EPSU 8th Congress briefing - Financial and Economic Crisis

In the wake of the financial and economic crisis, on 21 April the EPSU Executive Committee adopted a discussion document, “The Financial and Economic Crisis: consequences for the public sector and the economy at large, and EPSU”. The Executive Committee will meet just before Congress starts on 8 June and will decide whether to put an Emergency Resolution to Congress based on this document.

Item 5) Emergency Resolution E.R. 1: “The Financial and Economic Crisis: consequences for the public sector and the economy at large”. EPSU is advocating action around three key areas:

1) regulating the financial markets: including nationalising banks in difficulty; increased transparency, regulation and supervision; recreating public savings banks and reforming the international finance system;

2) the economy – coming out of recession: including putting a halt to privatisation of public services; scrutiny of public-private finance initiatives; full involvement of trade unions; for Governments to stop singling out public sector workers with pay freezes, wage reductiona and job cuts;

3) a new balance of power for collective bargaining and social policy.

If the EPSU Executive Committee agrees, the resolution will be tabled at Congress.
It will be introduced by Blair Horan (pictured), General Secretary of Irish Trade Union CPSU.