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Royal
staff vote for action
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Staff who work at Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s
residences, have voted for industrial action over pay. The workers are
protesting over an increasing workload and duties for which they are
effectively unpaid. They are likely to begin action short of a strike -
removal of goodwill - before the end of April. Read
more at > PCS
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Civil
service pay negotiations get underway
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Negotiations over a new collective agreement for civil
servants have begun with unions presenting central government minister Stef
Blok with a petition signed by over 30000 civil servants demonstrating the
strength of feeling for a new collective agreement. The main aims of the
unions are to secure a 3% pay increase, a deal on job security and an
allowance in recognition of the long period (over four years) without a
revised collective agreement. Read
more at > FNV (NL) And
at > CNV Publieke Zaak (NL)
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Federation
targets gender pay gap
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On 16 April the FSP-UGT public services federation organised a
workshop to promote a range of tools to reduce the gender pay gap. The
workshop was aimed at union activists involved in collective bargaining to
encourage them to include specific measures in their collective agreements to
address pay inequality. The initiative is in a response to the findings of a
recent report by the UGT confederation which revealed that, for the first
time, some parts of the public services are registering a large gender pay
gap than the national average. Read
more at > FSP-UGT (ES)
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National
demonstration over restructuring in provinces and cities
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The public service federations - Fp-Cgil, Cisl-Fp, Uil-Pa and
Uil-Fpl - organised a national demonstration in Rome on 11 April in protest
at the impact of restructuring in public administration at provincial and
metropolitan level. The unions argue that massive cuts in funding are leading
to a decline in services while restructuring is leading to lots of temporary
workers as well as permanent staff losing their jobs. The unions want to see
proper negotiations to improve services and reduce waste and that will make
full use of the skilled professional working in the sector. Read
more at > Fp-Cgil (IT)
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Unions
continue Red Cross campaign
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The public service federations - Fp-Cgil, Cisl-FP and Uil-Pa -
are continuing their campaign to defend employees and services in the face of
the restructuring of the Red Cross. They have been looking for guarantees on
services, employment levels and wages and have planned a series of
mobilisations to put pressure on the government, including a national
demonstration in Rome on 11 May. Read
more at > Fp-Cgil (IT)
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Young
workers facing zero hours contracts and low pay
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A survey of the working lives of the under 35s, conducted by
the Young Workers Network (YWN), has revealed that nearly 90% struggle to
make ends meet with zero hour contracts and low pay the norm for many. The
survey also found that 21% of respondents felt their job could end at any
time, 20% were working on zero hour contracts and 20% said their employer gives
them less than one day’s notice of their working hours. The survey is ill be
part of a submission by the YWN to a study on zero hour contracts being
conducted by the University of Limerick. Read
more at > SIPTU
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Over
80000 on zero-hours contracts
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Zero-hours contracts have been clearly identified as a an
issue for trade unions in the UK and data released by Statistics Finland now
reveals that that many workers there, mainly younger women, are also in work
arrangements where no basic hours are guaranteed. Around 4% of the workforce,
some 83000 workers, were covered by such contract, 11000 working in health
and social services. Read
more at > Trade Union News (EN)
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Public
service strike set for 22 April
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The CGSP/ACOD public service federation (part of the FGTB
confederation) has called a national strike in the public services in protest
at government policy. The unions is strongly opposed to the increase in
pension age and other changes that reduce pension benefits. It is also
protesting over the public sector pay freeze and policy of not replacing only
one in five civil servants who leave. The union also wants to see an increase
in public investment. The CSC has not taken a decision to strike on the same
day but has sent a circular to its members to say they can join the stoppage
if they want to. Read
more at > CGSP (FR) And
at > ACOD (NL)
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Federation
calls for wage increases to boost demand
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The FES-CCOO services federation is calling for an increase in
wages as part of a strategy to boost demand and create jobs. The union warns
that with inflation down to 0.7% the country is at risk of a deflationary
slump and there needs to be a concerted effort to win back the loss in real
pay suffered since the crisis. In terms of the public services the federation
wants to see an unfreezing of pay and recruitment, factors which have
threatened the quality of services. The federation remains unconvinced of the
Juncker investment plan and argues that something more substantial, like the
ETUC 10-year investment plan is what’s needed. Read
more at > FES-CCOO (ES)
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Negotiations
start for doctors in religious hospitals
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The vida services union is aiming to negotiate a new agreement
covering doctors who work in religious hospitals. Bargaining began at the end
of March and the union wants to secure a unified, national agreement that is
transparent and provides comparable pay and conditions as in the public
sector and with a competitive basic salary based on a 40-hour week. Read
more at > vida (DE)
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Pay
and hours improvements for doctors
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The GdG-KMSfB union has secure improvements in pay and rules
around working time for doctors employed by the federation of health institutions
in Vienna. There will be higher starting pay and increased annual leave for
new starters which the union regards as crucial to make the job more
attractive. There are other changes to working time to ensure that all time
at work is paid and that any time worked above normal hours is paid as
overtime, on the basis of a 40-hour week. Read
more at > GdG-KMSfB (DE)
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Pay
deal agreed in regional government
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Public sector unions, including ver.di, have secured a pay
increase for 800000 regional government workers after four rounds of
negotiations. Pay will rise in two steps with a 2.1% increase backdated to 1
March 2015 and then 2.3% on 1 March 2016. There will be a minimum increase of
€75 a month so that the overall increase will average 4.83%, with the lowest
paid getting more than 6%. In Hessen there separate negotiations for the
45000 regional government workers and warning strikes took place around the region
on 13 April to support ver.di and the other unions in their 5.5% claim. Read
more at > ver.di (DE) And
on Hessen at > ver.di (DE)
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Childcare
and social service workers in warning strikes
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The ver.di services union is negotiating for salary
improvements for around 240000 childcare and other workers in the social
services. Thousands of these workers from across the country took part in
warning strikes just after Easter to underline support for the union’s claim.
Ver.di is arguing strongly that the nature of much work in social services is
seriously undervalued and that many occupations need to be upgraded in the
local government pay structure and the change would mean an average increase
of 10%. Further action is planned before the fourth round of negotiations. If
the ver.di campaign is successful then around 500000 similar workers in the
non-profit sector could benefit as pay and conditions there tend to follow
the agreement in the public sector. Read
more at > ver.di (DE)
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Trade
union demonstrators acquitted
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A number of trade union activists who were among the
organisers of the 1 May March in Istanbul last year have finally been
acquitted after facing trial and possible prison sentences of up to four
years for organising an illegal march. The activists included trade union
leaders from the KESK and DISK confederations. Read
more at > KESK (TK) And
earlier information at > DISK (EN)
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ETUC
notes some progress on trade union rights
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The ETUC has welcomed a decision of the European Court of
Human Rights as a small but important step forward for trade union rights in
Turkey. The case concerned a disciplinary measure taken against a teacher,
who held office in a trade union, for taking part in a panel discussion
organised by a political party. The Court found that the reprimand imposed on
Mr Sezer constituted a restriction of his freedom of association. Read
more at > ETUC (EN+FR) And at > ECHR ruling (EN)]
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Unions
mobilise across the country
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The CGT, FO, FSU and Solidaires trade union organisations
mobilised an estimated 300000 demonstrators on 9 April calling for higher
salaries and more jobs as well as defence of public services in a major
anti-austerity action. The main protest was in Paris with over 120000
marchers but there were also demonstrations in over 80 towns and cities
across the country. Read
more at > CGT (FR) And
at > FO (FR)
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Federation
pickets ministries on world health day
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The Sanitas health workers’ federation organised a picket of
three ministries (health, finance and labour) on 7 April, world health day,
in order to raise a number of concerns about pay, training and funding of
health services. EPSU sent a letter to the three ministers expressing support
for the Sanitas action. The union has managed to secure a commitment to deal
with a range of issues and there will be talks on public sector pay in
general as well as how to improve pay in the health service in particular. Read
more at > Sanitas (RO)
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Anti-austerity
demonstration on 22 April
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The STAL local government union is organising a national
demonstration in Lisbon on 22 April calling an increase in salaries and the
minimum wage. The union is also continuing its campaign to block the
government-imposed 40-hour week and for recognition of the hundreds of local
agreements its has negotiated to retain the 35-hour week. Read
more at > STAL (PT)
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Union
runs competition on equal pay
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The Kommunal local government union is running a campaign
where each month members can win SEK 4500 (€450). The amount is the
equivalent of the gender pay gap. The special "man’s salary"
website has lots of photos of men with a gap where people can add in the
face. A jury, including EPSU President and Kommunal general secretary,
Annelie Nordström will decide on the best photo, transforming a woman into a
man. Read
more at > Kommunal (SV) And at > the man’s salary website (SV)
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