Press Communication: Brussels Immediate release, 24 October, 2006 supporting document: ETUC letter sent top EP IMCO committee

Services Directive Committee vote strengthens Unions’ resolve for November plenary vote

"We are committed to getting a fair result for the users of social services" says Union leader

(24 October, Brussels) The result in the Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament yesterday has "strengthened the resolve" of the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) to get a fair result for public service users on the services directive. Speaking to affiliates yesterday, Carola Fischbach-Pyttel, EPSU General Secretary, stated that; "We will make sure, on Social Services, that there is an unequivocal exclusion from the scope of the directive". She added that; "We are fully confident that we will find sufficient allies in Parliament for this, simply because the European Parliament has acknowledged that we have yet to properly define social services at EU level. A process to define social services, to which all political groups have signed up is underway at EU level and should not be short-circuited by the Services Directive".

The European Parliament committee for the internal market (IMCO) has chosen to concede on the three following issues, which the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) had called for:
 The necessity of a reference in the directive text to the charter of fundamental rights
 The clear exclusion of labour law from the scope of the directive.
 The clear exclusion of all social services from the scope of the directive

Ms Fischbach-Pyttel stated that: "it is up to those directly affected, like EPSU as providers, and social service NGO’s as facilitators and user groups, to stand up for those at risk from this decision, and to say that yesterday’s vote is a compromise too far".

Commission ’clarifying text’ irrelevant on social services

The IMCO committee has stated that a clarifying text from the European Commission on these key issues will be sought and that this text will influence whether or not amendments are re-tabled for the plenary session (scheduled for 14-15 November). However it is clear to EPSU that whatever form of wording the Commission produces it will simply have no bearing on the status of social services; "Social Services must be excluded from the text until properly defined", concluded Ms. Fischbach-Pyttel.

For information please contact Brian Synnott +32 474 98 96 75 or send an email to bsynnott@epsu.org

"EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC and comprises 8 million public service workers from over 200 Public Service Unions in 36 countries. We organise workers in health and social services, local and national administration, energy, water and waste. We are the recognised European social partner organisation in each of these sectors. EPSU is committed to building a European Union that promotes democratically accountable public services of the highest quality, within and beyond it’s borders. For more information on EPSU and our work please go to: www.epsu.org"

Brian Synnott Communication and Campaigns Officer European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) Tel: +32 2 250 10 89 Tel gsm: +32 474 98 96 75 e-mail: bsynnott@epsu.org website: www.epsu.org