2013 May epsucob@NEWS 07
EU staff strike over budget cuts
Around 3500 staff of the European institutions took strike action on 8 May in protest at budget cuts that will see significant changes to their pay and conditions. One estimate is that some workers will see an effective 60% cut in pay in real terms over the next 5 years. They will also face longer working hours without an increase in pay and their retirement age rise to 67. [Read more at > Euractiv news website->http://www.euractiv.com/future-eu/europe-day-takes-ironic-turn-eu-news-519616?utm_source=EurActiv%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=ec96c0aa9c-newsletter_daily_update&utm_medium=email&utm_term
Protest planned over further austerity
Unions in the CGTP confederation are organising a national demonstration on 25 May in protest at the latest austerity measures being imposed by the government under pressure from the the troika of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. Included in the measures are 30000 public sector job cuts, an increase in weekly hour for public sector workers from 35 to 40 without any increase in pay and an increase in retirement age to 66. [Read more at > STAL (PT)->http://www.stal.pt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1210&Itemid=240] [And at > EPSU (EN)-
Unions call for negotiations over pay and jobs
The public sector federations FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT along with the CSI-F federation have called on the government to open negotiations with the unions. The immediate issue to be resolved in repayment of the Christmas bonus. The unions say that the courts have supported the unions' claim that cutting the payment was unconstitutional and they want to ensure the government deal with the question. They are also concerned about the impact of job cuts across the public sector and lack of consultation over proposals to reform local government. [Read more at > FSC CCOO (ES)->http://www.fsc.ccoo.es
Unions campaign against public sector pay cut
Public sector unions are consulting their members over organising a major day of action to protest at pay cuts and attacks on collective bargaining. The unions began their anti-government campaigning at this year's May Day rally and are planning an action that would effectively blocked key services to demonstrate the importance and value of public services to citizens and the economy. [Read more at news website > Dalje (EN)->http://dalje.com/en-croatia/unions-threaten-to-block-entire-public-sector/464962] [And further at > Dalje (EN)-> Dalje (EN)->http://dalje.com/en-croatia/ministers-tell
Confederations criticise EU intervention in collective bargaining
The three union confederations, Akava, SAK and STTK, have criticised the European Union for repeatedly breaching the freedom of collective bargaining. They refer to recent cases where the European Commission has intervened in the bargaining procedures in Romania, Greece, Spain, Ireland and Italy and weakened the position of unions. This criticism appears in a discussion paper published on 26 April (due to be published in English at a later date) that is intended to influence the Finnish government over the debate on European Monetary Union. [Read more at > Trade Union News (EN)->http://www
Campaign over jobs and pay continues
Around 12000 workers employed by various public monitoring and regulatory bodies are set to join the three-month rolling industrial action called by the PCS civil service union. The campaign began with a national strike on 20 March to coincide with the government's presentation of the Budget. Since then the action has involved different departments and agencies and now involves a range of public bodies such as the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and the utilities regulators. [Read more about the current action at > PCS->http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/index.cfm/id
Conflict marks challenging bargaining round in state sector
This year's negotiations over a new two-year agreement in the state sector were marked by two unusual developments - a lock-out of teachers by the employers and government intervention. The agreement itself continues to apply the mechanism linking pay developments with those in the private sector. This means that there is effectively a pay freeze in the public sector in 2013, with a 1.1% increase for 2014. Read the OAO report at > EPSU (EN)
Unions disagree over care deal
The FNV Abvakabo public services union has refused to endorse a new agreement in the care sector because it says that it involves widespread cuts to services and the loss of up to 50000 jobs. The union says that it came up with many proposals for savings in administration and top salaries but these were rejected. The CNV Publieke Zaak public services union decided to sign the agreement arguing that it involved much fewer job cuts than the government had initially proposed and that the alternative would have been much worse for the sector. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http://www
Unions and employers reach social accord with government
Union members in the main confederations have backed a social accord between employers, unions and government that reverses some government proposals to cut spending. Plans to reduce unemployment benefit and reduce employment protection have been shelved while a €4.3 billion package of tax increases and spending cuts has been delayed, with a further decision due in the autumn. The agreement also includes initiatives on jobs and employment security. [Read more at > Financial Times (EN)->http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/471ead60-a382-11e2-8f9c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2RVQ46rpj] [And at > FNV (NL)->http:/
Water workers defer strike over bargaining rights
Members of the SIPTU general trade union at the Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment Plant have deferred their planned strike action on 6 May pending talks at the Labour Relations Commission. The conflict is over the employer's refusal to recognise their union for collective bargaining. The plant is owned by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on the outskirts of Dublin but is run by SDD Shanganagh Water Treatment Ltd. The company has agreed to reinstate a SIPTU member sacked for trade union organising activity. [Read more at > SIPTU->http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2013/featurednews
Summer of protest?
The CMKOS trade union confederation is considering what kinds of protest action to organise over the summer in response to the government's continuing austerity measures and labour market reforms. The Confederation organised a massive demonstration last spring and this year it will coordinate a series of protests including possible strike action. More information is expected from 14 May and after the CMKOS assembly on 22 May. Read more at > Ceske Noviny news website (EN)
Unions plan protest and possible general strike
The Solidarnosc trade union confederation is consulting its membership to see what anti-government protest action it might organise in the summer with a general strike included in the range of possibilities. The confederation opposes what it sees as “junk” employment contracts, which limit employment rights, and want a higher minimum wage. They also want more support for certain types of industry and changes to the healthcare system. Read more at > Warsaw Voice news website (EN)
Low paid worse affected by cutbacks
The JHL public sector union reports that temporary lay-offs are on the increase, with employees affected in some 20 municipalities and new plans for similar measures are reported every week. Municipalities are also trying to save money by attempting to remove the holiday bonus pay for holidays, offering unpaid holidays instead and privatising services. The union warns that those hit hardest are those with the lowest income, the majority of whom are women and so this is also a question of equality. Read more at > JHL (EN)
Big step towards equality in new agreement
Following mediation the Kommunal local government union has endorsed a new agreement which it sees as a great success. The main pay increase will be SEK 1700 (€200) up from the employers' initial offer of SEK 1500 (€175). Kommunal sees this as an important step in preventing any increase in the pay gap between male-and female-dominated industries. The agreement involves a number of other improvements including initiatives to reduce split shifts; better conditions for temporary workers; increased compensation for unsocial hours and emergency work; and increased parental allowances and time off
Commissioner pushes for higher wages in Germany
Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner László Andor has called for higher pay in Germany in order to boost both demand both within the country and across Europe. He also encouraged the application of minimum wages across more sectors and said that Germany had to respond to the challenges from Belgium and France about wage dumping because of the growth of low paying sectors in the economy. [Read more at > DW news website (EN)->http://www.dw.de/eu-executive-urges-higher-wages-in-germany/a-16778082] [And at > Süddeutsche Zeitung (DE)->http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/eu-sozialkommissar
Difficult negotiations in local government
The results of negotiations in the municipal and regional sector in Denmark was very poor according to the unions in the sector. It is still being debated whether the members will see their wages rise in line with the inflation. But because of the economic crises and the very low wage development in the private sector all unions in the public sector have recommended their members to accept the results. The collective agreement will be renewed for two years with a 0.7% general wage increase in 2013 and 1.21% in 2014. There is an additional 0.25% for improving agreements from 1 January 2014. It
Call for protection for whistleblowers in health sector
The ver.di services union participated in the Bundestag (parliament) health committee to call for protection for whistleblowers. The union said that around 6% of total health spending is lost to fraud and corruption but that there is no protection for employees in doctors' practices or hospitals who expose this. Claims for operations that haven't taken place or moving appointments to fit into other accounting periods are among the kinds of things that are done to cheat the system and that employees can help identify. [Read more at > ver.di (DE)->http://www.verdi.de/themen/nachrichten/++co+
Local government employers make final offer
Local government unions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been given a final offer by employers in this year's negotiations. This includes a 1% pay increase for all workers backdated to 1 April 2013 followed by abolition of the lowest point on the pay scale from 1 October 2013. This would mean around 28000 mainly women, part-time workers moving up the scale and would represent an additional increase for them of 1.4%. Unions are consulting over what would be the first pay increase after three years of pay freeze which has seen workers' pay eroded by around 16% by inflation. [Read more