019 epsucob@NEWS October 2008
ETUC calls for urgent measures to protect workers' rights
Speaking at a special European Commission forum on workers’ rights and economic freedoms, ETUC general secretary John Monks called for urgent action in response to recent European Court judgements. He pointed out that the decisions in the Viking, Laval, Rüffert and Luxembourg cases had all gone against trade unions and gave precedence to the single market. The ETUC wants to see Member States agree a protocol that gives precedence to fundamental employment rights as well as reforms to the posted workers’ directive. ETUC president and head of the Swedish LO confederation, Wanja Lundby-Wedin
Local government workers get interim pay rise
The dispute over the 2008 pay increase for local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has not yet been resolved. However, the employers have agreed to increase pay rates by 2.45% (backdated to 1 April 2008) plus £100 for the lowest paid workers. The increase will be implemented in November while both sides wait for the results of arbitration that should lead to a final settlement of the dispute. Meanwhile local government unions in Scotland, who are covered by a separate agreement, are being balloted over the employers’ latest offer. The unions are recommending rejection
New 32-month agreement for social service workers
The ABVAKABO and CNV Publieke Zaak trade unions have signed a new collective agreement for workers in the social services, child welfare and nursery sector. The agreement runs from 1 May 2008 to 1 January 2011 and includes pay increases of 2.5% backdated to 1 May this year then 2% on 1 May 2009 and 1 May 2010. There will be lump sum payments of up to €200 on 1 June 2008 and 1 December 2009 while the end-of-year payment in 2009 will be increased by between 2% and 5.5% and then again by between 2.8% and 8.35 in December 2010. There will also be a 1.25% pay increase on 1 January 2009 that will
Confederations unite in strike over pay
The two main trade union confederations – FTGB/ABVV and CSC/ACV – organised a general strike on 6 October over the failure of the government and employers’ organisations to respond to the fall in purchasing power as inflation continues to rise. The unions also highlighted the financial crisis and the willingness of government to spend millions rescuing major financial institutions while failing to respond to the economic pressures facing workers and pensioners. [Read more at > Reuters (EN)->http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSL628008820081006?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=10272]
Unions mobilise over health and home care workers' pay
Six trade union confederations are working together to try to secure pay increases for health and social care workers employed in the private and non-profit sectors. The CFDT, CFTC, CFE-CGC, CGT, FO and UNSA organised a series of demonstrations on 30 September including a national demonstration of 15,000 workers in Paris. The unions are not just claiming a pay increase this year but higher minimum rates in the relevant collective agreements and higher increases to compensate for a loss of purchasing power in recent years. [Read more at > CFDT (FR)->http://www.fed-cfdt-sante-sociaux.org/article
New wage system criticised
After lengthy negotiations a new salary system was introduced across the public sector this year. One of the aims of the reform was to establish a fairer and clearer salary structure for public sector workers, recognising that some groups were particularly worse off. The agreement included provisions to make some of the bigger wage adjustments over a longer period – up to 2011. However, the new system has been subject to criticism by several different groups of workers and is now the subject of a constitutional court case taken by a trade union representing child care, education and research
Government slashes pensions
The FSP-UGT has attacked the government for a unilateral decision to cut pension benefits for many state workers. Employees who take ill-health retirement but who have less than 20 years of contributions will see a 25% cut in their potential pension. The union federation has protested not just about the scale of the cuts but also the fact that the government had made no attempt to negotiate over the changes. At the same time the federation has welcomed the confirmation that new early retirement rules for firefighters will come into effect in 2009. [Read more at > FSP-UGT (ES)->http://www
Union to draw up plans for industrial action
A majority (54%) of members of the PCS civil service union who voted in the recent ballot on pay agreed to support a campaign of industrial action. Collective bargaining in the civil service is decentralised and PCS has been involved in a range of local pay conflicts over the last year. However, the union wants to co-ordinate this in a national campaign in protest at the government’s imposition of a 2% limit on public sector pay increases. Read more at > PCS (EN)
Commission report examines recent wage trends
A new report from the European Commission examines recent labour market trends and highlights some positive developments in terms of employment and unemployment. However, the report includes some more controversial claims about pay, including assumptions about an upturn in pay increases based more on speculation rather than fact. The report also compares trends in the private and public sectors and suggests that government sector pay as been rising at a faster rate than private sector pay in several Member States. However, the report also concedes that the government sector is characterised by
Public sector negotiations about to start
Negotiations covering over 400,000 workers in the public sector will get underway on 27 October. The initial meeting, involving both the GÖD public service union and GDG local government union, normally involves a discussion about the main economic indicators. The aim is to finalise an agreement before Christmas. Last year the agreed increase was 2.7% plus a €175 lump sum. The pay increase is implemented on 1st January each year. The GDG leader Christian Meidlinger has stressed that the current financial crisis should not be used to try to keep pay rises low but ensuring an increase in real
Prison strike suspended
Following a demonstration on 15 October the CGSP/ACOD trade union federation has said it will suspend its strike action in the prison service until 21 November. Any further strike action will depend on the outcome of negotiations over working conditions that are due on 3 November and on increases to pay that are set for 15 November. The CSC federation has also called off any strike action, informing its members that the priority now is to negotiate over the agreement covering the period 2007-2011. [Read more at > CGSP (FR)->http://www.cgsp-ministeres.be/] [And at > CSC (FR)->http://csc
Commission challenge over doctors' working hours
The Greek government has two months to reply to a formal notice from the European Commission over its failure to abide by the Working Time Directive in relation to the working hours of hospital doctors. The Commission has received complaints that specialist doctors are having to work on average between 60 and 72 hours a week while trainee doctors face even longer working hours – anything between 71 and 93 hours a week. [Read more at > DG Employment (EN)->http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=408&furtherNews=yes] [And in German at > DGE->http://ec.europa.eu/social/main
Collective bargaining conference – don't forget to register!
EPSU’s annual collective bargaining and social dialogue conference will take place in Brussels on 9 and 10 December. Over 100 participants from 20 countries have already registered. The conference will discuss developments in public sector pay negotiations over the last year along with specific debates on equal pay and the various European Court judgements that threaten to undermine national systems of collective bargaining. The conference has been organised with financial assistance from the European Commission which means that we have a limited number of sponsorships available for