Collective Bargaining

The vida and GPA-djp services unions are working together in a campaign to ensure better funding for social care and improved pay and conditions for workers in the sector, the vast majority being women. The unions are concerned to act now to defend and improve pay and conditions in order to prevent the increasing demand for social care, leading to pressure both to keep wages low and to increase workloads and working time for staff.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/441
German: http://www.vida.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=S03/Page/Index&n=S03_15.1.a&cid=1317301556871

On 22 September, unions organized a demonstration over proposals to transfer 600 street cleaners from the Brussels region to local authorities. The unions are concerned that the issue of the employment conditions of the workers has not been dealt with and they are surprised by the unexpected announcement of the transfer as the government and region had appeared to put any restructuring plans on hold. As a result, the regional government gave assurances that any proposed changes to the service will be undertaken subject to negotiation with the unions.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/441
French: http://csc-services-publics.csc-en-ligne.be/Nouvelles/Sectorielles/region_bruxelles_capitale/actualites/protestation_transfert_bxl_proprete.asp

Over 2,400 of the country's 6,500 hospital doctors are taking part in the mass resignation protest, co-ordinated by the LOZ trade union, that could see them leave their posts as of 1 December. As reported, the union has a number of key demands including stopping the conversion of public hospitals into joint stock companies, the application of labour code rules on working time and working conditions, and pay increases for health staff. The Minister of Health has been touring hospitals to try to persuade doctors to withdraw their resignations, obviously with meagre results. On Wednesday 30 November, many of the protesting doctors failed to report to work, clearly in a coordinated way organised by the LOZ (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 October 2011).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/446 http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/44370/2/health_minister_will_tour_hospitals.html http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/44685/10/many_hospital_doctors_fail_to_report ...

The mass resignation of hospital doctors, co-ordinated by the LOZ trade union, is still possible following inconclusive talks with the government. The union has a number of key demands including stopping the conversion of public hospitals into joint stock companies, the application of labour code rules on working time and working conditions, and pay increases for health staff. By 29 September as many as 2,411 doctors from hospitals across the country had submitted notices to their employers terminating their employment contracts. On 3 October, LOZ chairman Mari n Koll r warned that if no agreement is reached with the ministry, medical treatment in hospitals could collapse in December after the two-month notice period has run its course.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/441; http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/44060/3/doctors_are_ready_to_resign.html

The FNME-CGT energy federation organized a national day of action on 22 September to highlight the situation of the employees of sub-contractors in the nuclear sector. The union points out that these workers are facing some of the most serious safety risks in the sector but are missing out on the pay and employment conditions enjoyed by permanent staff. The union has delivered a 10,000-signature petition to the energy minister calling for improved pay and conditions for all sub-contracted workers, arguing also that all the contracted out services should be brought back in-house. It regards in particular sites of EDF, AREVA, CEA, ANDRA and IRSN.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/441
French: http://www.fnme-cgt.fr/pages/communique.php?id=195

Public sector unions have reacted angrily to a proposed pay cut of 4% for 160,000 public sector employees. The government's plans already included a ban on recruitment in the public sector until the end of 2012; not replacing recently retired workers; a cut in the 2011 public sector pay budget of 1% of the 2010 figure. Then, a parliamentary committee submitted an amendment calling for the 4% cut. The package, including the amendment, will now be discussed by the Finance Committee and then by the State Assembly. Branimir Strukelj, President of the Confederation of the Public Sector Trade Unions (KSJS), has announced that if the Finance Committee backs the pay cuts, the whole public sector will go on strike. However, Prime Minister Pahor has said that the government has had nothing to do with this amendment and that he will respect the agreement with the trade unions.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2011/09/articles/si1109019i.htm

On Wednesday 5 October, hundreds of police officers marched into unemployment offices in major cities and looked for other jobs, in a demonstration against the profession's low wages. As a demonstrating police officer explained to a journalist, "This is primarily symbolic. Our main goal is to affect our current employers in a positive manner. But I know many, myself included, who are looking at the job market and read employment ads." In Stockholm around 250 officers entered a job centre run by the National Employment Agency and perused job vacancy listings. Similar actions took place in Gothenburg and Malm”. The Swedish Police Union expressed its support for the officers' protest.
English: http://www.thelocal.se/36568/20111005/# via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Sweden

On 29 September, Wilhelm Haberzettl, chairman of the works council of the federal railways company (™BB), said he considered recent statements of ™BB boss Christian Kern as a "declaration of war". According to Kern, contracts stating that employees must not be sacked under any circumstances should be abolished. Kern explained his plan was to reduce ™BB's workforce by 4,000 to 40,000 by 2015. He also spoke about the opportunity to outsource certain departments of ™BB, with privatisations as another possibility - an option that the ™BB leader had ruled out until then. Haberzettl warned ™BB staff may down tools if the company's executive board would introduce a change of work contract agreements.
English: http://austrianindependent.com/news/Business/2011-09-30 ...

At the beginning of the 2011/2012 school year, some districts were planning to lay off up to 30% of their teaching staff. A demographic slump has caused a significant fall in pupil numbers, and the local governments responsible for supervising and funding public education up to secondary level are in financial difficulties. According to ZNP, the Polish Teachers' Union, local governments use the demographic slump as a pretext for excessive cuts in teaching staff, which may cause a dramatic deterioration in the quality of teaching. Educational trade unions are also protesting that the current situation is used by central government and local authorities to try to bypass guaranteed working conditions and wages as set out in the Teachers' Charter.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2011/07/articles/pl1107019i.htm

The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) says a new pension scheme for future public servants is unjust and potentially unlawful. The INTO said it is considering a legal challenge to the scheme which is designed to save the state pension bill €1.8 billion per year (in 2050). Under the new scheme, future new entrants will have their pension calculated on a career-average basis, rather than on the basis of the final salary at the time of retirement. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, insisted the new scheme would be fairer and more balanced than the current system. However, INTO General Secretary Sheila Nunan described the proposed scheme as unfair, unnecessary and "probably unlawful." The secondary school teachers' union, ASTI, has also said considering to challenge the measures in the courts.
English: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0930/breaking7.html http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0930/into_pensions.html via http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Ireland