On 1 April, teachers followed medical workers and police in protests against cuts in public sector pay. The government has imposed cuts of 15% across the public sector as part of a deal on a loan package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union. About 12,000 teachers were reported to demonstrate in Riga. Teachers' salaries were already trimmed 15% in January and are expected to be slashed a further 20% in June as the country's new center-right government cuts back to meet requirements for the bailout package.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303;
http://www.pr-inside.com/thousands-of-teachers-in-latvia-protest-r1160064.htm
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The government has signed a loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union implying substantial cuts in public spending, cuts in public sector jobs and a freeze on pay. The EPSU regional officer in Romania reports that the IMF has asked the Romanian government to freeze the public sector pay bill and allocate the additional income exclusively to investments. Over the next four years, the pay bill, which has more than doubled in the last three years, must be gradually reduced from 8% to 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The IMF requires that the cut in the pay bill is proportional to the contraction in the economy.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303; http://euobserver.com/9/27852
The CSC public service federation has criticized a decision by the Council of Ministers to allow for the recruitment of contractual and agency workers to parts of the federal civil service. The union argues that there should have been a proper process of negotiation over the proposal to appoint contractual workers. The union thinks the government is using the pretence of categorizing certain issues, such as migration, as "auxiliary" matters allowing to appoint contractual staff rather than statutory civil servants. The CSC also argues that the Ministry of Justice's plan to take on agency staff to work in medical services in prisons is in conflict with regulations that state that agency workers should not be used in the federal services.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303;
French: http://csc-services-publics.csc-en-ligne.be/Nouvelles/Sectorielles/autorite_federal/actualites_federal/comm_presse_fed_31_mars_2009.asp
The FSC-CCOO, FSP-UGT and CSI-CSIF public service federations have mobilised for protests on 15 April, demanding action from the government on the basic statute on public sector employment. The law was passed in 2007 but the unions claim that since then the government has done nothing to implement its provisions that should have created a more homogenous system of public service across the state administration and the autonomous regions and dealt with specific issues such as lifelong learning. The unions say that two years is too long to wait for action and that the crisis should not be an excuse for further delay.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303;
Spanish: http://www.fsap.ccoo.es/webfsap/menu.do?Actualidad:Sindical:Actualidad:56393;
http://www.fspugt.es/index.php/mod.noticias/mem.detalle/idnoticia.8628/cat.1142
The GMB, Unison and Unite unions representing 1.3 million local government employees rejected the employers' offer of a 0.5% pay increase for 2009, arguing that many local authorities had already budgeted for higher increases and contrasting it with the high pay increases awarded to top management in the sector. Heather Wakefield, UNISON Head of Local Government, said: "I am bitterly disappointed and surprised at the offer. We know that most local authorities have budgeted for an increase of between 1.5 and 2%." Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary, commented: "They are pleading poverty, yet those at the top are awarding themselves ever larger salaries."ÿ
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303; http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=1395; http://www.gmb.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=98429
A wide range of workers in the private and public sectors joined strikes and demonstrations across Greece on 2 April in protest at government plans to freeze public sector pay. The government said it would freeze all salaries for workers earning Euro 1,700 or more a month and those on less than Euro 1,700 would get lump sum payments only. Earlier, wages of public servants were already subject to a one years' freeze. The 24-hour strike was called by the two largest union organizations, the General Confederation of Workers and the Civil Servants' Council.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303#a4880; http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/02/Protesters-bring-Greece-to-standstill/UPI-54881238687091/
The SSSH trade union confederation reports that the government has decided on pay cuts for public sector workers of at least 6% as from 1 April 2009. According to the confederation, civil service unions had conceded to the pay cuts but other public sector unions had rejected the government proposals, arguing that the wages of the employed in public services had already been lagging behind for years.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303; http://www.sssh.hr/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=201;
http://www.sssh.hr/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=203
The GPA-DJP and VIDA trade unions have organised a week of action (14-17 April) calling for increased funding of health and social care, including better pay and conditions for workers in the sector, along with the creation of more jobs. The unions argue that the 200,000 workers in the sector, mainly women, do not get enough recognition for the work they do and the stress and strains of their jobs.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303;
German: http://www.vida.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=S03/Page/Index&n=S03_0.a&cid=1238488042255; http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/Index&n=GPA_0.a&cid=1237936214886
Following the successful national mobilisation on 29 January and the even larger turnout in protests and strikes on 19 March, the eight main national trade union confederations have issued another joint call for nationwide demonstrations on 1 May. They are also calling on their member organisations to mobilise throughout April in preparation for the 1 May events. The unions continue to call for increases to public sector pay and an end to government policies that are increasing precarious employment in the public sector and cutting funding that is undermining service quality.
English: http://www.epsu.org/r/174;
French: http://www.cgt.fr/spip.php?article35908; http://www.force-ouvriere.fr/page_principal/fede/index.asp?lk=fd&id=4311&fed=Fdration Gnrale des Fonctionnaires FO; https://www.cfdt.fr/rewrite/article/18834/actualites/un-1er-mai-intersyndical-exceptionnel.htm?idRubrique=6864
The ver.di public services union is campaigning for a major re-grading of the mainly women workers employed in various social, welfare and educational occupations. The union argues that these workers' occupations have not only been undervalued but that their responsibilities and the pressure of work have increased considerably in recent years. In the second round of negotiations on 30 March, employer proposals for re-grading were rejected as an outrageous provocation by ver.di which has launched a special website to argue the case for the re-gradings.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/303;
German: http://presse.verdi.de/pressemitteilungen/showNews?id=d2527ae2-1cf9-11de-606a-0019b9e321cd; http://www.chancen-foerdern.de/