agreement has not been signed by all public sector trade unions. Read more at > SINTAP (PT) Read more at > STE (PT)
Union criticises secrecy of equal pay commission
The FOA public services union has criticised the commission set up to investigate the gender pay gap because it is carrying out its work in private. The FOA says that a public debate on pay differentials and publicly available wage statistics are vital to help tackle the pay gap. The FOA will be making this point in its mid-term submission to the Commission that will include a positive view of the Commission’s work in developing a new way of calculating the pay gap. Read more at > FOA (DK)
National action by elder care workers
Ver.di has organised a national campaign of action by workers in elder care calling for improved financing for the sector with higher pay for employees. The union argues that workers are facing much heavier workloads and they need improved pay and working conditions and financial support for training. Action around the country is making people aware of the pressures that care workers face, the regular overtime, lack of breaks and physically demanding nature of their work. The action is part of a longer term campaign to raise issues of patient care and the working conditions in the sector as
National strike over working conditions
The STAL local government union says that around 60% of council workers joined the national strike on 16 September in defence of public sector workers’ rights and against government proposals on worker mobility in the public sector, performance management and reorganisation of municipal services. Read more at > STAL (PT)
Not a single euro for public sector workers
The FP CGIL public service federation is warning of a pay freeze facing public sector workers. After a first meeting between the government and social partners, the union reports that the government there is not a single euro available to fund a pay increase in the public sector. FP CGIL says that workers should not be made to pay the price for the crisis and that unions will have to mobilise in a campaign against the government. The FP CISL federation has also given a “clear no” to the idea of a public sector pay freeze. [Read more at > FP CGIL (IT)->http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages
Union reacts angrily to pay cut proposals
Public service union IMPACT has criticised a report from the ESRI research organisation that calls for pay cuts in the public sector. The union says that the report uses 2006 figures, which take no account of the current public service pay freeze or the 7.5% average cut in gross pay suffered by all public servants under the so-called ‘pensions levy’. Nor does it include incomes for self-employed professionals, who are the obvious private sector ‘comparators’ for thousands of public service professional staff. [Read more at > IMPACT (EN)->http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk
Confederation wants to see joint action on social dumping
The LO confederation has called on the government and social partners to come up with a joint strategy to deal with social dumping. In particular, it wants to see better registration of companies that perform work for a main contractor so that it is easier to find sub-contractors who underpay their employees or in any other way try to get round labour market rules and regulation. LO also calls for customers and main contractors should be held responsible for the way in which their suppliers treat their workers. [Read more at > LO (EN)->http://www.lo.dk/Englishversion/News/Social%20dumping.aspx