(2 February 2012) 2012 has started like 2011 ended! Strikes, protest actions and demonstrations across Europe against the blind austerity imposed by Governments that is having disastrous effects.
So far in 2012 we have seen a one day General strike in Belgium, mass protests against privatisation of health and education all over Spain, mobilisations against austerity in Romania, protests by truck drivers and taxi men in Italy. The root cause of all these expressions of anger are the same: (...)

(21 November 2011) 2011 draws to a close amidst growing uncertainty over the future of the Euro and indeed the ‘European project’ as well as continuing attacks on public services, jobs, and workers’ rights across the continent. This year we have mobilized in Brussels, in Budapest, in Krakow as well as in many other European countries where public sector workers have been out protesting against austerity. 2012 looks like it will require equal if not more intense action.
A number of immense (...)

(29 November 2011) This is the first time that we ask our affiliated members for joint action to protest against austerity and for quality public services across Europe.
In Britain, unions will organize the biggest strike since 1926. In Portugal, after the most successful General Strike since the dictatorship, trade unions will demonstrate as the parliamentarians will be voting the austerity programme. In France, unions have organized a national day of action with rallies and (...)

(17 November 2011) Last week we held our 4Oth Executive Committee. This gathering of the elected representatives of public sector trade unions from across the European continent was marked again by debates on the crisis that is hitting Europe’s people’s.
Public services and public service workers remain the main target of arbitrary austerity measures and EPSU decided to mobilise once more to defend jobs, quality public services and a social Europe. This time, we want to do it jointly. On (...)

(28 October 2011) Yesterday Wednesday 27 October, Brussels hosted the much talked about European Summit and expectations were high. Europe is risking its future and reputation. We feel that citizens are becoming more and more skeptical about Europe as cuts in wages, social spending and trade union freedoms are hitting the population causing indignation, strikes and protests! The Summit should be an opportunity for change, for setting a clear agenda to find a common way out of the crisis, (...)

(17 October 2011) This weeks newsletter is full with information about the coming legislation that is going through the European Institutions starting this autumn and throughout 2012.
Amongst the issues at stake we find: Public Procurement, State Aids, Concessions as well as the current negotiations of the revision of the Working Time Directive. In the coming weeks we will be sending you information, documents and early warnings about the positions of the European public service unions (...)

(29 September 2011) We were more than 50,000 in Wroclaw to say "No to austerity" and “Yes for job!”. It has been the fifth European mobilisation in a year but our leaders both at European and national level keep preferring to calm the markets rather than to address workers demands for jobs. The workers are getting angrier as time goes by and no real alternative is proposed to the crisis. Not only there is no real alternative but as we write these lines the Economic Governance is being finally (...)

(13 September 2011) It has been a very hectic summer. The world markets and the financial system have given a headache to most European leaders and head of states. They, in return, came back with another wave of austerity measures and messages to "calm the markets", a decision that takes its toll on public sector workers once more. We have seen the introduction of an austerity plan in Italy, proposals to reform the labour code in Hungary, many protests by teachers in France, Belgium, Spain (...)

(28 July 2011) We are still under the shock of the Oslo and Utoya killings and mourn the victims of this outrageous attack together with our Norwegian colleagues. These horrible killings are an attack on the values of freedom, social justice, equality and democracy, values that are the core of the European trade union movement. Such events make us wonder where is our Europe heading. But we cannot give up in our determination to build a social Europe with quality public services for all, a (...)

(7 July) After months of campaigning and mobilising, finally, the European Parliament plenary voted its position on the economic governance six-pack on Thursday 23 June. Now the European Council will thrash out the small differences left and agree after the summer break during the Polish Presidency, or at least this is the current schedule.
The European Trade Union Confederation will be mobilising in Wroclaw on September 17. This Euro-demonstration will coincide with the Polish Presidency (...)