European Federation of Public Service Unions Bulletin 2015-04-30

		European Trade Unions mobilize for occupational cancer prevention on 28 April (Brussels, 24 April 2015) International Workers’ Memorial Day is held on 28 April. This year we commemorate the thousands of workers that have died from accidents and occupational diseases at work. Toxic exposure at the workplace is the spotlight this year. EPSU is particularly concerned that (...) [ read more ]

News EU must assume its responsibility on the migration and asylum crisis in Mediterranean and Aegean Seas EPSU Executive Committee statement, 29 April 2015 Meeting in Brussels, European leaders of public service unions held a moment of silence for the 800 hundreds people who died in the Mediterranean sea on 19 April in the hope of finding a safe haven or a better life in Europe. This came at (...) [ read more ] EPSU Statement on Greece (Adopted at the EPSU Executive Committee on 28-29 April 2015) The EPSU Executive Committee supports the statement agreed at the ETUC Executive Committee on 10 and 11 March – Greece after the election: an opportunity for Europe . EPSU agrees that further austerity will only worsen the already (...) [ read more ] Call for action: Human Right to Water and Sanitation into the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (27 April 2015) Thanks to our joint advocacy efforts and the support of champion Member States, the human right to water was included in the outcome document of the Open Working Group, preparing for the Sustainable Development Goals. Your support to include the Human Right to Water and (...) [ read more ] EPSU raises its concern about the non-inclusion of workers perspective to European Civil Protection Forum (27 April 2015) EPSU has sent a letter to Commissioners Juncker and Stylianides, to raise its concern that the workers perspective has not been included into the organization of this year’s European Civil Protection Forum. Without including these many thousand workers into policy-making of (...) [ read more ] Latvian health workers protest austerity, demanding investment (27 April 2015) Braving a cold wind, several hundred protestors gathered in front of the national library where the European Union health ministers were meeting in Riga. The workers were protesting the continued freeze of public funding for health and social services. With the demonstration (...) [ read more ] Inter-American public service workers united to stop unfair trade (27 April 2015) Without struggle there is no victory said one of unionists referring to fights of the unions to prevent privatisation of water services in Latin America. Others talked about the large sums of money that the rich in their countries did not pay in taxes or hide away in tax havens. (...) [ read more ] EPSU and PSI in action on global trade day 18 April 2015 (24 April 2015) EPSU and PSI organised many activities (see below) on 18 April, joining civil society and trade union organisations taking part in a global day of action against free trade and investment agreements on 18 April. The common dominator was to draw attention to the new wave of (...) [ read more ] Ver.di members supporting global day of action against unfair trade - people and the planet before profits (22 April 2015) The trade deals currently on the table like CETA, TTIP and TISA do undermine democracy. They are a threat to public services and there is nothing that improves workers’ rights in these agreements said EPSU General Secretary in his contribution to the Ver.di Conferences for health (...) [ read more ] Editorial (30 April 2015) On marches, at rallies and other celebrations across Europe on 1st May, the labour movement will demand an end to austerity and a new policy for Europe. I will join the march in Antwerp. Speeches there will stress the need to change a government that is attacking pay and conditions and slashing funding for public services. The public service union CGSP/ACOD organised a strike on 22 April to put pressure on the government for a change of policy and all the EPSU unions in Belgium have been very prominent in the national protests since November last year. More actions are expected as the government is conceding little. And the mayor of Antwerp, a Flemish nationalist with a neo-liberal programme, has already threatened to abolish the so-called Ghent system in which the unions administer the unemployment benefits, hoping that this will weaken the unions which are opposing his party’s corporate agenda read more Research projects Policy Public Services & the EU Collective Bargaining EPSU and global issues Gender Equality Committee Health and Social Services Local Government National Administration Public Utilities