2010 February epsucob@NEWS 03
National public sector strike on 10 February
The ADEDY public sector confederation has called a national strike on 10 February in protest at the socialist government’s plans to cut public sector pay and employment. The government measures are a reaction to demands from the European Commission for drastic reforms to the country’s public sector finances. The government had already implemented a pay freeze in 2009 but ADEDY reports that workers are now facing pay cuts in 2010 of between 3% and 15%. [Read more at > ADEDY (GR)->http://www.adedy.gr/adedy/site/home/ws.csp] [Read more at > Financial Times (EN)->http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/32ccebc4
Union organises warning strikes in local and federal government
The ver.di service union has organised warning strikes to demonstrate to the local and federal government employers that workers in the sector want a reasonable pay offer. So far the employers have rejected ver.di’s demands in terms of both pay and other conditions. They are also refusing to reintroduce promotion opportunities that were suspended in 2005 at the time of the introduction of a new pay agreement. The 2005 agreement included a new pay structure but full implementation of this has not been negotiated and so the union is calling for at least the possibility of career progression. Ver
CPSU to step up industrial action
The CPSU, representing 13,000 low-paid civil servants, is balloting its members for full strike action in protest at further pay cuts being pushed through by the government. The union is already part of the public sector wide work-to-rule action which has also been joined by the SIPTU general union. Read more at > RTE news (EN)
Local government workers take action
Around 45,000 local government employees joined a warning strike on 2 February in protest at cuts in public sector pay and jobs. The strike was organised by the National Federation of Unions in Administration part of the Sed Lex federation affiliated to EPSU. Further action was planned from 12 February if the government failed to respond on calls for increases to low salaries and to revise the proposed job cuts. Read more at > Balkan Insight website (EN)
Nurses strike over pay in private sector
Members of the NSF nurses’ union are on strike to secure better pay and conditions in the private nursing homes, rehabilitation centres and occupational health services run by NHO Service. Nurses working for NHO have lower pay than in the public sector or other private health institutions. They also lose out when it comes to sick leave and time off for maternity and other factors. NSF has been trying to negotiate a collective agreement with NHO for three years and resorted to strike action after arbitration failed. [Read more at > NSF (NO)->https://www.sykepleierforbundet.no/portal/page/portal
EPSU organises regional collective bargaining conference in Copenhagen
There will be a regional collective bargaining conference in Copenhagen on 16-17 March aimed at EPSU affiliates from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. This is the first of three regional collective bargaining conferences that will give affiliates an opportunity to exchange information on a range of key negotiating issues including equal pay, outsourcing and precarious employment. Affiliates from other countries will be invited to conferences later in the year in Madrid (June) and Bratislava (September). [Read more
Unions co-ordinate action as employers fail to respond to ultimatum
With negotiations stalled in both the local and regional government negotiations, the three unions agreed to issue the employers with an ultimatum to come back to the negotiating table. With no response from the employers, the unions met on 3 February to confirm their plans for a series of actions around the country beginning on 5 February. The unions point out that not only do the local and provincial employers have funds to cover pay increases in 2010 but they have also signed the intersectoral social accord that should commit unions and employers to negotiating increases that at least
Energy workers get 1.6% on lowest rate
After two rounds of negotiations unions secured a 1.6% pay increase on the lowest pay rates for the 18,000 workers in the electricity industry. Increases on higher pay rates varied between 1.45% and 1.55%. The agreement runs from 1 February 2010 to 31 January 2011. Read more at > GPA-DJP (DE)
Energy affiliates concerned about EON restructuring
EPSU affiliates that represent workers from 11 countries in the EON energy group met in Brussels at the end of January to exchange information on developments in the company. They were particularly concerned about the impact of EON’s Europe-wide “Perform to Win” restructuring programme. One result of this is the planned closure of a call centre in Essex in the UK with the loss of up to 800 jobs. Read more at > EPSU (EN)
Public sector unions back reform but call for level playing field
The OAO grouping of public sector unions has said that it supports changes and reform in the public sector but rejects the idea that this has to be done by introducing more private sector methods. The OAO argues that outsourcing and privatisation are not the way forward and that in-house provision of services has to be able to compete on a level playing field. The organisation also said that it is important to maintain a central role for trade unions in determining pay and conditions, particularly to ensure fair pay at local level. [Read more at > OAO (DK)->http://www.oao.dk/index.asp
Parental leave changes summarised
The ETUC has produced a short presentation that outlines the recent negotiations on revisions to the parental leave directive and highlights the main changes. Leave is increased from three to four months. The ETUC wanted this to be non-transferable to try to ensure that men took up their full rights but the outcome is that a minimum of one month is transferable. The new provisions also underline the need to avoid discrimination against part-time, fixed-term and agency workers. The full text is available on the EPSU website in English and French along with the ETUC presentation in English.
Unions criticise proposal to increase retirement age
The Spanish government is the latest to use the crisis to argue that an increase in retirement age is necessary. The main trade unions have attacked the plan to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 as an unnecessary and disproportionate response to pressures on public spending. The unions say that other measures can be considered, including continuing the trend to less early retirement before 65. Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES) And at > FSP-UGT (ES)
Unions mobilise workers in non-profit sector
Workers in the non-profit sector that includes hospitals and social services took to the streets in December and early February in support of union demands for the 2010 collective agreement. The unions are concerned that government budgets for 2010 don’t include any provisions for a revised agreement. [Read more at > LBC-NVK (NL)->http://lbc-nvk.acv-online.be/Actualiteit/LBC_NVK_persberichten/2010/012_nonprofit.asp] [And at > VRT news website (EN)->http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/news/100202_social_sector_demo] [And at > CGLSB (FR)->http://www.cgslb.be/secteurs/non-marchand
Unions co-ordinate over 130 demonstrations over public sector reform
On 21 January the public services federations and unions, CGT, FSU and Solidaires, organised over 130 demonstrations and meetings around the country involving an estimated 100,00 participants. The unions are concerned about government proposals for reform that will affect all three of the main sections of the public services – ministries, local government and health service – and that will mean cuts in jobs and continual refusal by the government to negotiate pay increases and a reform of the public sector pay system. [Read more at > CGT (FR)->http://www.spterritoriaux.cgt.fr/spip.php
Health and social service workers get 1.5%
The VIDA and GPA-DJP trade unions have negotiated a 1.5% increase for most workers covered by the private sector health and social services agreement. However, the deal includes a minimum increase of €24 which means the lowest paid get an increase of 1.86%. The unions say that the successful negotiations would not have been possible without the active support and intervention of workers and works council members. Read more at > VIDA (DE)
Church employees show growing dissatisfaction over pay and conditions
Public services union ver.di reports that there is increasing discontent among church employees over the failure of the Evangelical Church to negotiate collective agreements to cover its 150,000 workers who work mainly in health and social services. Recent years have seen no pay increases and employees argue that there is not a fair distribution of representation on the committee that deals with employment issues. Ver.di is calling for a collective agreement to cover the church employees that would help re-connect them to the pay and conditions that apply in the health and social services