2013 September epsucob@NEWS 14
Massive demonstration over pensions and labour law
Over 100000 workers joined a national demonstration in Warsaw on Saturday 14th September. The protest marked the end of four days of action organised jointly by the three main confederations - Solidarnosc, OPZZ and Forum. The confederations were protesting against government plans to deregulate employment law, increase retirement ages to 67 and introduce reforms to health services. [Read more at > Polish Radio news (EN)->http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/147250,Unionists-hold-protest-finale-in-Warsaw] [Read the EPSU solidarity letter at > EPSU->http://www.epsu.org/a/9750] [And the ETUC
High turnout for ambulance strike
The FSC-CCOO and FSP-UGT trade union federations report a high level of support for the first day of the four-day stoppage in the Catalan ambulance service. More than nine out of 10 joined the strike taking account of the workers who remain on duty as part of the agreement to provide a minimum service. The strike is in protest against the employer's decision to cut pay by 9.2% for the nearly 5000 workers in the service. The strike went ahead after arbitration at the Catalan labour tribunal failed to produce an agreement. [Read more at > FSC-CCOO (ES)->http://www.fsc.ccoo.es/webfsc/Inicio
Day of action and two-day strike against austerity
The member organisations of the ADEDY civil service confederation will be taking part in a week of action and a two-day strike against the latest austerity measures being imposed on the public sector. The health sector is under particular pressure following a 25% budget cut in the last two years while some 25000 civil servants are being put into a relocation pool on reduced pay while waiting to find out if they will be relocated or finally dismissed. A further 4000 are set to lose their jobs by the end of the year. [Read more at > ADEDY (GR)->http://www.adedy.gr/adedy/site/home/ws.csp] [And at
ETUC open letter rejects wage cut proposal
The ETUC has written an open letter to Olli Rehn, Commission for Economic and Financial Affairs, criticising his support for the idea of an agreement between unions and employers in Spain to cut wages by 10% in order to reduce unemployment. The ETUC argues that wage cuts would deepen the recession and lead to pressure for wage cuts in other countries, creating a spiral of decline in pay. Read more at > ETUC And in French
PSI condemns UN removal of union negotiating rights
PSI, the global sister organisation of EPSU, has condemned the unilateral decision of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to strip UN unions of negotiating rights and suspend the Staff Management Committee. Workers in many United Nations organisations, including the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation, have been trade union members for decades with PSI representing members of the Staff Union at the ILO. [Read more at > PSI (EN)->http://www.world-psi.org/en/psi-calls-international-support-united-nations-workers-rights] [And in French->http://www.world-psi.org/fr/la-psi-appelle-un
Firefighters may strike over pensions
Firefighters across the UK voted by four to one in favour of strike action in protest at employers plans to raise the retirement age for active firefighters from 55 to 60. Strike action by firefighters in England and Wales looks more likely as there is no indication that employers will negotiate over the issue. In contrast, the government in Scotland has indicated that there may be room for compromise although the FBU firefighters' union is waiting for details of the employers' offer. Read more at > FBU
Central agreement negotiated
The three trade union confederations SAK, STTK and Akava reached a central agreement on wages and salaries with the employers’ organisations at the end of August. The agreement includes two increases in pay with a flat rate rise of €20 beginning four months after the agreement is valid and a 0.4% increase a year later. The agreement runs for two years with an option to extend it for a third year. This will be decided in June 2015, after the parliamentary elections in April 2015 and the formation of a new government. To support the settlement the Government has promised to cut income tax by 1.5
Confederations sets out key bargaining priorities
The FNV trade union confederation has set out its key bargaining policies for 2014. Among the main issues are a 3% pay increase, action to protect purchasing power, flat-rate rises to benefit the low paid and continuing campaigning to secure equal pay for equal work. The confederation is concerned about the spread of precarious employment and argues that employers need to comply with negotiated agreements and not to undermine them by employing agency labour. The FNV also calls for action to protect and improve the quality of work in the face of continuing pressure from restructuring and to cut
Union develops its wages policy
The Vision white-collar local government union is in the process of developing its wages policy with the aim of giving individual workers more say over their pay. The process started in the spring with a wide-ranging series of discussions involving members and non-members. A special website was visited over 14,000 times. The union wants to see all employees being paid on the basis of performance and competence while having a real influence over the payroll process. The union maintains that this kind of wage-setting process will help to reduce the structural wage gap between female-dominated
Union calls for boycott in support of sacked care worker
The vpod public services union is supporting a migrant worker who was sacked by the Spitex Perspecta care company. Bozena Domanska is a Polish care worker who appeared in a TV documentary exposing the issue of inadequate pay for 24-hour working in the care sector. Although the company was not mentioned in the TV programme, it still decided to sack Bozena. The vpod is supporting Bozena in a claim for unfair dismissal and is calling for a boycott of Perspecta if they don't reinstate her. [Read more at > vpod (DE)->http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell/nachrichten/ansicht/article/polnische-care-migrantin
Unions reject attack on pensions
Public sector unions have expressed their anger about proposed changes to the pensions system. The STAL local government union says that increases in contributions were bad enough but now the government also wants to cut pensions that are already being paid out to retired workers. The union along with other members of the Frente Comum of public sector unions will be staging a national protest against the proposals on 25 September. The SINTAP public sector trade union is also opposed to the cuts and made its position clear in talks with the minister of public administration. [Read more at >
Union says it will protect employees affected by health merger
The ver.di services union says that it will aim to protect workers' jobs and pay and conditions if affected by the plans of the Fresenius Helios group to buy 43 hospitals and 15 outpatient facilities from the Rhön-Klinikum group. The merger would make the group the biggest in Germany with 117 hospitals. Without existing agreements on employment protection ver.di is concerned that the Fresenius will try to recoup some of the €3 billion cost of the merger by reducing employment costs. The union is also concerned that the monopoly position of the enlarged company will have an impact on patient
EPSU and PSI support affiliate denied right to strike
EPSU and PSI have both sent letters to the Minister of Works and Higher Board of Arbitration criticising the way that the authorities dealt with a dispute involving the Genel-Is trade union and two municipal companies. Following a deadlock in negotiations the union planned strike action but the two companies unilaterally signed a new agreement and the Higher Board of Arbitration deemed that this had become valid before the union's planned strike action and so denying Genel-Is its legal right to strike. [Read more at > EPSU->http://www.epsu.org/a/9709] [And at > PSI->http://www.world-psi.org/en
European Parliament approves report on transnational agreements
On 12 September the European Parliament approved a report on transnational agreements. The report acknowledges the role that can be played by both European works councils and European trade union federations (ETUFs) and notes the fact that several ETUFs have already agreed procedures for negotiating transnational agreements. The report by German MEP Thomas Händel of the Left Party backs the idea of a voluntary legal framework for such agreements and this is an issue that the ETUC has been discussing over a number of years and that will be taken up again at its next Collective Bargaining
Unions oppose cuts to sick pay
Trade unions representing ambulance workers - Unison and the GMB - have rejected the decision by NHS employers in England to change sick pay arrangements that could lead to cuts of up to 25% for some workers. The employers imposed the change on 1 September arguing that it brought ambulance workers in line with other groups in the health service. The unions argue that ambulance workers have long had different employment conditions and have criticised the employers for their reluctance to negotiate on the issues. [Read more at > Unison->http://www.unison.org.uk/news/ambulance-service-too-vital
Federation calls for pay negotiations
The FSP-UGT public services federation has criticised the government for making media statements about a further public sector pay freeze. The union argues that the government should go through the proper democratic process and open negotiations rather than use the media to announce its pay policy. The unions oppose any further freeze on pay when public sector workers have already seen their real pay fall by 23% over the past four years, have lost their Christmas payment and seen 375000 jobs cut from the public sector. [Read more at > FSP-UGT (ES)->http://www.fspugt.es/UGT_rechaza_una_posible