EPSU starts its 9th Congress on 20-23 May in Toulouse

(20 May 2014, Toulouse) The European Federation of Public Service Unions, the largest European trade union federation of the ETUC, is holding its 9th Congress in Toulouse, France from May 20 until May 23.

Congress discusses and adopts our policies to promote quality public services, strengthen the rights of public service workers and fight for changes to the austerity policies that have been an all-out attack on public services and public service workers in the majority of European countries.

The EPSU Congress gathers more than 500 trade unionists from 46 different countries. This 9th Congress will see a change in the EPSU leadership as both our President (Anne Marie Perret) and General Secretary (Carola Fischbach-Pyttel) retire. A new leadership team will be elected. Candidates for President are Annelie Nordstrom (from Kommunal in Sweden) and Jan Willem Goudriaan (current Deputy General Secretary) for General Secretary.

It is the first EPSU Congress after the major changes we made in 2009 to become a European organisation with members in all European countries and including Russia and Central-Asia making it the most representative public sector trade union at the European level. We also strengthened our cooperation with Public Services International.

Many challenges lay ahead of EPSU and its affiliates. EPSU has shown its capacity to mobilise workers and citizens in support of its demands. EPSU has been the backbone of the first ever successful European Citizens Initiative right2water.eu and has been at the forefront of the campaign to get 11 Member States to move ahead on a European Financial Transaction Tax.

Bernadette Ségol, the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, will be a key note speaker in our Congress. She will address the proposals of the ETUC for the New Path Europe needs.

Journalists and media are invited today to a press point at the Centre Pierre Baudis (11 Esplanade Compans Caffarelli) at 12h45 – 13h15 at the press room of the Congress (room Latecoere) to have a questions and answers with Bernadette Ségol and Jan Willem Goudriaan.

For more information Pablo Sanchez [email protected] 0032 474626633