EPSU - bargaining latest advice Dec 2010

EPSU latest bulletin on EU bargainig includes -
Germany - Regional government pay claim of €50 plus 3% has been put forward by ver.di’s collective bargaining committee for regional government. The agreement covers 585,000 workers in 14 of Germany’s 16 Länder (Berlin and Hesse are covered by separate agreements).
UK - Unions have expressed their concern about the coalition government’s intention to abolish the two-tier employment code in the public sector. The code was agreed with the previous Labour government after long periods of campaigning and lobbying by public sector unions. The aim was to ensure that private contractors supplying services to public authorities would apply the same minimum rates of pay as public sector agreements. http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2085
Germany - Private waste sector workers around Germany have been involving in warning strikes in protest at the pay offer from the BDE private waste employers’ organisation.https://presse.verdi.de/aktuelle-themen/private-abfallwirtschaft\
Sweden - Municipal union Kommunal has welcomed new legislation that will require dementia care homes to provide minimum levels of staffing. A victory for both dementia care workers and dementia sufferers. Kommunal will now work to ensure that the new rules are properly.http://www.kommunal.se/Kommunal/Nyheter/2010/December/Stor-seger-for-Kommunal-om-minimibemanning-i-demensvarden/
Germany - Services union ver.di along with the IGBCE union organised warning strikes across all departments of the RWE energy company on 16 and 17 December. The action involved around 6,000 workers and was in protest at the management’s offer of a 2.4% pay increase plus lump sum payment. The unions argue that this is an insult in view of the company’s massive profits and they have demanded a rise of 6.5%.
All advice from EPSU - see http://www.epsu.org/