Irish trade unions have succeeded in bringing forward an annual €1,000 pay rise for public service workers from September to April 2017, and opening the way for further negotiations. Ireland's largest public service union, IMPACT, and other trade unions insisted that pay rises must be speeded up to keep pace with improvements in the Irish economy and public finances.

In the Czech Republic, wages are significantly higher in companies where workers are members of trade unions and carry out collective bargaining than in unorganised workplaces. In 2015, for example, figures from the union confederation CMKOS show that workers covered by collective agreements earned just over 31,000 CZK gross a month (approx. €1,150) compared with 28,000 CZK elsewhere.

Dear Readers, Welcome to the third edition of our National UPdates newsletter illustrating how trade unions at national as well as EU level are working constructively with other partners in society, including employers, governments and civil society organisations, for social progress and justice in Europe. National UPdates will be sent to your mailbox quarterly.  To read the document, please click here.

A survey of public opinion in Belgium found that 72% of respondents see them as a positive influence. Researchers at the Catholic University of Louvain (KU Leuven) questioned some 1,900 voters between October 2014 and June 2015, comparing opinion in the Flemish-speaking north and French-speaking south of the country. They also discovered that 41.6% of French-speakers are trade union members, as against 39% of Flemish. Across the country, more than 70% of trade unionists referred to the services unions provide as the reason for joining.

Scotland loves football, and it should be a game that welcomes everyone. The British train drivers’ union ASLEF is one of the trade unions taking action to ‘Show Racism the Red Card’, and kick race-hate out of the beautiful game. Members in Scotland have collected money to pay for printing of materials, visits to schools to talk to children about racial tolerance, and events involving footballers themselves. “The backing we get from ASLEF never ceases to amaze us,” said SRtRC campaign manager Nicole Hay.

Health workers in Bulgaria had something to make them feel good in the autumn when trade unions negotiated a big pay award from government. Negotiators from the health unions affiliated to ETUC members CITUB and Podkrepa took six months to reach a collective agreement with the country’s Ministry of Health, providing multiple benefits including pay rises of up to 40%. The minimum wage in the sector will increase by 30%.

Living in one country and working in another is not unusual in European border regions. The Dutch FNV and German DGB trade unions are uniting to provide legal protection for members This assistance could benefit thousands of workers crossing between Germany and the Netherlands. The cooperation agreement, signed in Krefeld in November, is "a good and important signal in these times," said DGB President Reiner Hoffmann. "It can serve as a blueprint for further agreements of this kind."

Trade unions in the UK have joined forces with independent company shareholders to force a bad employer to change its work practices. Retailer Sports Direct was notorious for its use of zero-hours contracts and punitive employment practices, reminiscent, according to British Parliamentarians, of “a Victorian workhouse”. The Unite trade union collaborated with Trade Union Share Owners (TUSO), a grouping of fund managers who use their investor status to influence company policy.

A new law imposing a duty of care (“vigilance”) on parent and contracting companies, adopted by France’s National Assembly, represents a major success for French trade unions. The new bill puts consultation with stakeholders at the heart of the plan: a decisive step towards stronger social dialogue in the field of corporate social responsibility.

Trade union activity plays an important role in stopping the spread of precarious employment and helping people into more secure, better-paid jobs, according to a new Global Labour University (GLU) report.

Ireland’s Workplace Relations Commission has awarded €5,000 to a hotel chambermaid after finding that she was dismissed for her trade union activities. The woman, who was a member of the Irish union SIPTU, was worried by the number of other staff who were being dismissed, so she distributed union application forms and encouraged her colleagues to join up. Seven days later she was sacked.

In Munich, Germany, lesbian women are 12% less likely to be called for a job interview than their heterosexual counterparts. The ver.di union is supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or intersex (LGBTI) members through a specialised online forum and gay working group, aiming to create a gay-friendly environment.

Trade unions and managements in the Czech Republic are concluding a growing number of collective agreements, including commitments to overall wage rises. However, bonuses and other benefits such as holiday entitlement show less progress.

The education department of the German trade union confederation DGB, together with Arbeit und Leben (Work and Life), which promotes lifelong learning, have developed a toolbox designed to help women obtain equal pay. During a special ‘Day of equal pay at company level’, trade unions drew attention to the gender pay gap in their workplaces and launched initiatives aimed at a better distribution of wages.

Italian trade unions have reached a groundbreaking settlement with the government covering pay and conditions for civil servants. Negotiations on the public employment contract had been blocked for seven years. But a deal was finally reached at the end of November in talks between Civil Service Minister Marianna Madia, and the leaders of CGIL, CISL and UIL, Susanna Camusso, Annamaria Furlan and Carmelo Barbagallo.

Belgian trade union confederation FGTB/ABVV has opened a website to help agency workers know their rights. In October 2016, agency workers in Belgium gained the right to receive a labour contract before starting work. The contract can be signed in the traditional way – on paper – or via a computer or smartphone, using an identity card or password. An individual mailbox enables each worker to check and sign their contracts

After months of negotiation, Spanish trade union UGT has signed a collective agreement for the private health sector in Catalonia (2016 to 2017). The deal covers some 12,000 workers throughout the region. It includes a 2.5% salary increase, backdated to August 2016. From 1 January 2018, pay rates will rise by a further 0.5%. This 3% raise overall will be the starting point for negotiations in the future. The settlement also allows staff to request an extra day of annual leave and time off for hospital treatment.

Dear Readers, Welcome to the second edition of our National UPdates newsletter illustrating how trade unions at national as well as EU level are working constructively with other partners in society, including employers, governments and civil society organisations, for social progress and justice in Europe. National UPdates will be sent to your mailbox quarterly.  To read the document, please click here. Enjoy!

Dear Readers,

Swedish trade unions and their business counterparts are helping new immigrants to obtain decent employment. The ‘Fast Track’ programme has already found 5,000 jobs for experienced chefs, for example, with backing from the Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union (HRF). In cooperation with the Swedish Public Employment Service, the scheme aims to cut unemployment periods for new arrivals by rapidly validating their skills, especially in industries that are short of workers.

Unionen in Sweden and IG Metall in Germany have agreed to work together to find ways organise the growing number of people working in isolation through online platforms. It is estimated that some 700,000 people in Sweden are earning their living through ‘crowd-working’: selling their labour to employers via platform-based companies, a phenomenon also known as the sharing or ‘gig’ economy. Many of these online jobs are precarious and badly paid. ILO research indicates that workers suffer from lack of autonomy, constant pressure and no way of claiming their rights.

In Poland, trade unionists have taken action to help migrant Ukrainian workers to improve their working conditions and increase salaries, aiming for equal pay for Polish and foreign workers by 2017.

In July 2016, public sector workers in Portugal regained the legal right to a 35-hour week. New legislation reverses the 40-hour working week imposed among other austerity measures in 2013. Most workers benefit immediately, although the new rules may be delayed where there are problems of continuity of service. Public sector unions have been waging a high-profile campaign against the five-hour increase, negotiating hundreds of local agreements across the public sector to retain the 35-hour week. Read more…

From now on, young people starting work in the electricity sector should get better pay and working conditions, thanks to a landmark deal between the social partners. An industry undergoing major changes in Europe needs smart, skilled workers. Trade unions and employers alike recognise that it is important for new recruits to get high-quality training, good working conditions and career opportunities.

June 2016 marked the 10th anniversary of the NEPSI agreement to protect workers from respirable crystalline silica dust – a serious hazard in building and other industries. Through the European Network on Silica (NEPSI), 15 employer organisations plus the IndustriAll trade union federation have been working together to reduce dangers for workers and develop a guide to good practice.