2014 January epsucob@NEWS 02
Municipal unions' day of action on pay
The three local government trade unions - Unison, GMB and Unite - are continuing their campaign for better pay in the sector and have called a day of protest for 4 February. Local government pay has lost 18% of its purchasing power since 2010 with a pay freeze between 2010 and 2012 and only a 1% increase in 2013. Over half a million municipal workers now earn less than the "living wage" that is calculated as £7.65 (€9.30) an hour. [Read more at > Unison->http://www.unison.org.uk/about/events-and-conferences/upcoming/lg-day-of-protest] [And further at > Unison->http://www.unison.org.uk/at-work
Energy unions launch petition on pay, jobs and promotion
GDF-SUEZ petitionThe five trade unions that organise in the GDF-SUEZ energy company - CGT, FO, CFDT, CFE-CGC and CFTC - have launched a petition over the company's imposition of a below-inflation pay increase (0.3%) and its decision to reduce the proportion of staff promoted to higher grades. The unions want to re-open negotiations on these two points as well as get a commitment from the company that it won't undertake any plans involving job cuts or any initiatives that undermine the IEG sector agreement. See attached statement and petition.
Day of action against austerity
The STAL trade union and other affiliates of the CGTP-IN trade union confederation are organising a day of strike action and protests on 1 February in opposition to the government's continuing policies of austerity. Along with demands for action on tax fraud and defence of public services the key demands include a 4.5% pay increase (minimum €30 a month), an increase in the minimum wage to take it to €515 a month and increases to pensions. Read more at > STAL (PT) And at > CGTP-IN (PT)
Extending collective agreements to stop social dumping
Trade unions in the LO blue-collar confederation report positive results from the extension of collective agreements in some sectors. The extension means that agreements cover employers even if they are not members of employer organisations that have signed up to agreement. A majority of responses to a survey indicate that extending collective agreements has been beneficial and that trade union officers have been able to use their rights under these agreements to get information on pay and conditions in sub-contracting. So far agreements in construction, shipbuilding, agriculture and cleaning
Municipal union negotiates over jobs
The JHL public services union reports on consultations over job cuts and lay-offs during 2013. The union was consulted by 60 organisations in the sector who were looking for savings and in most cases permanent job cuts were avoided. Temporary lay-offs, work reorganisation and retirement were some of the alternatives use although there were also voluntary redundancies. The number of fixed-term contracts was reduced and overall the union reports actual dismissals in six municipalities and three municipal corporations. A survey by the local government employers' organisations indicates that
Week of action to protect jobs and pay and conditions
The ver.di services union is organising a week of action up to 31 January in the Helios and Rhön group of health companies. The combined company employs around 70000 workers but is in the process of selling off 75 of Rhön's clinics and other institutions. Ver.di wants to negotiate an agreement to protect jobs and pay and conditions. It wants to ensure that workers don't face further work intensification or outsourcing to companies with worse pay and conditions. The union also wants to see training provision maintained, job offers to trainees and a commitment to no compulsory redundancies
High turnout for one-hour strike
The two main trade union confederations and several independent trade unions said that over half a million workers from the public and private sectors joined the one-hour strike called on 23 January. The strike was in protest at plans for wide-ranging changes to labour laws that would reduce employee protection and undermine collective bargaining. The unions said that further action would follow if the reforms weren't withdrawn. Following the strike the government has called early election and the minister for the economy, the main proponent of the reforms has resigned. [Read more at > B92
Unions agree to improved pay offer
Following their major demonstration in Vienna last month, public sector unions have accepted a higher pay offer from the employers. The unions were initially offered a 1% pay increase plus 0.5% lump sum. The final deal includes pay rises ranging from 1.55% for the higher paid to 2.53% for the lower paid and 2.02% on allowances. This covers the period 1.3.14 to 28.2.15. Pay will be then be increased by inflation plus 0.1% from 1.3.2015 to cover the period up to 31.12.2015. Municipal employees get a slightly different arrangement with a 2.3% increase in 2014 for all salaries up to €2700, a
Promoting collective agreements
Vision, the white-collar trade union that organises across local and regional government, is running a campaign to make sure that workers understand the value of the collective agreements that it negotiates. The union has taken examples of individual employees covered by a wide range of agreements it has negotiated with public and private sector employers and for each of them it quantifies the benefits of the agreement. These can include not just basic pay but annual pay increases, overtime rates, holiday entitlement, parental leave, sick pay and pensions. [Read more at > Vision (SV)->https:/
Report calls for action on employment
This year's International Labour Organisation (ILO) Global Employment Trends report argus that "a switch to more employment-friendly policies and rising labour incomes would boost economic growth and job creation" and reduce the real risk of a jobless recovery. The ILO is particularly concerned about the scale of youth unemployment and also about the trend to long-term unemployment in countries like Spain and Greece. The ILO argues that boosting wages as well as increasing public spending on active labour market policies to around 1.2% of GDP would make a major contribution to job creation
Health workers challenge precarious employment
EPSU - SEPWorkers, mainly nurses, at a 24-hour health helpline are taking action to protect their pay and improve their employment conditions. The workers have not had proper employment contracts, being effectively self-employed, and now face the sack for resisting a massive cut in pay. The service is being run jointly by Portuguese and French communication companies. Some of the workers are represented by the SEP nurses' union, part of the CGTP-IN trade union confederation. EPSU has sent a solidarity message to SEP. [Read more at > SEP (PT)->http://www.sep.org.pt/] [And at > CGTP-IN (PT)-
Union mobilises to defend trade union rights and collective agreement
CGT FNME SNETThe CGT-FNME energy federation is mobilising members on 6 February in response to the actions of management at the SNET company, owned by the German EON group. The union is reacting to attacks on its trade union representation rights including dismissal of leading union members, the failure of the company to stick by a job guarantee agreement negotiated last year and to take part in social dialogue and the company's continuing to push for sub-contracting of services. Read more at > CGT-FNME (FR)
Union urges members to get their entitlements
The FNV Abvakabo public services union is concerned that members covered by the childcare collective agreement are not getting all that they are entitled to. The union has set up a special email address and is urging members to get in contact if they think they are not receiving the end-of-year bonus, holiday pay and various other allowances that are laid down in the agreement. The union also wants to hear from members who think other workers covered by the agreement are having similar problems. The union will approach employers on the issue and if necessary will take legal action if employers
Federation calls for negotiations over jobs
The FSP-UGT public services federation has called for negotiations in the public administration sector to discuss the crisis being created following the loss of at least 121000 last year and around 400000. The union is also concerned about labour reforms which have undermined decent employment conditions with a knock-on effect on the quality of service provision. The FSP-UGT attacks the cuts as indiscriminate and criticises the government for failing to make any serious effort to modernise public services. [Read more at > FSP-UGT (ES)->http://www.fspugt.es/politica-sindical/220-mesa
Pension costs cut for public sector workers
For the first time since 2008, public service workers have seen an improvement in their incomes thanks to a cut in the ‘pension levy’ that was introduced in 2009. The change – worth €125 a year – was implemented as part of the "Haddington Road" public sector agreement last year. An additional cut of 10% for new entrants from 2011 was also addressed under Haddington Road and last October unions achieved the end of the two-tier pay system that it had introduced. Read more at > Impact
Union highlights safety risks in homes for mentally ill
A new study by the FOA public services union has found that three out of four workers in care homes for the mentally ill have suffered some form of physical abuse while eight of 10 have been subject to threats of violence. The union is particularly concerned that many workers are often in situations where they are working on their own. This raises the key question of staffing levels. The union is calling on the government, employers and trade unions to work together on a national plan to tackle the problem. [Read more at > FOA (DK)->http://www.foa.dk/Forbund/Presse?newsid=1129F8ED-80E9-4951
Workers in higher education strike over pay
Members of Unison working in higher education - caterers, cleaners, security guards and student support staff - will join teachers in a third one-day strike over pay on 6 February. Low paid staff in higher education who have seen their pay fall by 13% in real terms over the past five years but universities are refusing to increase their 1% pay offer. More than 4,000 higher education workers are currently paid below the living wage, which is £7.65 (€9.30) an hour or £8.80 (€10.70) an hour in London. [Read more at > Unison->http://www.unison.org.uk/news/higher-education-workers-to-walk-out-for