Post on 19-Jan-2016
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The Financial Economic and Social Crisis Public Services
European Federation of Public Service Unions
250 trade unions
8 million paying members• National and European public
administrations; • Local and Regional Government; • Health and Social Services• Utilities (energy, water, waste)• Public and Private companies in our sectors,
including multinational companies
European Federation Public Service Unions
• All European countries and since Congress June 2009 also in EU Neighbourhood, Eastern partnership countries and Central Asian Republics – similar as PERC
• EPSU member of ETUC, special rules for social dialogue
• EPSU recognised regional organisation of
European Federation Public Service Unions
• Representatives of all countries in EPSU bodies – Executive, Standing Committees
• Mikhail Kuzmenko, Russian health workers an EPSU vice-president
• Financial Assistance
• Russian available
Crisis• Causes are multiple – but underlying is neo-liberal
politics: reliance on markets to deliver welfare and public goods
• EPSU view: Deregulation of Public Services and Public Commons (such as banking system and oversight) and Privatisation (including of public banks) – have removed stability – and made crisis worse; Capitalism is unstable
• Blame bankers (greed, products they did not understand themselves, lobby to remove barriers) but politicians allowed this, failed to act
• And at the same time: climate crisis, energy crisis (oil will become scarce, 1,7 trillion Euros investment needed in energy infrastructure in Europe), food crisis and increase of global inequalities and poverty
Crisis: its Impact• Initial impact on Industry and some services• Governments poured in billions and now clear public
services are used to balance the books – many years of austerity to be expected
• Impact on Women in Public Services – increasing pay gap likely as a result of further privatisation and outsourcing, undoing recent progress
• Low- and middle income earners (nurses, teachers, firefighters, refuse collectors, child care workers, police, prison officers, soldiers…)
Crisis:Unions in action (1)
• March 1st Health, Social Care, Medical and Chemical Industry Workers’ Independent Trade Union of Georgia – Issues: Stop dismissal of workers; Ensure decent
salaries for all medical staff; reform of the health sector to be done with union and societal participation; reverse privatisation based on faulty procedures – when privatisation with the unions, including when meeting investors and based on long-term planning and secure employment; public health system to be financed
Crisis:Unions in action (2)
• March 3rd Greece – influencing the austerity package (earlier demos 10 Feb, 24 March)
• March 4th Portugal – wage freeze proposed till 2013 among others
• Actions in Italy 12 March France 23 March – also continuing industrial action in Ireland and Netherlands; strikes in October and February in Romania
Crisis: Unions in Action (3)
• Bargaining in all countries is difficult
– Pay freezes or cuts (Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, UK, Ukraine, Bulgaria)
– No respect for collective agreements (opening up existing agreements: Slovenia, Croatia
– Pension reform: Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria
– No replacement of public service workers (France only replacing 1 in 3 that go, Greece 1-5, Spain 1 in 10…)
– IMF discussions and packages with B-H, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine; EU procedures on deficits against several countries – European Commission intervention in pay determination in Hungary, Latvia, Romania and Greece
EPSU Strategy (1)
• Tax havens, tax fraud, fair progressive taxation• Long term sustainable public finance – discussion
with Commission, EP– Do not have premature exit, support demand,
public spending not unproductive spending– Joint statement EPSU – CEMR, underlining
sustainable financing requires social just taxation• Invest in public services and infrastructure (including
social infrastructure) • Support shift towards green economy
EPSU Strategy (2)
• Monitoring impact on public services, collective bargaining
• Support unions facing pressure from employers/ state; strong response in case of non-respect of collective agreements;
• Critique on developments – Highlighting problems such as with Public-Private partnerships www.psiru.org
• Support for ETUC, PSI, ITUC policies
EPSU Strategy (3)
• Social dialogue KEY – we are part of solution
• In return for involvement and support longer-term role
• But hard and difficult tasks and choices… – Membership involvement – Preparation: blaming/ shouting not enough/
unions active partners in reform.
EPSU Strategy (4)
• Choices are possible – continue exchange of information – see Balkan network of TU economic experts
• And opportunities: Association Agreements and deep and comprehensive free trade agreements (DCFTA). “Social dialogue, a substantial basis of the European social model, should be adequately introduced as a means to secure the necessary stability to achieve economic reforms, transition to market economies, promote the general development of the society, and improve living standards.”