Newsletters

Five years since the pandemic The discussion on defence spending in the EU, UK and other European countries neglects the vital role of our public services and infrastructure in providing welfare for all, which is the best civil defence there can be. Five years on from the pandemic , we should not

Solidarity with w orkers and the p eople of Ukraine On 24 February 2022 - three years ago yesterday - Euorpe's fragile post-World War II and post-Cold War security arrangements collapsed entirely. Russia invaded Ukraine. I remember the images from the first days of the invasion - columns of tanks

EPSU stands in solidarity with Ver.di EPSU sends its full solidarity to our colleagues in Ver.di after the tragic incident in Munich. A car drove into a demonstration of childcare workers, injuring several people, including children. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those

Workers, women, students, children: be aware. Corporations are out to get you. The European Commission published its Competitiveness Compass this week, outlining its agenda for the coming years. It's an agenda that prioritises industry and promotes deregulation under the guise of simplification. It

The EU Minimum Wage Directive , aimed at improving pay and collective bargaining for millions of workers, now faces a critical challenge. Denmark and Sweden have brought the directive to court, arguing that pay regulation is outside the EU’s competence. The Advocate General of the European Court of

Looking back as the year ends, I want to thank you all for the many contributions you made to promote and defend the interests of public service workers, to move us further, to build our EPSU family, and to work to get our demands recognised and realised. And a special thanks to the EPSU team - they

This week, South Korean workers, the trade union confederation KCTU, and many others stood united against a coup attempt by the South Korean President. Society rejected this attack on democracy en masse. Strikes and other actions are now underway, demanding the President’s resignation following his

Leaders of Europe’s public service unions have united in solidarity with workers fighting for better pay and working conditions. This week alone has seen significant mobilisations: On 18 November, Austrian social service workers took to the streets to demand higher pay. On 19 November, French

Trump will become the 47th President of the United States. The European far-right is gloating, feeling a fresh wind in their sails. Trump’s ‘America First’ campaign is already resonating in Europe, with some talking about ‘Europe First’, such as a Flemish far-right nationalist. In a crude way, that

A sigh of relief could be heard in Brussels as the news came in: a very narrow majority of Moldovan people said yes to a new clause in Sunday’s referendum. The referendum enshrines the goal of EU membership in the Moldovan constitution. This is the result that the CNMS trade union confederation - of

Georgia – democratic backsliding The European Parliament agreed on a resolution to postpone EU accession negotiations with Georgia. MEPs say that the country is backsliding in its democratic development, citing recent laws that criminalise foreign organisations and restrict the rights of people in

Brussels was abuzz last week as the candidate Commissioners and their missions were revealed. What did the names of the portfolios imply? Who is reporting to whom? Which country lost out? Most importantly, do we get a sense of a mission and focus of this Commission? For the first time since the

The long-awaited Draghi report on competitiveness was published this week. Basically it is a call for more Europe, more cooperation and common objectives seen as necessary to lift productivity in the EU and be competitive with China, the US and other countries. More Europe is needed to deliver on

Summer is ending and most people have returned to work. In many countries schools will start on 2 September. We wish them all the very best. Summer was full of actions. Some have faced difficult negotiations. The Czech affiliates have declared an indefinite strike alert, telling the government that