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| Report exposes high pay increases for heads of municipal and regional authoritie |
A report by the Kommunal municipal union looks at pay developments over a 10-year period and finds that managers in local authorities have seen their pay increase by 51% while directors of county (regional) authorities have received increases totalling 80%. In contrast, the average increase for workers has been 41%. If workers had had the same in increase as local managers then they would now be Skr1400 (€153) a month better off or Skr5700 (€623) better off if they had had the county directors’ increase. The union also found that the directors of private health companies earn on average 13 times the level of salary of their employees. Read more at > Kommunal (SV)
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| Getting citizens to act on social dumping |
The Fagforbundet municipal union and other local authority unions in the LO confederation are working together to raise the issue of social dumping. In the light of scandals involving contracting and sub-contracting in refuse collection and care homes, the unions are urging their members and local residents to use the right of the citizen’s initiative (requiring the support of 2% or 300 local citizens) to get municipalities to deal with any cases of social dumping. The unions want to see equal treatment of all workers and ensure that they are covered by the relevant collective agreement. Read more at > Fagforbundet (NO)
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| Energy agreement includes 3.2% pay increase for 2011 |
Energy and services union ver.di has signed a new 19-month collective agreement in the energy sector that covers 30,000 employees, mainly those of the E.ON energy company. There will be a 3.2% increase on 1 June and then 1.7% on 1 June 2012. The increases also apply to apprentices. Ver.di sees the deal as reasonable and in line with other agreements in the sector. Read more at > ver.di (DE)
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| Bargaining split in energy sector |
The are now two collective agreements in the energy sector – one for production and supply companies (PLB) and the other for network companies (NWB). There are similarities between these new agreements that both run for 24 months from 1 May 2011 to 1 May 2013. Both apply a 1.5% overall pay increase in both 2011 and 2012. Both also have contributions into a so-called benefit budget which workers can apply depending on their personal preference for particular benefits such as more leave. In the PLB agreement the benefit budget payments are 0.5% of salary in 2012 and 0.75% in 2012. The NWB payments are slightly less with 0.5% in both years. Both agreements also increase the money for personal development from €300 to €500. The PLB includes 1% of the paybill for employment measures while the NWB deal has 2% on this. Read more on the PLB at > FNV Abvakabo (NL) And more on the NWB at > FNV Abvakabo (NL) And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (NL)
There is still time for EPSU affiliates in energy, waste and water to ask their members to complete the online survey on pay and conditions. The questionnaire takes about 15-20 minutes to fill in and is available in 21 countries in national languages. The data form the survey will be available to EPSU affiliates and will be discussed at a conference in Vienna on 26-27 September. The project is funded by the European Commission and co-ordinated by researchers at AIAS in Amsterdam. Links to the national websites > EPSU | ||
The FNME-CGT energy union organized a day of strike action earlier this month at the RTE electricity network company, part of the EDF group. The union wants to defend pay and conditions in the face of the company’s preoccupation with profits and its minimalist view of itself as a public service provider. The management also argued that it had to respond to calls from Brussels for austerity measures to improve competitiveness as part of the Euro-Plus Pact. Read more at > FNME-CGT (FR) | ||
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The Unison and Unite unions are in dispute with Southampton City Council in the South East of England where the management are threatening to sack over 4,000 workers and offer them their jobs back on poorer pay and conditions, including on average a 5% pay cut. Recent talks with the council have failed to produce any progress and so the unions are now involving more workers in the industrial action. The unions organised a demonstration through the city centre on 13 June to highlight their case to local people. Read more at > Unison And at > Unite |
Advice from EPSU www.epsu.org
