Our support for increased salaries, more investment and staff in health and social services says EPSU

Congress CGT Santé Action Sociale, 28 may - 1 June 2018, Montpellier

(30 May 2018) During the Congress of EPSU affiliate CGT Santé Action Sociale, many delegates spoke of the need for investment in public services, staff and pay and conditions in the French health and social services.
Several local unions reported about their strike actions. These are demands that many workers in Europe share and for which they engage in actions.

Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU General Secretary spoke about EPSU’s priorities and EPSU’s positive agenda for Another Europe that stands up to austerity and rejects the extreme right and nationalism. He expressed EPSU’s support for an end to the wage freeze in the public service and the need for more pay for workers in elderly and home care. The Congress welcomed the historic vote regarding the right to abortion in Ireland, recalling the actions of EPSU in this regard. The importance of the EPSU decision to take the European Commission, which is showing itself to be an  untrustworthy partner, to the European Court of Justice over its lack of respect for social dialogue, the social partners and the outcome of the negotiations was applauded. It is important that the social dialogue is respected at all levels, at the work place, in the sectors and in Europe.

The delegates joined in an expression of solidarity for the Greek workers involved in a general strike on 30 May and showed their support for unions in the Netherlands, Spain and the UK currently involved in pay disputes. Europe’s public service workers need a pay increase. Representatives of the multinational company Orpea informed the delegates about the treatment of trade union representatives, a situation union comrades in Germany had also experienced. Joint union actions and building the trade union representation in multinational companies is an objective delegates shared.

Jan Willem Goudriaan thanked the union for its support and the work of EPSU Vice-president Françoise Geng. The Congress took place from 28 May to 1 June 2018 in Montpellier.

France