EPSU affiliates show solidarity to Wisconsin workers

(1st March 2011)
- Message from Impact, Ireland
- Message from PCS, UK
- Message from Prospect, UK

Message from Impact, Ireland

Governor Scott Walker,
115 East Capitol Street Madison, Wisconsin 53702 -
United States of America

28th February 2011

Governor Walker,

I am writing on behalf of IMPACT trade union in Ireland to express our dismay over the developments regarding the collective bargaining rights for the public employees in Wisconsin.

We have been informed that you will seek to have legislation passed over the coming days that will eliminate collective bargaining rights for the employees in public services. This will be a serious violation of international labour conventions.

We regard your proposed unilateral action as an attack on one of the fundamental pillars in a well-developed democracy, where social dialogue and collective bargaining through trade unions secures constructive relationships between employers and employees. This kind of relationship has proved its high value in many countries, both in times of economic growth and during crisis.

We understand that you have refused to meet the unions to negotiate solutions that could contribute to balancing the budget - this is not the way we expect democratically elected leaders to act.

We have been informed that you have announced that you will call out the National Guard if public sector unions protest in what you may consider a disruptive way.

I am sure that you have been following the developments in Tunisia and Egypt and will welcome real democracies in these countries. For trade union members in these countries, their struggle is also related to respect for human rights and trade union rights. This includes the right to organise and the right to collective bargaining for public sector employees who have been in the front line fighting for democracy.
Instead of attacking the public sector unions and their members in your state, we urge you to choose a constructive path and stand by commitments that have already been set out in legally-negotiated collective agreements.

Governor Walker, we ask you to show respect towards public workers and stop the unilateral attacks on their unions. A constructive relationship between your government and trade unions will most benefit the citizens of Wisconsin.
Best regards

Bernard Harbor,
National Secretary - Communications

IMPACT trade union,
Nerney's Court, Dublin 1 -
Phone from outside Republic of Ireland: +3531-817-1538

www.impact.ie,
www.qualitypublicservices.ie

Message from PCS, UK

by email : [email protected]

Governor Scott Walker, 115 East Capitol Street, Madison, Wisconsin 5373 - USA

February 25, 2011

Dear Governor Walker,

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS FOR PUBLIC
EMPLOYEES IN WISCONSIN

On behalf of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), I write to express our dismay over the developments regarding collective bargaining rights for the public employees in Wisconsin.

It is being widely reported that you are backing the bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public services employees. Passage of the legislation would be a serious violation of international labour conventions.

The proposed unilateral action can only be regarded as an attack on one of the fundamental pillars in a well developed democracy, where social dialogue and collective bargaining through trade unions secures constructive relationships between employers and employees. This type of relationship has proved invaluable in many countries in both times of economic growth and during the financial crisis.

It is disappointing to hearing that you are unwilling to meet the representative trade unions to negotiate alternative solutions to balancing the budget particularly disappointing from a democratically elected leader.

It causes great concern to hear threat of the National Guard being called out should the public sector unions stage a protest. For trade union members in Tunisiaand Egypt, their struggles also related to respect f
or human and trade union rights the right to organise and the right to collective bargaining for public sector employees.

We would urge you to stand by legally negotiated collective bargaining
agreements, and follow a more constructive path for negotiated alternatives to the financial crisis. We would also urge you to respect the rights of the public sector workers and cease the unilateral attacks on their trade unions.

The only way forward is a constructive relationship between your government and the trade unions which we believe would most benefit the citizens of Wisconsin.

Yours sincerely,

HUGH LANNING,
Deputy General Secretary
PCS, 160 Falcon Road -
London SW11 2LN

www.pcs.org.uk

t: +44 (0)20 7801 2821 -
f: +44 (0)20 7223 8512

c.c:
Mary Lehman MacDonald - [email protected]

Candice Cowley - [email protected]

Stephanie Bloomingdale - [email protected]

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
is the fifth largest trade union in the UK, with over 300,000
members. We are organised throughout the civil service and government agencies, making us the UK’s largest civil service trade union. We also organise widely in the private sector, usually in areas that have been privatised. We are a democratic organisation, run by our members, for our members. We campaign for fair pay and conditions, decent
pensions for all and equality in the workplace and beyond.



Message from PROSPECT, UK

Governor Scott Walker

115 East Capitol Street, Madison,
Wisconsin 53702, United States of America

28 February 2011

Governor Walker,

Prospect is a British Trade Union representing 122,000 professional, managerial and specialist staff in all sectors of the economy. I am writing to express our concerns over the developments regarding the collective bargaining rights for the public employees in Wisconsin.

We understand that you will seek to have legislation passed over the coming days that will eliminate collective bargaining rights for the employees in public services. This will be a serious violation of international labour conventions.

We regard your proposed unilateral action as an attack on one of the fundamental pillars in a well-developed democracy, where social dialogue and collective bargaining through trade unions secures constructive relationships between employers and employees. This kind of relationship has proved its high value in many countries, both in times of economic growth and during crisis.

We understand that you have refused to meet the unions to negotiate solutions that could contribute to balancing the budget – this is not the way we expect democratically elected leaders to act.

We have been informed that you have announced that you will call out the National Guard if public sector unions protest in what you may consider a disruptive way.

I am sure that you have been following the developments in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt and will welcome real democracies in these countries. For trade union members in these countries, their struggle is also related to respect for human rights and trade union rights. This includes the right to organise and the right to collective bargaining for public sector employees who have been in the front line fighting for democracy. Instead of attacking the public sector unions and their members in your state, we urge you to choose a constructive path and stand by commitments that have already been set out in legally-negotiated collective agreements.

Governor Walker, we ask you to show respect towards public workers and stop the unilateral attacks on their unions. A constructive relationship between your government and trade unions will most benefit the citizens of Wisconsin.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Noon,
General Secretary

Copy to:
Mary Lehman MacDonald, [email protected]

Candice Owley, [email protected]

Stephanie Bloomingdale, [email protected]

Peter Waldorf, [email protected]

Carola Fischbach-Pyttel, [email protected]