EPSU affiliate Ver.di in referendum victory for public services
(1 February, Leipzig). EPSU German affiliate, Ver.di has helped secure a victory for public services in a local referendum in Leipzig. Initiated by a large coalition including unions and Attac Leipzig, the result saw the citizens of the German town stop the city mayor’s privatisation plans http://www.buergerbegehren-leipzig.de/. EPSU General Secretary, Carola Fischbach-Pyttel, praised the work of Ver.di, stating that this: “illustrates the iron bond between quality public services and democratic control". The text of the referendum forbids the city council all privatisations of essential services including the planned privatisation of the municipal energy supplier. This vote was the first referendum in the city’s history. Nearly 150.000 voted in Leipzig of which 87,4% supported a general "No" to privatisations. 35% of all registered voters supported the referendum. For a referendum to succeed, they require not only a majority of the participants but that the majority equals at least 25% of all registered voters. Significantly there are a number of similar citizens’ initiatives in the pipeline throughout Germany. The Leipzig initiative for the referendum was launched on the 20th of July and succeeded to collect the signatures (42.000) in November. Please, look at the timetable on the website of Attac Leipzig: http://www.attac.de/leipzig/ privatisierungswahn/index.html
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