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Europe

PSI is represented in Europe by the European Federation of Public Service Unions, based in Brussels. For more on our activities in this region, please see the EPSU website

You can also view a list of European affiliates or contact European regional offices

Billionaire corporations pay lower effective tax rate than your average nurse, new study finds

20 April 2016
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Financial data from 76 of Australia’s largest multinationals has revealed they pay an average effective tax rate of 16.2% – half the corporate tax rate.

Public ownership of the UK energy system – benefits, costs and processes

18 April 2016

A new report by Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) and the UK NGO We Own It, calls for a return to public ownership and management of key elements of the British energy system. The report builds on years of research that demonstrate the excess costs of privatization, the negative impact on energy workers and on UK households, and the distortions of UK energy policy.

World Health Day 2016: Our health is not for sale!

07 April 2016

On Thursday April 7, Public Services International joins in the worldwide celebration of World Health Day.

Austerity is unjustifiable while richest are allowed to dodge taxes: Panama papers highlights hypocrisy

05 April 2016

The curtain has been pulled back. The Panama Papers have exposed the inner workings of a broken tax system for all the world to see. It is no longer possible for our governments to justify austerity when they let the richest avoid paying their fair share of tax.Now the public will be letting governments know that this is just the first step on the road to a more transparent and fairer global tax system.

Private Sector Dominates UNECE Forum on PPPs

01 April 2016
Unece logo

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has come under fire for a lack of democracy and an almost demagogic bias in favour of the private sector as it tries to set global standards for Public-Private Partnerships.

PSI stresses the failures of PPPs at UN World Water Day event

25 March 2016
David Boys

During the opening session of the event at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, on 22 March, David Boys, PSI Deputy General Secretary, underlined that PSI does not support the reliance on public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the water sector.

Water and Sanitation are Human Rights, NOW!

21 March 2016
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On 22 March, PSI celebrated World Water Day. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 requires that governments ensure universal access to water and sanitation by 2030. However, we are seeing a new push for public-private partnerships (PPPs). We know that PPPs fail to deliver social and environmental targets, and PSI will help affiliates block this approach. We call for a rights-based approach, with public finance and management in the interests of all.

Hope has no borders – Public services welcome migrants and refugees

21 March 2016

On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 21 March, Public Services International (PSI) calls on all public service workers to stand united in their support for migrants and refugees by welcoming them and fighting against racism and xenophobia.

Suez in trouble in Barcelona?

19 March 2016

The Superior Court of Catalonia decided to invalidate the corporate manipulations used by Aguas de Barcelona to retain its monopoly concession for managing the water and sanitation services in the Metropolitan area of Barcelona.

Report on the Annual General Meeting of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue for Education – 19th February 2016 Brussels

18 March 2016
Annual General Meeting of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue for Education

Jon Richards from UNISON UK and Jan Boersma from FNV, Netherlands represented the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) at the Annual General Meeting of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue for Education (ESSDE), an official EU body for employers and unions in the education sector.

Report: Protecting the Public Interest from Predatory Privatization and Outsourcing

17 March 2016

A Public Services International Leadership Meeting held on 2-3 December 2015 in Washington, D.C. USA and hosted by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The objective of this PSI leadership meeting was to explore ways to work together to strengthen the fight against the global push for privatization, linking national campaigns to regional and global dynamics.

Stop building walls in Europe!

17 March 2016
PSI_EPSU delegation

Public Services International (PSI) and European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) reject EU and Turkish “one-in, one-out deal’’ on refugees.

"Public services welcome migrants" seminar is underway in Brussels

14 March 2016
Photo: Sonia Sanchez

Over 50 trade unionists representing 15 countries from Europe and Africa have come together for 2.5 days to strengthen cooperation and enhance the role of public service trade unions in dealing with migration and refugee flows.

Video: All migrants have the right to have economic and social rights

14 March 2016

Statement of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, addressing the PSI - EPSU - ETUI seminar “Public Services Welcoming Migrants: Strengthening the role of public service trade unions in the protection of human rights and delivery of public services to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees” in Brussels, Belgium on 15 March.

UNCSW60: Commission on the Status of Women

13 March 2016
Photo: CTF - FCE/Flickr

The sixtieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 14 to 24 March 2016.