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Newsletter 10 June 2010

Tamara Goosens - It is with great sadness that last month we had to announce the death of our colleague Tamara Goosens. She was well liked and well respected by the many colleagues who worked with her and we would like to thank everyone for the messages they have sent. One of her lasting achievements was her contribution to the medical sharps agreement which has now become European law.

No cuts, more growth - These are very challenging times for public service trade unions. In recent months hundreds of thousands of our members in Greece, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and France have taken part in strike action or demonstrations in protest at savage cuts in public spending and on their pay and conditions. These protests are likely to spread following the announcement of austerity measures in recent weeks in Italy, Germany and the UK (read more).

No cuts, more growth

European Day of Action: On September 29, to coincide with a meeting of European finance ministers, the ETUC will organise a European Day of Action: "No to Austerity - Priority for Jobs and Growth. This will be centred on a big demonstration in Brussels.We aim to form a strong EPSU block in the demonstration. We therefore invite all of you to participate in this EPSU bloc:

EPSU CALL EURO-DEMO/MANIF

Solidarity message: A human chain to protest government plans in Romania

14 June 2010 - UPDATE With a human chain around the Parliament building the Romanian unions are taking further action to protest against the proposed cuts in public spending, the lack of social dialogue and the on-sidedness of the measures, 15 June 2010. The unions intend to keep the vigil during the debate in Parliament. The government has proposed draconian measures targeting ordinary people. It refuses to raise taxation to generate more income for the state despite recommendations from (...)

Europe’s electricity companies and Corporate Social Responsibility

New first ever report finds that European Works Councils are poorly informed and consulted on their company’s CSR policies Joint EPSU – SOMO full Press Release - 9 June 2010 European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) - Stichting Onderzoek Multionationale Ondernemingen (SOMO) The report is published on the occasion of the final meeting of EPSU (and SDA) project on Learning and practicing – a project for the European Energy sector by which EWCs compared their work and methods. All (...)

EPSU’s Executive debates crisis and attack on public sector workers

(8 June 2010) The economic crisis and attacks on public sector workers’ pay and conditions was a key debate at the EPSU Executive Committee in Brussels on 27 and 28 May. EPSU staff gave a presentation outlining the current economic situation and providing an overview of the pay and job cuts and freezes being imposed across Europe. At least 12 EU Member States and five non-EU countries in Eastern Europe were facing substantial cuts in public services with public sector workers the target of (...)

EPSU Response to the Commission’s Communication on Reviewing the Working Time Directive

(8 June 2010) EPSU final response to the European Commission’s Communication on Working Time, as endorsed by the Executive Committee on 28 May, highlights: latest research exposing the health and safety risks of long working hours for doctors and patients intensification of work lengthening of working careers the need for the Working Time Directive to be tightened up in specific areas such as definition of autonomous workers, bogus self-employment and the fact that it should cover (...)

Tamara Goosens

Brussels, 31 May 2010 Dear Colleagues, dear Friends, Tamara Goosens has passed away peacefully on Sunday 30 May 2010, at the age of 36. Whilst we were aware of Tamara’s situation since mid-April, it is still very hard to take in that Tamara will no longer be with us. Until the very last moments of her life Tamara showed courage and lucidity. We express our deep sympathies with Sachiko Goosens, Tamara’s mother. We will remember Tamara as she is on the photo, a smiling person, always ready (...)

Public service unions argue for alternative responses to the crisis

Press Communication, 31 May 2010 Leaders of public service unions from around Europe meeting in Brussels agreed that cuts to public sector pay, jobs and services were a narrow, inadequate and unfair response to the economic crisis. Union leaders pledged support and agreed to join in European wide mobilisation to promote quality public services, defend jobs and public service workers pay and conditions. The meeting of the Executive Committee of the EPSU public services federation heard (...)

EPSU backs Norwegian prison officers’ complaint to the Council of Europe

(Brussels 26 may 2010) At its meeting of 12 May, the EPSU prison services network discussed the complaint brought by the Union of Norwegian Correctional Services Employees, UNCSE-YS, to the Council of Europe against Norway’s correctional services for being in breach of the European Prison Rules. The Council of Europe’s prison rules set out minimum standards on correctional services taking account of the needs of prison administrations, prisoners and prison personnel. They were last revised (...)

A Global Agenda for Quality Public Services

Quality public services key to sustainable economic solutions Landmark international conference brings together private and public sector workers, government and civil society leaders Quality Public Services – Action Now! 12-14 October, Geneva, Switzerland Media release, 1st October Invitation to Public Services International member organizations to attend an important conference: “A Global Agenda for Quality Public Services” 12-14 October 2010 Geneva, Switzerland The Council of (...)

Romanian workers protest and Greek workers strike over unfair austerity measures

Public sector workers fight back against cuts (20 May 2010) Faced by government plans to cut pay, pensions and public services, EPSU affiliates in Greece and Romania have taken to the streets to show their anger. Today’s general strike in Greece is the latest in a series of actions called by the ADEDY public service confederation and the GSEE private sector confederation. The unions are angry that their members are being forced to pay for a crisis that has its roots in the international (...)

Solidarity with affiliates as unions fight back against cuts

(19 May 2010, Brussels) Austerity measures risk extending the crisis EPSU sends solidarity greetings to the hundreds of thousands of public sector workers who will be joining strikes and demonstrations in several countries over the next few weeks. The national demonstration in Romania today (19 May) will be followed by action in Greece, Portugal and Spain as EPSU affiliates challenge the imposition of pay cuts, pay freezes and cuts in jobs and pensions. EPSU also warns that the severe (...)

Reducing the gender pay gap – implementing the equal pay resolutions from the 2009 EPSU Congress

Gender pay gap questionnaire, February 2010

EPSU equal pay network

The EPSU Congress resolution on equal pay between women and men commits us to setting up “an equal pay and/or pay negotiators network drawn from the EPSUCOB@ network to follow-up implementation of the resolution and regularly report on developments to EPSU’s Executive Committee”. The EPSU equal pay network will operate mainly via email to help exchange information on progress and obstacles to closing the gender pay gap, which stands, on average, at about 12% in the public sector in the EU. (...)