U.K., Austria
Industrial action secures lump sum payments
Health workers around the country, many of them employed by private contractors and among the lowest paid, have had to resort to strike action to ensure they get a £1600+ (€1870) lump sum payment that was paid to most directly employed staff last year. Action has just paid off for members of UNISON and Unite in Dudley in the West Midlands where until recently their employer, Mitie, had refused the payment. UNISON members were also successful following their action in the South West against the contractor Sodexo and Wiltshire Health and Care, a company jointly owned by three NHS trusts. UNISON
Union wins sick pay for 19000 care workers
Employees of HC-One – the UK’s biggest private care provider – have accepted a pay deal negotiated by the GMB trade union that gives them the contractual right to at least statutory sick pay from day one of any absence. Previously, sick pay only kicked in after three days of sickness. The union points out that this created a perverse incentive for workers to spread germs among the elderly people they care for. The deal comes after a GMB survey of HC-One care workers revealed one in four were considering quitting over ‘poverty pay’. The GMB says that this is a landmark shift in culture for the
Civil service union plans new campaign on pay and jobs
The PCS trade union is set to launch a ballot for industrial action on 18 March as a first step in a renewed campaign around pay, jobs and working conditions. The union has around 150,000 members in over 200 bargaining units across the civil service and has been successful in recent years in securing support for targeted strike action despite the strict UK ballot rules covering public services. The ballot will close on 13 May and there will be a special meeting of the PCS national executive on 15 May to consider the results. The union’s key demands include: a cost-of-living rise, with an
Workers in religious hospitals to get 8.3% pay increase
The vida services union has negotiated a new collective agreement with religious hospitals that has been approved by 92% of union members. The finalisation of the agreement was also pending confirmation of funding from the City of Vienna. Salaries increase by 8.3% with a 7.9% increase on allowances. The night work allowance for doctors increases to €20.00 an hour (18.8%) and the Sunday allowance to €14.00 an hour (20.9%). For non-medical staff the increase in the night and Sunday allowance takes it to €53.00 (21.5%) for more than four hours, otherwise to €6.63 an hour (21%). Workers get a
Unions mobilise to secure COVID payments and pay rise
The UNISON, Unite and GMB trade unions have been mobilising their members in the NHS and private contractors to secure unpaid COVID bonuses and pay rises. UNISON and Unite members are taking on Mitie, the large private contractor, which has refused to pay a COVID bonus despite the company being signed up to the national Agenda for Change agreement which requires the payment. Meanwhile, Unite members formerly employed by the contractor Serco but now directly employed by the NHS at Bart’s Hospital in London are also claiming their COVID payment which the hospital management have so far refused
Union underlines stark warning from latest staffing estimates
The GPA trade union is calling for urgent action on pay and conditions in health and care to deal with major anticipated shortages of nursing staff. A recent report by Health Austria says that there will be a shortfall of 200,000 nurses by 2050. The union underlines that better working conditions have to be part of the solution rather than look to recruit from third countries. GPA says that nurses are stretched to their limits with day-to-day care characterized by overtime, constant standing in for absent staff and a bureaucracy that leaves hardly any time for caring. These conditions lead to
Unions secure 9%+ pay increases for Red Cross workers
The vida and GPA private services unions have negotiated a new collective agreement covering the 7,000 employees in the regional associations of the Austrian Red Cross. All employees in the framework collective agreement will get a 9.15% increase while all employees in the new collective agreement section B and in the province of Vienna will get 9.2%. The increases are backdated to 1 January 2024. The collective agreement ensures that important provisions that previously differed from one province to another have now been successfully harmonised across the country, with a normal working week
Union secures 7% increase for clergy in first-ever pay claim
The Unite trade union has welcomed a 7% pay increase in the salaries of clergy working for the Church of England after submitting a pay claim for the first time in history. This was a 2% improvement on the offer originally proposed by church leaders. Unite said the increase was a step towards tackling the financial hardship faced by many in the profession. The national minimum salary will now increase to £28,670 (€33,600) from 1 April 2024 and the national benchmark be increased to £30,638 (€35900). The figures are then used by the church’s dioceses to set individual salaries for their clergy
Massive public service strike in Northern Ireland
Public service unions have organised one of the biggest strikes and mobilisations in Northern Ireland for many years as they try to put pressure on the UK government to stop delaying a pay offer for public service workers. The government claims that its hands are tied by the political stalemate in the province and the lack of a functioning Assembly. The unions argue that this is an excuse and that the money is available to make a pay offer immediately. EPSU affiliates UNISON, Unite, GMB and RCN are involved in the action, along with NIPSA, RCM, CSP, SoR, BDA as well as the teaching unions
Unions negotiate 9.2% for workers in non-profit services
The vida and GPA trade unions representing workers in non-profit care and other services have negotiated a new collective agreement with the Caritas group of religious organisations. The agreement applies to 41 organisations employing 17,700 workers, delivering a range of services such as disability care, education, support for the homeless and those in poverty. The increase took effect on 1 January with a 7.7% applied to salaries plus a 1.5% monthly allowance. All other bonuses and allowances increase by 9.2%. The unions believe this is another important step in delivering decent pay and
Doctors launch longest ever industrial action in health sector
In a long-running dispute over pay, the BMA doctors’ union has launched a six-day strike involving junior doctors – the occupational category that covers a wide range of qualified doctors and consultants. The union is seeking a deal which will compensate for the 26% decline in real pay for junior doctors since 2008. The strike began on 3 January and will be the single, longest strike action in the history of the National Health Service. Meanwhile, the RCN nurses’ union is maintaining its dispute over pay from last year and has strongly criticised the health ministry for a delay in beginning
Unions determined to fight attack on right to strike
On 9 December, the TUC trade union confederation organised its first special congress since 1982 to discuss its strategy to fight the government’s attack on the right to strike. EPSU affiliates in the UK are particularly affected by the new minimum services level legislation which could mean that workers who lawfully vote to strike, could be forced to attend work and even sacked if they don’t comply. The TUC says that one in five workers in Britain – 5.5 million people – the vast majority in public services, are at risk of losing their right to strike as a result of the Strikes Act. In a
Higher pay for health and care workers in public and non-profit sectors
Following negotiations between the younion trade union and the City of Vienna and the Vienna Health Association (VHA), €150 million has been made available for better pay, better working conditions, more leisure time and measures to combat labour shortages. The 9.15% pay rise in January follows the public-sector wide negotiations but in addition there will be extra payments for night work and for working on Sundays and public holidays. Night shift workers are set to get two hours credit per shift that can be taken as time off or extra pay if not used within six months. There are extra payments