EPSU campaign for a EU legal framework on public services

An alternative to the market
The social, political and economic role of public services in Europe
ETUI-REHS, EPSU, SALTSA
Brussels, November 19-20, 2007
The minutes, background information, workshop papers and some of the plenary presentations made during the two days are available on http://www.etui-rehs.org/research/Events

(Brussels, 09/11/2007) The mayors of ten European capital cities have signed a declaration in support of “high-quality public services, accessible to all”, on the initiative of Freddy Thielemans, Mayor of the City of Brussels and John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). On the eve of the publication of the European Commission’s new strategy for the internal market, the mayors of ten major capitals together with the European trade union (...)

(9 November, 2007, Brussels) The debate to define public services at EU level has shot to the top of the EU agenda. The European Commission has been exposed in an attempt to use the new EU Reform Treaty to shut down 10 years of debate on the definition of public services. In a strongly worded letter to the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the President of the Socialists’ Group in the European Parliament (PSE) Martin Schulz, has condemned the Commissions actions as (...)

Brief report

1) Introduction: The aim of the Conference was to take stock of the EPSU campaign for a legal framework for public services, agreed by the EPSU Executive Committee in November 2006 and to reflect on the next steps. Some 40 participants from 23 countries took part in the Conference (see annex). Anne-Marie Perret, EPSU President and Carola Fischbach-Pyttel General Secretary, chaired the discussions (...)

Please find attached a call from the ETUC to affiliated organisations to collect signatures for the public services petition www.petitionpublicservice.eu during the May Day celebrations. May Day is traditionally a day of solidarity and a day of celebration for the trade union movement. This makes it the perfect occasion to present our case for quality public services for all. We are urging you to turn May Day 2007 into a massive, Europe wide, drive for quality public services.

3 WEEKS TO GO!

EPSU PLAN OF ACTION for

ETUC Petition for High Quality Public Services accessible to all

Collection of 1 million signatures!

Key message: Success of online petition needs clear political leadership.

The Petition needs to be prioritised for next 5 weeks. (19 February - 21 May).

I’ve signed www.petitionpublicservice.eu. Have you ?

PLEASE GIVE US 30 SECONDS OF YOUR TIME FOR A MORE CITIZEN FRIENDLY EU.

I am proud to say that I have signed the petition calling for a legal instrument for public services at the EU level. For the next 12 weeks, EPSU and its 200+ affiliates, will be making the ETUC petition on public services our number one priority. We aim, in association with the ETUC, the other European Trade Union Federations, and our growing list of allies, to reach our target of one million signatures by the start of the ETUC congress in Seville on 21-24 May.

Let us remember that the gathering of one million signatures is the message. Our aim, indeed our long term struggle, is to have a strong legal instrument at EU level that reflects the value of public services in European society, recognises the(...)

(15 February, 2007) Worker organisations with a combined membership of 15 million have today issued a joint call on their members calling for support for public services at the EU level. The General Secretaries of the EPSU, ETF, ETUCE and the President of Euromil called on their members to sign the European petition calling for a legal framework for public services at www.petitionpublicservice.eu.
The combined declaration covers employees in the Transport, Education, Military, Health, (...)

12 February 09h30 - 17h30: SGI campaign, NCCs meeting (Auditorium)
12 February 10h00 - 17h30: Joint EPSU GEC - PSI EWOC (room B)
13 February 09h30 - 17h30: EPSU Workshop "Equality through quality public services"
Meeting of the National Campaign Coordinators (NCC’s)
EPSU SGI campaign ‘Quality Public Services - Quality of life’
12 February 2007, ITUH, room AUD, Brussels
You are herewith invited to the next meeting of the National Campaign Coordinators (NCC’s) EPSU SGI campaign ‘Quality (...)

(6 February Brussels) The European trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has circulated a plan (download here!) to kick-start the European wide petition for public services. The detailed outline is due to be adopted at the ETUC Steering Committee (www.etuc.org) on 8 February. The document focuses on the need for a massive boost in the online presence of the petition. Four key measures are set to be debated; website profile for the petition, with the suggestion that the petition appear on ALL (...)

Sign on at the dedicated campaign website here: www.petitionpublicservice.eu

European Trade Unions set for coordinated push for a framework law

(30 November) The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has launched a Europe-wide petition calling on the European Commission to take action to protect and strengthen public services that are vital to the wellbeing of all European citizens.

Sign on at the dedicated campaign website here: www.petitionpublicservice.eu

‘IN THE GENERAL INTEREST’
EPSU Conference on the EU and public services
& mid-term assessment of EPSU campaign
‘quality public services - quality of life’
4-5 December, 2006
International Trade Union House - Boulevard du Roi Albert II 5 - 1210 Brussels - Room Auditorium. The meeting starts at 09.00 on Monday 4 December 2006, and will end at 15.30 on Tuesday 5 December 2006.
We organise a reception for all participants on the evening of 4 December 2006. The details of reception will (...)

The Austrian public sector union Gewerkschaft Offentlicher Dienst held its 15th Congress, 5-7 December 2006, Vienna. “We stand for the vision of a Social Europe with high quality public services and decent pay and conditions” said EPSU Deputy General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan in his greetings to more then 800 delegates, 5 December. “We ask your support for the ETUC petition to collect one million signatures to promote a positive basis for public services in Europe, (...)

Party of European Socialists Conference on the future of public services
19 September 2006
Carola Fischbach-Pyttel, EPSU General Secretary
On behalf of John Monks, ETUC
The ETUC and EPSU very much welcome the initiative of the PES to come forward with a concrete legislative proposal on services of general interest. We may not always completely go along with each and every single word or formulation, but what is important here is the demonstration that it is possible to legislate on SGIs on (...)

Press Communication (Strasbourg, 27 September)

Parliament majority for a ‘general legal framework on public services’1

Today the European Parliament sent a clear message on public services to the European Commission - act now or lose the support of Europe’s citizens. By a significant margin, Europe’s lawmakers voted through the RAPKAY report on public services and the EU. The report, steered by German Socialist MEP Bernard Rapkay, called for a general legal framework on public services. The report stated the following:

• Citizens should be guaranteed locally controlled, democratic, public services (...).

Refuses to set out timetable for clarification on public services

Press Communication (Strasbourg, 26 September) The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, today refused to accept that there are limits to the internal market, even in the context of public services. Speaking at the European Parliament session on public services, the President stated that there should be no regulation of the market to favour public services. Questioned by Members of Parliament about the Commission’s plans for public services, he refused to give a detailed outline (...).

(Brussels, 19 September) EPSU today joined a broad coalition of organisations in calling for a clear role for public services in the EU. At a seminar organised by the PSE (Party of European Socialists), the 100 plus participants heard a wide range of organisations call for a legal instrument for public services. EPSU clearly illustrated its commitment to the initiative with over 25 national representatives attending under the EPSU umbrella (...).

The Green Party of England and Wales is holding its Autumn Conference in Hove from 21st to 24th September 2006
 for more information: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/nextconference

Press communication: 21 April 2006

The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) today launched their campaign calling for an EU directive on public services. The campaign launch, which took place in Vienna was organised by EPSU’s Austrian affiliate union GdG. It was attended by the President of the European Social Platform Anne-Sophie Parent, the President of the European Public Service Employers Caspar Einem and the President of the European Local Government Employers, Michael Häupl.

Quality public services in Europe - quality of life
Launch of EPSU campaign for a EU legal framework on public services to put the heart into Europe,
WORKSHOP LAUNCH 20 - 21 April 2006, Vienna
Read our press release
Campaign guidelines
The campaign was agreed by the EPSU Executive Committee at its meeting last November and details and the timetable are set out in the attached “campaign guidelines”.
The workshop is open to national campaign coordinators plus (...)

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