Health

Public sector unions are angry that the government has issued an emergency ordinance to block a pay increase and bonus payments that are due for implementation this year. The pay rise was part of a four-stage increase that was set out in legislation passed in 2017. Unions are particularly concerned about the impact on lower paid workers as some higher paid staff are already benefiting from pay rises. Protests have been organised across the country, including pickets of key ministries. EPSU sent a letter of protest to the president and prime minister and other key people.

On 19 January trade unions in the energy sector took further action in their campaign against the “Hercule” restructuring project in EDF, the main energy provider in France. EPSU and industriAll Europe sent a joint letter expressing their support for the unions, arguing that the plans pose a major threat to the company, its workers and the provision of energy as a public service. Meanwhile, unions representing health and social care also continued their protests on 12 and 21 January. A key issue is ensuring that pay increases awarded last year cover all health and social care workers

Fourteen health service unions have submitted their evidence for negotiations for this year’s pay claim for 1.3 million NHS workers calling for early implementation. To back this up UNISON, the Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives have written to the prime minister also urging him to support a pay rise as soon as possible. Although the current agreement expires at the end of March, it would be unlikely that negotiations would be finished by then and in normal circumstances workers might not receive the pay increase until the summer. Unions argue that an early increase would

Around 55000 will benefit from pay increases in a new 29-month collective agreement negotiated between the Kommunal public services union and the Almega employer’s organisation. Kommunal had threatened to take industrial action when the employers said that they would meet the union’s demand for higher pay for vocationally trained employees but not for other lower paid workers. Following mediation, the union’s demands have been met and the agreement keeps private care workers in line with public sector deals. The union also pushed back the employers’ attempt to increase part-time employment.

The Fagforbundet and FO trade unions have called workers out on strike in the private care sector. The dispute covers a range of services such as substance abuse, psychiatry, child welfare, nursing and care, and includes for-profit and non-profit organizations. The NHO employers’ organisation is refusing to offer pay increases that would ensure that workers are on pay levels comparable to the same occupations in other agreements. The unions are concerned that the NHO agreement is falling behind and say that some employers have switched to the agreement specifically to take advantage of the

The 125000 workers in private health and social care get a 2.08% pay increase this month as negotiated in the three-year agreement that was negotiated last year (EPSU Collective Bargaining News 2020 no.8). The agreement allowed for an increase of inflation plus 0.6% in January 2021 and so ensures that workers in the sector get a reasonable pay rise at a difficult time. The agreement also brought the pay rise forward to January from the normal February. It also provides for implementation of a 37-hour week from next year.

The government and ministry of health have started to work on drawing up a more unified public sector pay system that will impact on healthcare in particular. Currently, there is considerable scope for variation of pay and allowances across the country. This had led to significant internal migration by health workers which has increased during the pandemic. Allowances for working in rural areas can vary from nothing to 25%, for example, while additional payments for night work range from 20% to 50%. The relationship between basic and total salary can also vary significantly. There is some

The Fp-Cgil, Cisl-FP and Uil-Fpl public service federations are ready to mobilise their members unless the management at the Misercordie non-profit health and social service provider responds to their main demands. The unions want a resumption of negotiations on the collective agreement which hasn’t been renewed since 2012. They argue that workers deserve a new agreement in the light of all the sacrifices made to cope with the pandemic. The unions are also calling for clarification of the state of the organisation in the light of the resignation of top management and press reports of budgetary

Health and social care unions in the Basque region have been involved in a series of protests and strikes. Mobilisations in public health during December and January will culminate in a day of strike action on 28 January. The unions are angry about the failure of the public health system to honour basic rights to information and collective bargaining. They are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on the system and the way that management have responded by taking unilateral decisions on working conditions, health and safety and precarious employment. Two days earlier, on 26 January unions

Health and social care trade unions are taking action in January, following mobilisations at the end of 2020, calling on the government to ensure that its “Ségur de Santé” package of measures applies to all occupations in health and social care and across both public and private sectors. The package included two specific pay increases to be implemented in September last year and this coming March. Unions want to ensure that all workers benefit but they also want to see action in other areas such as recruitment and staffing levels.