The National Union of Nurses and Midwives (OZZPiP) has warned of nationwide protest action if the Health Ministry fails to react to their grievances. On 8 February, nurses in four hospitals in the Southeast of Poland went on strike, demanding the pay increases promised to them in 2006-2007. Solidarity actions followed. On 22 February, talks between health minister Ewa Kopacz and OZZPiP representatives wound up with no solution. According to the unionists the minister tried to shirk off responsibility for decision-making in this area. OZZPiP leader Dorota Gardas stated that the Ministry is blind for the serious situation in the country's hospitals. "There are no norms, no effective control over funds and no wage increases. Nurses are becoming an extinct profession with the average age of a Polish nurse at around 45 years old. The health ministry creates no incentives for young people to undertake education in this profession," Gardas complained bitterly.
English: http://www.thenews.pl/national/artykul126112_nursing-becoming-an ...; http://www.pracownik.net.pl/meeting_at_health_ministry_and_solidarity_with ...
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Negotiations in the private energy industry were concluded with workers getting at least a 3.7% increase for the year 2009 from 1 February. The lowest paid workers in grades I and II will get 3.8%, while those in grades III to M I will get 3.75% and those in the top two grades will get 3.7% increase. These are improvements on the employers' previous offer of 3.5%/3.6%. Allowances will also increase by 3.7% and there is an agreement to set up a working group to look into working time flexibility.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/285; http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
German: http://www.gpa-djp.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=GPA/Page/Index&n=GPA_0.a&cid=1233605877011
Following the widespread support for the public and private sector national day of action on 29 January, with an estimated 2.5 million demonstrators, the eight trade union confederations involved are planning another nationwide mobilisation on 19 March. The government response to 29 January produced nothing concrete for the public sector federations. The federations have reiterated their key demands: 1. end the policy of job cuts and stop those currently planned under the 2009 budget; 2. increase public sector pay and reform the pay structure to improve the career prospects of public sector workers; 3. withdraw any plans for relocating or closing local services that have a serious impact on staff as well as local service users; 4. provide the financial resources to maintain services instead of imposing austerity measures on central government, local and regional government and the health service. The federations supporting the action are CFDT, CFTC, CFE-CGC, CGT, FO, FSE, Solidaires, and UNSA.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
French: http://www.spterritoriaux.cgt.fr/spip.php?article3036
http://www.spterritoriaux.cgt.fr/spip.php?article3035
The third round of negotiations between unions and employers in regional government failed to produce any progress, with the ver.di union categorically rejecting the employers' 4.2% pay offer. The increase was only to have been implemented in July 2009 % and the employers want a two-year agreement. Ver.di said this effectively meant 18 months of no pay increase. The union wants an 8% pay increase with a minimum rise of Euro 200 a month, arguing that regional government workers' pay has fallen behind after years of below-inflation increases or no increases at all. Ver.di will call for a continuation of warning strike activity in the lead up to the next round of negotiations on 28 February.(See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 No. 1).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/285; http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
German: http://presse.verdi.de/aktuelle-themen/tarifrunde_2009_laender
Around 200,000 people joined the national demonstration in Dublin on Saturday 21 February organised by the ICTU union confederation in protest at the government's handling of the economic crisis. A particular focus of trade union anger has been the decision to impose a pensions levy on public sector workers that will cost them between Euro 1,500 and Euro 2,800 a year. The previous weekend had seen the IMPACT public service union co-ordinate lobbying of TDs (Members of Parliament) across the country.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7903518.stm
http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=201
The FIOM metalworkers' and FP public sector federations of the CGIL trade union confederation came together on 13 February in a national strike and demonstration over precarious work, low pay and government attacks on employment rights. The unions estimate that around 700,000 people joined the national demonstration. FP-CGIL rejected the government's claim that the strike was only supported by 6% of public sector workers. (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 2 No. 1).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
Italian: http://www.unitanticrisi.it/cms/
http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/9547
http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/9580
The collective agreement covering provincial (regional) authorities runs until June this year and public services union AbvaKabo FNV has carried out a survey to find out what workers see as the priorities for the forthcoming negotiations. A basic pay increase proved to be top of the agenda, but provincial government employees are also concerned about their workloads and the impact of restructuring. Next, they would like to see improvements in training, competence development and career progression and finally a decent pension.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/inzetten_op_structurele_salarisverhoging/
Public services union AbvaKabo FNV is pleased that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment has ruled that the childcare collective agreement should be made generally binding. The agreement covered 80% of workers in the sector and was negotiated with the Mogroep employers' organisation. The smaller BKN employers' association had argued that it should not be covered by the agreement, but was overruled by the Ministry. The extension of the agreement will mean higher pay and longer holidays for many employees of BKN companies.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/cao/bericht/bkn_wel_onder_cao_kinderopvang/
The SINDEL energy trade union will resume negotiations with the EDP and REN energy companies this week after five bargaining rounds. The companies' latest offer of 1.5% or 2% depending on salary level still falls short of the union's demand for a 3.6% increase for all workers. However, it is an improvement on the previous offer, that would have seen a pay freeze for some workers and increases of 1.2% or 1.6% for others.
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/287
Portuguese: http://www.sindel.pt/edpTS2009.pdf
On 23 February, gas monopolist PGNiG PGNI.WA stated to have rejected trade unions' demand for an 11% pay increase in 2009, of which 5.5% to be paid in the first half of the year, "Taking into account the economic situation in Poland and the financial situation of the company." The unions in turn have decided to start a collective dispute with the company, a first step towards a potential strike.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIntegratedOilGas/idUSLN71379020090223