11-13 September 2012 - Tbilisi, Georgia
Report of the meeting & Presentations - ОТЧЕТ О ПРОВЕДЕНИИ ЗАСЕДАНИЯ - Версия на русском языке ниже
Thirty-two participants from EPSU affiliates in 14 countries met in Tbilisi to discuss a range of issues relating to public services and collective bargaining. The meeting was an important opportunity for an exchange of information between long-term EPSU affiliates and those affiliates who joined EPSU following the merger with PSI Europe.
Representatives from affiliates in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine were able to discuss and debate with colleagues from EPSU affiliates in Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Norway and to learn more about the work of EPSU and PSI. A report of the summer school will be given to the EPSU Executive and affiliate are encouraged to give feedback, including in the upcoming Constituency meetings.
How are public services financed, organised and delivered in Europe?
n this first session David Hall of the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) covered five main themes:
- Evidence of trends towards remunicipalisation in some countries;
- The reality of public private partnerships;
- Efficiency in both private and public systems will tend to improve over time and the private sector has no ‘natural’ efficiency advantage. There is increasing evidence that public sector provision is no less efficient than the private sector
- The key role that public services play in economic growth; and
- The latest evidence demonstrating that public health services are a better guarantee of positive outcomes. The last point was, in fact, raised in response to claims by the Georgian Deputy Minister for Labour, Health and Social Affairs that health privatisation was the way forward for Georgia and was delivering improved outcomes.
- How are public services financed, organised and delivered in Europe? by David Hall, PSIRU
Question and answer session with David Lomidze, Deputy Minister for Labour, Health and Social Affairs
One of the main reasons to hold the summer school in Tbilisi was in order to highlight the extremely difficult situation facing EPSU affiliates and other trade unions in Georgia. The Labour Code introduced in 2003 removed many workers’ rights and protections for trade unions. There had also been intimidation of trade union members and EPSU affiliates had lost large numbers of members following threats from employers.
EPSU’s Georgian affiliates had invited the Ministry of Labour to the meeting to discuss the urgent issues of trade union rights as well as the question of health privatisation, which was an additional challenge for the trade unions. The Deputy Minister, David Lomidze was able to take part and stayed for over an hour to respond to a range of questions from EPSU affiliates.
On the question of social dialogue, the Deputy Minister acknowledged there were some shortcomings with the current legislation but argued that the government was trying to improve dialogue between employers and trade unions.
He also said that in relation to the labour code, the government was looking to find a model more relevant to the Georgian situation and spoke of the need for more flexible but fairer employment legislation. Lomidze added that the government would take on board proposals from the trade unions as well as from European organisations.
He went on to say that the government was pressing ahead with its health privatisation programme as this had delivered health improvements in the country. He was directly challenged by David Hall who used international data from his presentation demonstrating the negative impact of health privatisation on health outcomes. The EPSU secretariat will follow-up on this exchange with the Minister.
Discussions on trade union priorities and organising and recruitment
Participants were asked to prepare material for discussions on their priorities and, in particular, initiatives around recruitment and organising. There were comprehensive country reports which culminated on the third day with working groups to discuss in particular how some of these issues could be tackled through more effective cooperation and coordination within EPSU and PSI.
The key points arising from these debates included:
- The importance of building and strengthening social dialogue structures and processes and recognition that this required commitment and effort over the long term;
- Recognition that employers and governments would often share information and coordinate policy and the need for trade unions to improve their cooperation both bilaterally and through EPSU and PSI;
- The importance of good research and information to back up negotiations, campaigning and lobbying, recognising that affiliates should ensure they were aware of material produced by EPSU and PSI as well as contributing to their research. Affiliates did not always share important national experiences. Similarly, there was a recognition by the secretariats that they could look to improve the availability and accessibility of their publications and other material;
- Effective campaigning and lobbying often meant looking to build alliances with a range of organisations outside the trade union movement including professional organisations and groups representing service users;
- Recognition that trade unions had to look at a variety of methods to achieve their goals including collective bargaining, social dialogue, protests and strike action as well as campaigning and lobbying;
- Successful recruitment and retention of members demanded that trade unions increased their visibility not just at the workplace but also through the media, internet and new forms of social media;
- There were plenty of common challenges – privatisation, migration, health and pension reform, recruitment of young workers
– and trade union responses to these could often be improved through international exchanges. Affiliates were encouraged to plan ahead and see what kind of joint meetings and seminars might be possible rather than focus only on EPSU or PSI assistance for national projects.
Contributions from participants:
- Czech Republic - current state of affairs by Terezie Písařová, Trade Union of Health Service and Social Care of the Czech Republic
- Presentation by Mikhail Androchnikov, HWURF, Russia
- Presentation by Anatoliy Domnikov, HWURF, Russia
- Presentations by Helle Stensbak, Confederation of Vocational Unions, Norway
PSI Campaigning on Public Services
PSI Communications Coordinator Teresa Marshall provided an overview of the actions around the world that were contributing to the Quality Public Services campaign. She stressed that this was a PSI initiative but one that had the full support of the other global union federations. Teresa emphasised that is important to celebrate trade union successes.
The European Union and the larger Europe
David Hall explained the various relationships between the European Union and countries in Eastern Europe, through the Eastern Partnership, Strategic Partnership with Russia and Central Asia Strategy. He also covered other initiatives such as the Energy Community Treaty and Energy Charter Treaty as well as referring to the roles played by the European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
- EU neighbourhood policy and EECA countries by David Hall, PSIRU
Paata Beltadze of the Georgian Trade Union Confederation explained the main issues arising from the negotiations over the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Georgia and the opportunities for trade unions to highlight questions of trade union rights in the process. Governments have a duty under international and EU law to actively encourage and support social dialogue. - Presentation by Paata Beltadze, Georgian Trade Union Confederation (GTUC), Georgia
In discussion it was argued that trade unions should also highlight broad social concerns, for example regarding poverty, access healthcare and poor working conditions. The EU sustainability impact assessment reports are very general and trade agreements further business interests, which is not the same as social progress. The EU nonetheless has a EU framework and action plan on human rights and democracy in which it commits itself to promote human rights in all areas of its external action without exception.
It was also emphasised that there is no link between privatisation and the level of economic development. In all solidarity-based systems the objective is ‘welfare’, not shareholder profit. Privatisation is no answer to corruption or poorly run services; and it does not provide any ‘new’ money for free.
How are industrial relations organised in public services across Europe
Richard Pond from the EPSU secretariat outlined the range of systems of social dialogue and collective bargaining in Europe highlighting the impact of the crisis on the public sector and the potential negative impact of the European Union’s new system of economic governance.
- Collective Bargaining and Social Dialogue in Europe Presentation on the different models and processes of industrial relations by Richard Pond, EPSU (in English and Russian)
Trade union rights, the PSI Programme of Action and PSI Congress
Teresa Marshall summarised the key action points on trade union rights from the PSI Programme of Action that would be discussed at the PSI Congress at the end of November.
- World congress 2012 by Teresa Marshall
EPSU priorities, campaigning on public services and preparing for the EPSU Congress
Penny Clarke from the EPSU secretariat outlined some of the main areas of EPSU work including current lobbying around procurement. This was currently focused on securing amendments to the EU procurement directive. However, she pointed out that procurement was issue relevant to all public sector unions, both inside and outside the EU, particularly in view of the continuing trends to privatisation. Penny referred also to the potential of getting ratification, or ensuring the effective implementation of the ILO Convention 94 on procurement.
She summarised the main items on the EPSU Executive Committee agenda for November with the water campaign one of EPSU’s biggest challenges at the moment, with a target of getting over one million signatures by August 2013.
Although not taking place until Mai 2014, preparations are already being made for the EPSU Congress and a timetable had been drawn up. The process of drafting resolutions would begin early next year with discussions at EPSU’s four standing committees. It is important to have input from all EPSU affiliates into this process.
- EPSU campaigning on public services by Penny Clarke, EPSU
- EPSU priorities and future work by Penny Clarke, EPSU
EPSU and PSI would like to thank all participants for their active engagement in the summer school and for the preparation of their contributions. They would also like to thank the Georgian affiliates for their invaluable help in organising the summer school and the evening entertainment. Above all thanks goes to Natalia Gogava for all her efforts.
REPORT OF THE MEETING / ОТЧЕТ О ПРОВЕДЕНИИ ЗАСЕДАНИЯ
- Participation list (update 12.09.12)
MEETING DOCUMENTS
- REVISED draft programme (version July 2012)
(English, Russian & Georgian)
- European Neighbourhood Policy paper by David Hall, August 2012
(English & Russian)
- EPSU/PSIRU report ‘Re-municipalising municipal services in Europe’ (EN/RU)
- EPSU/PSIRU report ‘Why water is a public service: exposing the myths of privatization’ (EN/RU)
- Updated EPSU ‘key documents’
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