Ver.di members supporting global day of action against unfair trade - people and the planet before profits

Ver.di members supporting global day of action against unfair trade - people and the planet before profits

Ver.di members supporting global day of action against unfair trade - people and the planet before profits

(22 April 2015) The trade deals currently on the table like CETA, TTIP and TISA do undermine democracy. They are a threat to public services and there is nothing that improves workers' rights in these agreements said EPSU General Secretary in his contribution to the Ver.di Conferences for health and social services as well as energy,water waste.

He continued: The contribution of these agreements to just and sustainable growth and to the creation of quality jobs with decent pay are highly doubtful. Assurances of the political parties, governments and European Commission that existing standards for workers' rights, environmental and consumer protection will not be affected are thin, if not lies. You can not say this and at the same time discuss and negotiate the mutual recognition of standards as the trade representatives of US and the EU do. Across Europe and the US ten thousands will participate in the global day of action 18 April and show their opposition.
Many EPSU unions will take part in these actions across Europe

The EPSU General Secretary spoke of the priorities of EPSU to end austerity and to demand public investment in infrastructure such as electricity and water networks as well as health and social services as a contribution to growth and job creation.

He referred to the work of EPSU on tax justice to underline that the money is there. The rich and global corporations avoid paying their full share of taxes.
Every year 1 trillion EUR is not paid and the report of EPSU and others on McDonalds revealed how this is done. Ver.di workers expressed their solidarity with workers fighting for better pay and conditions like the Hungarian childcare and elderly care workers (8 years without a pay increase) and the dismissed workers in the Maltepe hospital.
He thanked the Ver.di members for their support for the European Citizens' Initiative Right2Water that collected 1.3 million signatures in Germany.

The EPSU representative was speaking to the Ver.di Conferences on health and social services (including private health care, churches and not-for-profit providers) and on energy, water, waste, 14 and 16 April in Bad Neuenahr.

Sylvia Bűhler and Andreas Scheidt were elected as the sector's representatives for the board.

The union delegates considered collective bargaining policies, campaigns to increase membership and the challenges facing their sectors. They also gave examples of successful initiatives like the Germany-wide action to explore in 237 hospitals the stress at work in night-shifts. In most of the 2056 units only one qualified person (fachkraft) was present, responsible for 25 patients. 3 in 4 could not take the prescribed breaks. Or the project to increase membership in private waste as well as responding to the Energie-transition.

The conferences were organised in preparation of the Ver.di Federal Congress in September 2015.

  • Ver.di members say NO to CETA and TTIP
  • Expressing solidarity with struggle of health workers in Greece, Latvia, Turkey