Culture, Gender pay gap, Procurement
EPSU welcomes EP report "new developments in public procurement
EPSU welcomes the report adopted by the European Parliament on 18 May on “new developments in public procurement”, rapporteur Heide Rühle MEP. EPSU had suggested a number of amendments to the report, emphasizing that the legal changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty.
Public procurement : EPSU demands consistency from the European Commission
The European Federation of Public Service Union (EPSU) together with several other trade unions and civil society organisations (GMB, UNISON, EMF, EFFAT, EFBWW, Solidar, FLO, The Fair Trade Advocacy Office, EFTA, WFTO, FERN and Client Earth) sent a letter to Commissioner Barnier with its initial contribution to the evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of EU procurement legislation and policy.
EPSU and Civil Society letter to Commissioner Barnier on Procurement
The letter sent by EPSU together with other trade unions and civil society organisation on Public procurement, as well as the report on the Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of EU procurement legislation and policy.
EPSU response to Commission's consultation on Green Paper on EU public procurement rules
EPSU’s response focuses on public services and sustainable procurement. On public services EPSU stresses that new EU rules should not put pressure on public authorities to use public procurement to provide public services.
Joint PR from the network for sustainable development in public procurement - key demands and messages
The Network for Sustainable Development in Public Procurement on the occasion of the European Commission’s Conference “modernising public procurement” on 30 June 2011 reiterate their ‘five key demands’ for the revision of the procurement Directives.
Workers and residents affected as more care companies collapse
(May 2017) Around 200 workers and the 1100 people they provide care for are the latest victims of private care company bankruptices. The collapse of Hjemmehjælpen Aarhus, the largest private care company in Aarhus, Denmark's second city, is the third private care company bankruptcy in May and the 41st since 2013 when a new tendering system was introduced. The FOA public service union is calling for a change to the system with requirements to monitor professional and management skills, company finances and to protect working conditions.
Historic decision on care contracts
(March 2017) After years of campaigning, workers in social care might see some respite from the race to the bottom on contract costs and pay. The government has approved an order in council that requires municipalities to adopt fair and equitable rates for home care. This should end the situation where local authorities were issuing tenders which providers could only meet by cutting costs and for workers this meant either losing their job or seeing a massive cut in pay.
Union calls for action over lowest cost bids in social care
(March 2017) The FOA public services union has called for action to stop low cost bids for social care contracts require quality provision in the tenders. The union reports one recent example where municipalities have chosen a bid from a private company that involves DKK 10,000 less spending per client. The union argues that the situation has lead to bankruptcies as companies realise they can't meet the contract. This impacts on workers' jobs and is a challenge for FOA to ensure private companies sign up to the sector collective agreement.