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No Trade in Public Services

The recent wave of trade agreements are direct threats to the provision of Quality Public Services. These new agreements encourage privatisation, restrict governments’ ability to regulate in the public interest and create new and powerful rights for large multinational corporations. They are also a threat to democracy and accountability of government. They are being negotiated in secret, without proper consultation and will bind future governments, often regardless of the decisions of national elections, parliaments and courts. PSI urges all affiliates to understand the implications and join our allies to oppose the harmful effects of these agreements.

Civil Society Groups Say "No" to Investors Suing States in RCEP

04 August 2016

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is being negotiated in secret by 16 countries and a leaked copy of its investment chapter includes proposals to allow foreign investors to sue governments at an international tribunal.

Asia-Pacific people's movements come together to challenge RCEP

01 August 2016

More than 80 participants representing trade unions, farming communities, indigenous peoples, health networks, women’s organisations, academia and civil society organizations met on 27-28 July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to take stock of the new generation of mega regional FTAs emerging in the region.

Key concerns of public service workers addressed to UNCTAD14 conference

20 July 2016

At UNCTAD14 in Nairobi, Kenya, PSI submitted our position paper and saw our key concerns included in the Civil Society declaration to the conference.

New report on PPPs warns UNCTAD against proposed policy shift

18 July 2016

A study released today on Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) raises significant concerns over the controversial funding mechanism and serves as a clear warning to leaders meeting at UNCTAD14 this week. The research paper, titled PPPs and the SDGs; don’t believe the hype, found that PPPs often contribute to decreased transparency and accountability, increased incentives for corruption and do not attract significant new capital.

Public sector unions lobby MEPs to reject new Investment Court System

05 July 2016

Today, the trade union federation that represents public sector unions globally, and in Europe, released research showing that the European Union’s proposal to create a new investment court could open governments to hundreds of court cases costing billions of dollars.

Rosa Pavanelli speaks to over 3000 delegates at the ‪Teamsters 2016‬ conference

29 June 2016
Rosa Pavanelli

PSI's General Secretary was invited to speak on the need to fight bad trade agreements - like TPP, TTIP, TiSA and CETA - at the 29th Teamsters International Convention.

Database on TISA

28 June 2016

You will find here everything related to the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA): documents, videos, notes, reports and studies.

Shady TiSA deal condemned by protesters

14 June 2016

While negotiators and ambassadors met in secret to discuss the ongoing Trade in Services Agreement at the EU mission in Geneva, a coalition of international trade unionists and local activists rallied outside, calling for an end to the shady negotiations.

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Corporations seek more payouts from public purse through highest ever number of ISDS complaints

14 June 2016

Governments are being sued through obscure Investor-State Dispute Settlement cases at a record-high rate for laws which foreign corporations say are having an ‘unfair’ impact on their profits.

Bad Investments: Trading Away the Right to Energy Democracy

04 June 2016

The recent release by Wikileaks of documents relating to the "Trade in Services Agreement" (TiSA) - currently being negotiated in secret in Geneva - has brought a new round of scrutiny not only to the TiSA, but also to the sweeping effort to re-write international trade and investment rules of which it constitutes just a part.

TiSA undermines COP21 action says analysis of leaked annex on Energy

30 May 2016

Greenpeace, trade unions and the global trade network Our World Is Not For Sale (OWINFS) claim TiSA is the latest secretly negotiated trade deal that undermines climate change action.

Why TPP is a bad deal for America and American workers

28 April 2016
STOP the TPP

From the rhetoric of proponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a sweeping trade and investment pact between the U.S. and 11 Asia-Pacific countries, it would be easy to conclude that the agreement is an economic panacea for the shrinking middle class and stagnant wages faced by most workers in America. The reality is more sobering: There are good economic reasons to believe that TPP will not only fail to provide the promised benefits but actually make things worse.

Campaign against TPPA and TISA approved in PSI's regional meeting in Chile

13 April 2016

Representatives of unions affiliated to PSI agreed to make mobilization efforts, partnerships with civil society, lobbying parliaments and campaign material that allows raising public awareness through simple language to explain the negative impact of this type of treaty.

PSI Canada Statement on CETA and ICS

31 March 2016
Photo: POUR

Public Service International (PSI) affiliated unions from Canada have concluded the North America Sub-regional meeting in Ottawa from March 3-4, 2016 in agreement that recent changes to the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) do nothing to address its fundamental flaws or to mitigate the harm it will cause.

RCEP threatens tax policies in India and other 15 countries

01 March 2016
map

The website of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has no mention of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on which officials from 16 countries, including India, met for a round of secret trade talks in Brunei from 15-19 February. This mega Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to be concluded by the end of 2016.