(2 July, 2025) Workers across Europe marked Public Service Day on 23 June by calling for an end to austerity and demanding that public services be placed at the centre of Europe’s future. Many unions used EPSU’s Public Service Agenda as a foundation for their actions, urging governments to invest in strong, accessible, and democratically accountable public services.
Several affiliates took the campaign further by launching national Public Service Agendas. Ver.di (Germany) and CGIL-FP (Italy) published positions highlighting specific demands for their national governments. Across Europe, affiliates took photos with EPSU’s “No to Austerity” banners, sending a clear and unified message.
Members of the European Parliament lent their voices to the campaign, with many using the occasion to reaffirm their support for public services as a cornerstone of democracy and equality. Several MEPs spoke out against austerity policies and emphasised the need to strengthen the role of public services across the EU.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) joined EPSU in marking the day. EPSU General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan and ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch co-authored an op-ed in The Brussels Times, arguing that Europe’s real defences and resilience lie in its public services and that these must be properly supported and resourced. EPSU and ETUC also released a joint video celebrating public service workers and pushing back against renewed austerity threats.
The joint video with the ETUC was published on several platforms: Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, Twitter/X.
Check out a video of MEPs standing up for the Public Service Agenda on Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter/X and Linkedin.
PSI launched a video hitting back against attacks on public services.
Find an album of affiliate union photos here.
How did your union mark Public Service Day? Let us know - email Chloe Kenny ([email protected]).
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