Newsletters

Our best wishes for 2022 to you and yours. I wish you all good health and that the new year brings many victories for unions. Thank you for the many cards and new year’s wishes that we received. My colleagues in the EPSU Secretariat and I appreciate it greatly - it gives us a boost to start the new

Digital Technologies The European Commission published its long-awaited proposal to regulate workers employed by platforms and the algorithms that dictate their work. Demands of the exploited riders and others supported by the European union movement are included in the proposal. A central point is

At last week’s EPSU Executive Committee, public service union leaders from across Europe called for a joint day of action on 23 June next year – the global day for public service workers. We will celebrate workers’ contributions to our communities and call for better pay and conditions and

There was profound disappointment with the final results of the COP26 climate conference. The Glasgow climate pact, the final set of positions and decisions adopted by around 200 states, didn’t include the phase-out of coal or firm commitments on finance to assist developing countries and especially

Government leaders and others are meeting at the climate summit in Glasgow to make pledges to reduce CO2 and methane emissions. This is vitally important. Scientists say that the national action plans are not enough to meet the goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees (let alone 1.5 degree) by

Today is the World Day for Decent Work – a day where workers and their unions demand better protection against employers and exploitation. Stronger trade union and collective bargaining rights ensure that workers can have decent work and pay. Unions across the world have responded to the call of the

Yesterday we published a new report arguing that COVID-19 needs to be classified as an occupational disease. This is vital for workers who have been infected and suffer the consequences long after having contracted the disease. This is also a demand of the ETUC and the European Trade Union

On 2 September the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in favour of the European Commission in the social dialogue case initiated by EPSU in May 2018. In the end, we lost the legal arguments around our interpretation of the Treaty as well as the leeway the Commission has to bring social partner

The latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change is clear – global warming is human made and every ton of CO2 released in the atmosphere contributes to climate change. This needs to stop if we are to avoid tipping points such as the thawing of the permafrost or the slowing and

Most European countries are rapidly reducing the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Economic, cultural and social life is picking up again. Workers who have been teleworking for more than a year are returning to their offices. The implications, risks and opportunities will become clearer. For

EPSU staff joined Belgian affiliates in a protest action in not-for-profit care in Brussels last week. The demands are so similar across Europe: higher wages, better conditions, action to reduce workloads and increase staffing. These are all needed to secure quality care as is the case more broadly

On 23 June EPSU is organising a number of panel discussions and we are delighted that Olivier de Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and extreme poverty will join debate on (re-)valuing public services. Based on his vast experience and research he will share with us how he sees the

The Global Health Summit will take place 21 May. It is organised by the European Commission and the Italian Presidency of the G20. It will see government leaders discuss how pandemics can be best prevented and how to improve global public health. EPSU/PSI and global civil society have outlined our

The Porto Social Summit of 7 May will see employers, unions and the European institutions confirming their support for the EU Pillar of Social Rights and implementation of the social action plan. This is welcome but the same employers, primarily represented in BusinessEurope, are working hard to