Collective Bargaining

Workers responsible for patient transport at Geneva University Hospital have won virtually all their demands after a two-day strike. They will be put on a higher pay grade and get four additional days off. There will also be an increase in staffing which will ensure a better service to patients.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/443
German: http://www.vpod.ch/aktuell/nachrichten/ansicht/article/-369bb4c04a.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=34&cHash=f7fbc85162

On Saturday 22 October, a mass demonstration of teachers, parents and students from all over the country occupied the centre of Madrid sending a warning to the authoritiesÿ: Don't slash our education budget! The demonstration, in which some 100,000 protesters took part, was organised by the seven national education unions, the parents' association and the national union of students, as to resist the severe austerity measures announced by the conservative party, expected to win the national elections in November. The organizers also strongly oppose plans to privatize parts of the school system. The demonstration was headed by the leaders of the national union confederations CCOO and UGT and of the education unions. Representatives of teachers' organizations from other European countries also took part (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 September 2011).
English: http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/1994/
Spanish: http://www.europapress.tv/educacion/122748/1/internacional-educacion-apoya-manifestacion-contra-recortes.html

Public sector unions within the CGT confederation joined a major day of action on 11 October, calling for an increase in salaries and policies to tackle precarious employment. The CGT confederation estimated that nearly 200 demonstrations took place across the country, calling for pay rises to protect purchasing power and as a step towards a fairer distribution of income in the face of the trend to higher pay for top executives. A preliminary union estimate during the day of action came at 270,000 participants in 150 demonstrations, not counting those participating in the many work stoppages.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/443
French: http://www.cgt.fr/Une-journee-dynamique-pour-les.html

In the early morning hours of 18 October, the joint negotiating team of the unions in the metal, mining, gas and heating sectors, GPA-djp und PRO-GE, could finally conclude a major new collective agreement for about 165,000 employed that provides an average pay increase of 4.2%. However, with a minimum guaranteed increase of €80 a month, this means that those on the lowest pay rates will get an increase up to 5.3%. The previous counted off parental leave time of 10 months has been extended to 16 months, a step regarded by the unions as important to narrow the gender pay gap: female workers get fewer promotions because of periods away from employment, such as on maternity or parental leave. The agreement runs for 12 months from 1 November 2011. It was reached after the failure of two bargaining rounds and industrial action: large-scale warning strikes and work stoppages took place in 200 companies, involving more than 100,000 workers. According to union negotiators, in particular important were strategic and early strikes on 13 and 14 October that moved third-round bargaining up from 20 October to 17 October.
English: message of PRO-GE for EUCOBAN network of EMF / EFFAT / ETUF-TCL / EMCEF; http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4738-Surprise-Strike-Brings-Austrian-Metalworkers-Sizeable-Wage-Gains
German: http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/Index&n=GPA_0.a&cid=1318866565628

According to newspaper information, the government defied the Troika's express wishes not to continue with its €2 billion "smash and grab" raid of private-sector pensions. It has emerged that the Troika (the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)) expressed serious concerns to the government during discussions earlier in 2011, but they were flatly ignored. In May 2011, hitting private-sector pension funds for over €460 million a year to fund the government's jobs initiative was announced by Finance Minister Michael Noonan. The plan already met serious opposition of unions, employers' associations and the pensions' industry.
English: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/government-defied-the-troika-with-pension-raid-2914401.html via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Ireland

The two main trade union confederations, CGTP and UGT, have once again been united in their opposition to the government's austerity plans and they are planning a general strike on 24 November - exactly one year after the first joint general strike. If the budget goes through then public sector workers earning over €1,000 a month could see massive cuts in bonuses, some worth the equivalent of two months' pay. The public sector unions have decided to stage a major demonstration in Lisbon on 12 November, in preparation of the general strike (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 July-August 2011).
English: http://www.portugaldailyview.com/01-whats-new/labour-trade-unions-hold-joint-general-strike-24-november; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/17/us-portugal-strike-idUSTRE79G3IK20111017
Portuguese: http://www.sintap.pt/

On 20 October, after five weeks on strike employees of the Charit‚ Facilities Management (CFM) company have taken their campaign to the Berlin high street with a leafletting and sit-down protest in the large Dussman book and music store. The store is owned by the Dussman group, a multinational service company that partly owns CFM. The strikers' basic demand is to have a collective agreement and higher pay (?168 for a full-time month) for non-medical staff. CFM provides a range of services to the Charit‚ hospitals in Berlin. Ver.di had also organised a demonstration in support of the strikers, on 15 October.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/443
German: https://www.verdi.de/themen/geld-tarif/++co++e9e02bd2-fb13-11e0-4596-0019b9e321e1; https://www.verdi.de/themen/geld-tarif/++co++2a8c74e8-f0f0-11e0-55f7-0019b9e321e1

The Fagforbundet municipal union and the LO Confederation's local authority section have agreed that one of the priorities in the 2012 negotiations will be higher pay for weekend work. This is an important demand for many workers and the union believes it will make a different to those on lower pay. Fagforbundet will also raise the question of when the weekend begins and whether Friday evening and night work should also be covered.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/443
Norwegian: http://www.fagforbundet.no/forsida/?article_id=67993

JHL, the public and welfare services union, is concerned that government plans to transfer the Ministry of Defence catering service to a new company will lead to large pay cuts for the 580 workers involved. The transfer would mean workers being covered by a different collective agreement and this could involve pay cuts of around €200 a month and possibly as much as €400 for some workers. JHL is eager to focus the impact this will have on increasing the gender pay gap as most of the catering workers are women.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/443; http://www.jhl.fi/portal/en/news/archive/?bid=1390

On 18 October, members of the UNISON working at Barnet Council in North East London organized a second day of strike action and a picket line in their campaign against outsourcing. The Council has plans for a radical externalisation that could see 70% of council employees transferred to the private sector over the next 15 months (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 May, June July-August and September 2011).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/443; http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=7297; http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/704