Austria: 10% pay raise in private hospitals
The Vida trade union managed to negotiate a collective agreement for private hospitals with a 10.56% wage increase and € 2,000 minimum monthly wage. The increase takes effect on 1 July along with a cut in working time to 39 hours per week. The minimum increase for full-time employment is € 180 and part-time employees will see pay increase by 9.56% and allowances by 7.53%. Employees will also get a € 1,600 net payment in four instalments by 30 June. Pay for apprentices will increase from 1 July to € 815 in the first, € 925 in the second, € 1,055 in the third and € 1,180 in the fourth year and they will receive a one-off payment of €1,000 net divided over four months.
Finland: New agreement for workers in municipalities, health and welfare services
Trade unions JHL, JYTY, JUKO, SuPer and Tehy have negotiated new two-year agreements on pay covering workers in municipalities and health and welfare services. The agreements include both general and local elements to the pay increases. For municipal workers the combined increases will mean rises of 4.1% in 2023 (plus a € 467 lump sum) and 4.0% in 2024. There will be higher increases for health workers who are set to benefit from various elements that go towards a 6.7% increase in 2023 (plus a € 467 lump sum) and 6.5% in 2024.
Italy: Collective agreement for rubber and plastic sector
A new collective agreement has been signed in the rubber and plastic sector, covering around 150,000 workers at more than 5,000 companies, including multinationals such as Pirelli, Michelin, Bridgestone and Prsymian. The main developments brought about by the agreement, which is valid until 31 December 2025, include an overall pay increase of € 167 over three years, steps forward on gender equality, and measures to help vulnerable workers and to foster parenthood.
Latvia: New collective agreement for health workers
After negotiations the LVSADA health workers’ union has secured an increase to the pay rises offered by the ministry of health. The agreement stipulates that the average monthly salary for medical practitioners will be increased by € 120 from 1 April which equates to 6.1%, that is 2.4% higher than the initial offer. Nurses, midwives, physician assistants will see a 10.1% increase (an improvement of 3.9% on the initial offer) and junior staff, including nursing assistants, will benefit from a 16.1% pay rise (an improvement of 6.3%).
Romania: New collective bargaining sectors created
On 1 March, the government decided to redefine and increase the number of collective bargaining sectors, which will rise from 30 at present to 58. This reform aims to “encourage collective bargaining at sector level between the social partners”. The purpose of the measure is to make flexible and encourage collective negotiations at the activity sector level between the social partners, based on the common interest and by the agreement of the parties.
Spain: New collective agreement in public residential care
The unions FSS-CCOO and FeSP-UGT signed a new three-year collective agreement covering around 300,000 workers in the public residential care sector. It includes salary increases of 4% this year and 2.5% in both 2024 and 2025. A salary update clause means that there could be additional adjustments depending on developments in inflation. There will be a reduction in working time calculated on an annual basis with an 8-hour cut in 2024 and a further cut of 12 hours in 2025. Improvements to paid time off as a result of workplace accidents or disease will mean that workers be paid for 180 days starting at 100% for the first 90 days, 95% for the next 30 days and 90% for the remaining 60 days.
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