The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) petition calls on the Commission to introduce EU legislation to ensure universal access to public services and protect them from privatisation. Click www.petitionpublicservice.eu to sign the petition.

Supported by another huge trade union body, the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), ETUC is calling for a framework directive to prevent the EU’s free market rules determining the future of services as diverse as water, education, health and social services.

The EU has no clear legal framework for public services at the moment. But it does have highly detailed laws and regulations about trade within and between EU member states. As a result, the European courts can only fall back on market-driven trade rules when questions about public services arise.

Unions say this increasingly encourages privatisation by giving private sector providers a route into public service contracts, even when national governments want them determined by public interest values and delivered by public service bodies.

The European Parliament supports the idea of a new directive. But the European Commission and most EU governments, including Ireland’s, are stalling. Big business is also strongly resisting better protection for public services.

ETUC leader John Monks says a new law is needed to ensure that public interest takes precedence over profit. “Services in the EU need a strong regulatory framework to ensure continuity of supply and fair access for everyone. They must be of the highest standard and accountable to both consumers and workers,” he said.

IMPACT general secretary Peter McLoone said the recent debate about the EU services directive had underlined the need for new laws protecting public services. “Union action stopped the worst accesses of the proposed services directive. Now union members must demand legal protection for the services we depend on,” he said.

It only takes a minute to sign the petition on line at www.petitionpublicservice.eu. You can also print out hard copies of the petition from the website.

Get your friends to sign it too!

page added: Tuesday 13th February 2007