British Unions Hit Prime Minister Gordon Brown with 130 Demands

Leaders of British unions met top officials of Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss 130 demands that the Labor government has tabled. The complete list includes a right to take supportive strike action, scrapping prescription charges, bringing all hospital cleaning back in-house and a new agreement on public sector pay with the Treasury.

The 130 union amendments—graded core, primary and secondary—are to be put to the national policy forum next week. The forum is the climax of nearly four years of policy preparation, and will form the basis of Labor’s general election platform. Brown has already antagonized the unions by characterizing some of their proposals as a return to the 1970s.

Although the unions have less than a quarter of the votes of the roughly 190-strong policy forum, they vote as a bloc and are working to build alliances. Their influence is augmented, because the Labor Party is heavily dependent on union funding.

Danish Nurses Union Wins 13.3% Pay Raise, Suspending Strike

Ending Denmark’s biggest labor conflict in a decade, the country’s nurses union agreed to suspend its strike after accepting a pay increase of 13.3 percent in a three-year contract. Health workers will also get as much as 175 million kroner ($36 million) extra that employers will deduct from a pool intended to cover fees for temporary staff from the private sector.

The strike, which began April 16, caused more than 170,000 hospital visits to be canceled. While about 12,500 nurses continued to offer emergency services to treat life-threatening conditions, doctors had warned that a failure to diagnose and treat diseases meant some patients risked suffering permanent damage.

The 120,000 health care workers of the Danish Health Confederation, which includes 11 unions, will vote on the accord by July 25. Danish nurses earned an average of 31,363 kroner ($5,259) a month before taxes, as of May 2007, according to government data. They make 15 percent more than the average worker in Denmark.

Siemens’ Plan to Cut 16,750 jobs Is Attacked by Giant German Union

IG Metall, Germany’s biggest union, has expressed fierce opposition to the announcement by Siemens, the global electronics and engineering company, that it plans to eliminate 16,750 jobs from its world-wide work force of 400,000. The union, which represents a majority of Siemens workers, has denounced the company’s restructuring plan as “irresponsible,” “excessive” and “unacceptable.”

Almost one-third of the cuts are planned for its German operations, of which IG Metall has reported that 75 per cent of the jobs slated for elimination are covered by the union’s collective agreement with the company. The union has criticized the job cuts, pointing out that the company is financially sound and that orders for its products and services are at high level.

Siemens' management plans to begin negotiations with unions and worker representatives immediately. The company has said it would use transfers and part-time pre-retirement schemes, with contracts terminated only as a last resort. The union is waiting until after discussions with Siemens management before announcing any formal response. However, union representatives have not ruled out the possibility of coordinated protest in the future.

South African Unions Protest over Prices and Government Policies

Thousands of unionized South African workers left their jobs on July 16 to protest against a sharp jump in food and fuel prices, threatening to slow output at key ports and refineries and rattle jittery investors. The walkout in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces was part of a drive by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and its allies to pressure the government to tilt its policies to the left in Africa’s biggest economy.

Unions, that were instrumental in helping to end white minority rule in South Africa, accuse President Thabo Mbeki of pursuing pro-business policies that have favored a wealthy elite at the expense of millions of workers and the poor. A sharp increase in the price of petrol and basic staples have stoked labor’s determination to change the government’s policies.

The mass action by unions came amid rising political tension in South Africa and fear of a downturn in its economy. Growth has averaged about 5 percent in recent years but dropped sharply for the first quarter of 2008. Business leaders and foreign investors worry that the country’s electricity problems and soaring world oil prices could seriously damage South Africa’s economy, especially because it is a net importer of energy.

New Zealand Pilots Conduct Three-Day Strike

Thousands of air travelers faced severe disruption of their plans after Air Nelson pilots walked off the job from midnight, July 18, in a three-day protest against low pay and inadequate working conditions. The New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Association (Alpa) members say the strike follows lengthy negotiations between the parties that have remained deadlocked.

The pilots seek a pay increase and changes in the roster system, which currently allows only one weekend off per month. Air New Zealand, which runs the Air Nelson service, is angered at the timing of the strike, which comes during school holidays and will affect an estimated 10,000 customers.

The airline states that Alpa’s claims would cost the company an additional $8 million annually. It would require the company to employ more than 30 additional pilots, it says. An Alpa spokesman said that the sticking point was the unsatisfactory work/life balance the pilots now endure.

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