Collective Bargaining

The National Union of Students (NUS) and UNISON have launched a national campaign, calling on higher education institutions to pay a living wage to all its employees. NUS and UNISON condemn the inequality between highly paid college principles and vice-chancellors on the one hand, and poverty wages to the lowest paid employees on the other.
English: http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2620

From 1 April 2012 wages for offset and affiliate trade workers will increase with 3.63%. Given the difficult economic outlook there will be no payment of overtime bonuses in the sector between 18.00 and 19.00 hours. The agreement includes a payment of annual increases related to the inflation rate and has a duration till 31 December 2016. Workers in the newspaper branch receive from 1 April 2012 a 3,63% wage increase.
German: http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/ .

Local government union representatives from UNISON, GMB and UNITE have announced their intention of seeking binding arbitration in response to local governments' refusal to negotiate on wages. Local government employees are entering the third year of pay freeze, while purchasing power deteriorates. Unions have expressed outrage at learning that even the lowest paid employees will not receive increases to compensate for loss of purchasing power.
English: http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2617

The vida and GPA-djp service trade unions have reached three agreements in the private health care sector. This concerns the BAGS-KV agreement, covering around 90,000 workers for one year starting 1 February 2012, and the agreement covering 12,000 workers employed by the Caritas social welfare organisation. Wages in both agreements will increase by 3.4%. The increase in the third agreement, for the 6,000 employees of the Vienna Red Cross, is slightly lower at 3.3%. In all three cases changes to the treatment of parental and other leave will mean protect pay and will benefit women workers in particular. The unions had organised a variety of actions to support the negotiators, including a day of action on 1 February, mobilising over 6,000 protesters in four cities (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 December 2011 and Year 5 January 2012).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/461#a8480
German: http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet ... ; http://www.vida.at/servlet ...

In the upcoming negotiations covering workers in federal and local government, the ver.di services union is calling for a 6.5% pay increase with a minimum guaranteed rise of €200 that would benefit lower paid employees. The union also wants to see apprentices offered permanent jobs and an increase of €100 to the apprentice allowance. Ver.di argues that public sector workers saw the value of their pay fall by 0.6% in real terms last year and they need a decent increase so that they don't get left behind by the private sector. The union also maintains that the pay rise will be an important boost to the economy.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/461#a8480
German: http://www.verdi.de/themen/nachrichten ...

Warning strikes across the electric energy sector slated for 15 February brought a national labour agreement to 21,000 workers. In a fourth bargaining round on 12 February the PRO-GE and GPA-djp unions reached a collective agreement. After bargaining failed the two unions had got strike endorsement from the Austrian Federation of Trade Unions (™GB) and were to start actions. Minimum wage levels in the utility sector will increase between 4 to 4.2%. Higher-level wages will rise between 3.8 and 4%, and apprentices' remuneration will increase with 4.2%. The agreement also includes arrangements for the unions and employers to look at age-related issues around pay, shift work and arduous employment as well as analysing gender equality aspects of the collective agreement (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 5 January 2012).
English: http://www.icem.org/en/3-Energy-Oil-and-Gas/4891-Threat-of-Strikes . http://www.epsu.org/cob/461#a8480
German: http://www.proge.at/servlet/ ... ; http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet ...

On 28 February, public service unions have suspended strike action in the provincial offices of the National Pensions Service (RVP), which they started a week earlier. By then, the unions responded to excessive pressure on staff arising from a number of factors including the rise in the numbers claiming pensions, the increase in enquiries resulting from the national debate over pensions reform, difficulties arising from poor communications from the service and a transfer of responsibilities to the provincial offices without any appropriate allocation of additional resources. The interim manager of RVP has presented a number of possible solutions. The unions, though remaining sceptical, are willing to await concrete measures.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/461#a8480
Dutch: http://openbarediensten.acv-online.be/# http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/12077/Staking/article ...
French: http://csc-services-publics.csc-en-ligne.be/Nouvelles/Sectorielles/autorite ...

The union section for the transport sector of 3F (United Federation of Danish Workers) and employers in DI (Confederation of Danish Industry) on Thursday 23 February agreed to renew the collective agreement for warehouse and transport employees. It is the first standard wage settlement in the 2012 round of bargaining, in which standard wages are established at central bargaining level between DI and the unions. The agreement (with a duration till 1 March 2014) focuses on perspectives aimed at strengthening the chances of increasing overall competence and productivity. The deal enables older employees to reduce the number of working days and includes provisions on increasing the qualifications of the employees.
English: http://di.dk/English/News/Pages/Settlementonnewcollectiveagreement ...
Danish: http://forsiden.3f.dk/article/20120223/NYHEDER/120229945/2219/LONARB02

After a four day strike from 6 until 9 February and a national protest in front of the Parliament on 22 February, air traffic unions and Air France have reached agreement on minimum services that government officials say weakens the bill to be adopted in Parliament on 29 February. Unions mobilised in February against the Diard bill that would oblige personnel on strike to register at least 48 hours in advance and would allow Air France to recall all non-registered off-duty personnel in order to maintain minimum services.
French: http://www.liberation.fr/economie/01012392651-air-france-deroute . http://www.unac.asso.fr/mon-unac/tracts/rassemblement .

In reaction to a Parliamentary report on gender equality in the civil service, FO Fonctionnaires civil service federation has called for action to deal with gender inequality in the public sector and in particular the very low percentage of women in senior positions. The federation wants negotiations with the government on direct and indirect discrimination in pay, child care, the reconciliation of family life with higher positions, and gender sensitive recruitment and training practices. It points out that while women make up 60% of the public sector workforce they account for only 22.2% of managerial staff and just 10.8% of the most senior appointments. The union has criticised the government for failing to come up with concrete legal and financial proposals to tackle the issue.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/461#a8480
French: http://www.fo-fonctionnaires.fr/2012.html