Busworkers win improvements in pay and conditions

Around 1,000 members of the JHL and JYTY trade unions are planning strike action on 20 and 21 May in protest at the City of Helsinki company’s plans to unilaterally pull out of the company collective agreement. If this happens then workers would be covered by the sectoral agreement and they would lose a range of allowances where the company agreement provides better pay than at sectoral level. The unions are also concerned about the company imposing new rules on shift work that would give workers less control over their shift patterns. [Read more at > JHL (EN)->http://www.jhl.fi/uutinen/7028]

Earlier this year cleaners working at the federal parliament took strike action to prevent their jobs being outsourced. Now, following negotiations, they have won improved pay and conditions. There will be a higher starting rate for cleaners with experience and the VPOD union believes this is an important recognition of the work done by cleaners. There will also be improved training provision for them and in future they will be able to carry over some additional hours rather than just losing any overtime hours that they have worked. [Read more at > VPOD (DE)->http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell

Following strike action the FSAP-CCOO and CSIF unions concluded a new agreement on 16 November covering workers in the special Madrid courts that deal with violence against women. An all out strike began on 6 November after the employers failed to respond to union demands over excessive working hours and a claim for a special payment to take account of the stressful working conditions. The dispute was settled with the employers offering a special €200 payment from 1 January and agreeing that work beyond the normal working hours would be purely voluntary. [Read more at > FSAP-CCOO (ES)->http:/