2015 March epsucob@NEWS 03
Hospital workers get 6.5% over 34 months
After mobilising members and putting pressure on management, unions in the hospital sector have managed to secure a new collective agreement in principal that will deliver a 6.5% pay increase over 34 months. The agreement runs from 1 March 2014 to 31 December 2016 and covers around 120000 workers. The deal includes a 3% per year increase in the training budget as well as a commitment to convert flexible contracts into permanent contracts. [Read more at > FNV Zorg & Welzijn (NL)->http://www.fnv.nl/sector-en-cao/alle-sectoren/zorg-en-welzijn/ziekenhuizen/nieuws/1014740-principeakkoord-nieuwe-cao
Waste workers strike to stop €1385 pay cut
Waste workers employed by Barking and Dagenham Council in East London are taking industrial action to try to prevent the implement of a £1000 (€1385) cut to their pay. While receiving solid support from the local community, the strikers, members of the GMB union have faced intimidation by the Council who have brought security guards with dogs to the pickets lines. Read more at > GMB
National Gallery workers fight outsourcing
Employees of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in Central London have been taking industrial action in response to threats by management to outsource 400 out of 600 jobs. Further action is being planned for 24-28 March. The employers have been taking a tough stance, threatening the PCS union and its members with legal and disciplinary action. Read more at > PCS
Warning strikes by waste workers
In the lead up to the third round of negotiations with the BDE private sector waste employers' organisation, services union ver.di is organising warning strikes and a rally outside the head offices of the SITA Deutschland company. The union wants a 7% pay increase in a 12-month agreement which it sees as crucial for this low-paying sector where pay is lagging behind similar jobs in the public sector. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
Warning strikes planned in social services
The ver.di services union is planning a series of warning strikes across the country to support its claim for improved salaries for social services workers. Youth and childcare workers as well as those working with the disabled and in social services in hospitals are being mobilised to secure levels of pay that recognise the invaluable work that they do. Around 240000 employees in local government would be affected along with a further 500000 working for various non-profit and church organisations. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://www.verdi.de/themen/nachrichten/++co++510854f8-c9b8-11e4
Over 100000 regional government workers join warning strikes
A range of different groups of workers have joined warning strikes in recent weeks in the lead up to the third round of negotiations over a new collective agreement covering 800000 employees in regional government. The ver.di services union, along with teachers (GEW) and police (GdP) are looking for a 5.5% pay increase or minimum €175 in a 12-month agreement. They also want higher pay and more paid leave for trainees. Any agreement would also apply to around 1.2 million civil servants. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://www.verdi.de/themen/nachrichten/++co++33cdbc8c-c9b5-11e4-9459
Report analyses public sector restructuring
The 2014 annual report of the European Restructuring Monitor produced by the Eurofound research body focuses in particular on public services noting that net job cuts since the beginning of the crisis now top 800000. The ERM describes this as the "most severe restructuring in Europe for many decades." The report also warns of the particular decline in the number of young workers in the sector raising concerns about the transmission of knowledge, attractiveness of the sector and efficient delivery of public services. The analysis found that in some countries the restructuring process was "often
Collective bargaining news from across Europe
The February edition of the ETUI's collective bargaining newsletter includes 70 articles covering developments in over 30 countries. These include public service-related news from Bulgaria (prison staff and firefighters), Romania (public administration) and the UK (police staff), for example. Read more at > ETUC (EN)
Mix of dynamism and lethargy in sector social dialogue
A new analysis of the European sector social dialogue by the ETUI trade union research institute finds that some sectors are very active while others are not developing so well. The report also finds that the sectoral social partners have in recent years produced more ‘joint lobbying texts’ addressed to the European institutions than ‘joint agreements’ concluded, for example, in order to improve working conditions, training facilities, or workplace health and safety provision. Two sectors in which EPSU is involved - electricity and local and regional government - are mentioned in particular in
Federations defend collective bargaining in national health service
The FSS-CCOO and FSP-UGT federations have raised serious questions about effective consultation and collective bargaining in the national health service. The two union organisations withdrew from a recent meeting Consultative Committee of the national health service's Interterritorial Council because five issues on the agenda affecting employment and working conditions of health staff had not been properly dealt with in the appropriate national health service negotiations. [Read more at > FSP-UGT (ES)->http://www.fspugt.es/salud/1326-ugt-defiende-negociacion-colectiva-sanidad] [And at > FSS
Anti-austerity strike call for 9 April
Five union organisations - CGT, FO, FSU, FA-FPT and Solidaires - have called for strike action on 9 April in protest at the impact of austerity policies on jobs, services and the pay and conditions of public service employees. They are also concerned about the restructuring that is taking place without proper consultation with the unions. The unions want to see a general pay increase, a moratorium on restructuring and an investment plan to boost the economy. [Read more at > CGT (FR)->http://www.spterritoriaux.cgt.fr/spip.php?article9000] [And at > FO (FR)->http://www.force-ouvriere.fr/9-avril
Getting members involved in collective bargaining
The Kommunal municipal workers' union is encouraging its members to put forward their ideas for inclusion in collective agreements in 2016, whether on hours, holidays or any other changes to improve employment and working conditions. It has set up a space on the union website for contributions from and discussions between members and officials, with the possibility of people working together to draft new agreements. Read more at > Kommunal (SV)
Pay rise for civil servants but deadlock over pay system
Civil servants saw a 1.77% rise in basic pay on 1 March. This was the result of an agreement in the previous January that the 2015 pay increase would be the equivalent of the inflation rate between October 2013 and September 2014 plus 0.1%. However, after seven rounds of negotiations public sector unions are still trying to secure a guarantee from the government that civil servants won't lose out from the implementation of a new pay system. Read more at > GÖD (DE)
Widespread action across Northern Ireland
Thousands of workers across Northern Ireland took industrial action on 13 March in protest over privatisation, job cuts and cuts to health, education and other public services. Unions were very pleased with the strong and widespread support for the action. [Read more at > ICTU-NIC->http://www.ictuni.org/news/2015/03/13/m13-nicictu-statement-for-strike-rallies/] [And at > NIPSA->http://www.nipsa.org.uk/News/News-Releases/2015/NIPSA-Hails-Support-for-Public-Sector-Workers-Stri] [And at > Unison->http://www.unison.org.uk/news/unison-members-strike-in-northern-ireland] [And at > GMB->http://www
Union wins temporary agency work case
The European Court of Justice has issued a ruling in favour of the AKT transport union that brought a case on the Temporary Agency Workers Directive. The ruling allows for collective agreement to regulate the use of temporary agency work. AKT brought an action against Shell Aviation for infringing a collective agreement that stipulates that employers should restrict the use of temporary agency workers to work peaks or other tasks restricted in time or in nature, which cannot be given to workers of their user company due to urgency, the limited duration of the work, required professional
Public service strike on 22 April
The CGSP/ACOD public services federation has called for a national strike on 22 April. The union will be protesting against government changes to pensions, the statutes covering public sector workers and the failure to recruit new workers. In the meantime the common front of the three confederations is organising a number of mobilisations around the country in protest at government policies on public finances and public services. [Read more at > Le Soir newspaper (FR)->http://www.lesoir.be/819904/article/actualite/belgique/2015-03-12/cgsp-appelle-greve-generale-22-avril] [And at > RTBF media
Strong support for public sector strike
The STAL local government union reports a high level of support across local government for the one-day strike (13 March). The strike was the latest in a series of protests against attacks on workers' rights, pay freezes and in support of the unions' struggle to retain the 35-hour working week. Figures from STAL show the extent to which workers across a range of services have backed the strike including waste workers, transport, parks and gardens and administration. Strike action was also supported by other EPSU affiliates [Read more at > STAL (PT)->http://www.stal.pt/index.php/arquivomenu