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Africa & Arab countries

Africa and Arab countries form one of the four regions in the PSI structure. Our 153 affiliated organisations in some 43 countries represent a membership of around 1.5 million people here. The regional secretariat is based in Lomé, Togo. Contact our regional offices.

A Quantum Leap for Gender Equality: For a Better Future of Work for All

11 March 2019

This new ILO report highlights key gender gaps and obstacles to decent work for women.

8 March - Women’s struggles need to be more bold and radical than ever

07 March 2019

Women’s Day is not a moment to celebrate the feminine. It is a day for political upheaval. Only by placing women’s struggles at the heart of labour action can we achieve the meaningful progress which generations of women have fought for. Read the PSI statement here.

This International Women’s Day, let’s call time on gender-based violence

07 March 2019

Gender-based violence blights the lives of millions of women. It excludes women from the world of work and often stigmatises them within their communities. Read the ITUC statement here.

PSI supports KCTU’s general strike for ratification of ILO Core Conventions without regression

05 March 2019

Social dialogue towards ratification of ILO Core Conventions 87 (freedom of association) and 98 (collective bargaining) in the Republic of Korea appears to be moving in the direction of actually weakening fundamental labour rights.

For the right to paid employment in Nepal

27 February 2019

In Nepal, JHL, Tehy, SASK (the Finnish Trade Union Solidarity Centre) and PSI are involved in a development project aimed at attracting volunteer workers into paid public health care.

EDF unions and management have training on implementing human and labour rights

27 February 2019

Eight months on from the signature of the renewal of the Global Framework Agreement (GFA) of EDF Group, over 25 trade union and management representatives came together on 19-20 February at the ILO International Training Centre in Turin to hone their skills to enable its implementation.

Universal Health Care and Maternity Leave in the Philippines

21 February 2019

History was made in the Philippines on 20 February, when President Duterte signed several bills the government had enacted into law. These included the Universal Health Care (UHC) bill and the Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) bill. Both measures are part of the PSI Philippines campaign under the Health Project supported by Finnish PSI affiliates and SASK.

Trans Pacific Partnership is bad news for workers – call to action

25 February 2014
No TPP

Many unions and civil society groups fighting the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Fast Track process of this terrible free trade deal have been frustrated by the lack of mainstream media coverage, especially in America. The media's conspiracy of silence makes it hard to mobilize our members against the TPP and Fast Track because they aren't hearing anything about it.

Urge the Turkish President to let doctors treat their patients

14 January 2014
Physicians for Human Rights logo

The Turkish president is considering signing a health bill that will criminalize emergency medical care and punish doctors with heavy fines and imprisonment for simply doing their jobs.


Physicians for Human Rights is calling on citizens around the world to write to the Turkish President in order to stop the health bill from becoming law.

Support Korean workers – hold protests at Korean embassies on 9 and 16-18 January

03 January 2014
striking workers in Korea

PSI affiliate KPTU asks for continued global support in its fight for worker rights and quality public services. All affiliates are invited to demonstrate international solidarity by bringing our voices to Korean embassies and consulates around the world on 9 and 16-18 January 2014.

Innovative non-profit water partnerships in ACP countries

02 December 2013

PSI is calling upon affiliates to sign on to letter sent to the EU Commissioner for Development expressing concern about the future of EU support for innovative non-profit partnerships in the Water sector in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP).

Algeria: Reinstate Rachid Malaoui and end trade union rights violations now!

23 November 2013
SNAPAP logo and photo of Rachid Malaoui

Public Services International, together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), the Comité International de Soutien au Syndicalisme Autonome Algérien/CISA (International Support Committee for Autonomous Algerian Trade Unions), the Solidarity Center from AFL-CIO and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), is calling for international action in solidarity with Algerian trade union SNAPAP, including the reinstatement of SNAPAP President, Rachid Malaoui.

Take action: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women - 25 November 2013

21 November 2013
PSI violence against women poster

PSI is calling on all its affiliate members, men and women, to make a pledge to end violence against women and girls, at each of their workplaces around the globe.
Violence against women is an age-old problem – it is time to end it now.

UN derecognizes staff unions, refuses to negotiate

12 November 2013

PSI urges all trade unionists to call on your UN Member States and Foreign Ministers and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to respect the rights of workers and immediately resume bargaining.

Join the LabourStart campaign send a letter of protest now

Double standards: How the UK promotes rip-off health PPPs abroad

02 October 2017

The Jubilee Debt Campaign has released a new report: ‘Double standards: How the UK promotes rip-off health PPPs abroad’ (24 pages, with a 4 page executive summary). PSI and its affiliates has substantially contributed to the content of the report.

Right to Health Newsletter (all issues)

04 September 2017

The Right to Health newsletter is our voice, bringing to you news and perspectives on the campaign and struggles around the world to realise health as a fundamental human right.

Unpacking the Public Private Partnership Revival

27 July 2017

This paper, published in the March edition of The Journal of Development Studies, was written by Kate Bayliss and Elisa Van Waeyenberge. It examines the recent resurgence of interest in public-private partnerships (PPPs) to provide infrastructure in developing countries.

Return and reintegration to South Africa - An information kit for migrant workers

25 July 2017

This return and reintegration to South Africa kit offers basic information about relevant topics to help South African migrant workers who are planning to return home after taking up employment overseas. The kit aims at empowering workers to make informed decisions and raise awareness of the issues related to their return home.

LRG/Municipal workers memes

20 July 2017

Download PSI's memes for LRG/Municipal sector workers - use them to promote and support the invaluable work of these PSI members !!

Whistleblower protection – how serious are governments in addressing corruption

12 July 2017

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

Four critical steps to operationalize the New Urban Agenda’s transformative commitment to decent work and inclusive and sustainable cities

12 July 2017

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

ILO Tripartite Meeting on Improving Employment and Working Conditions in Health Services (Geneva)

06 February 2017

The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss decent work strategies that effectively address health workforce shortages, as a prerequisite to enable provision of equal access to health care for all in need, with a view to adopting conclusions on future programme development and to inform policy-making on the selected topic at the international, regional and national levels.

More information on ILO website.

 

ITUC/Global Unions and World Bank/IMF High level meetings

31 January 2017

PSI is part of the trade union delegation attending the two and a half days meetings with the IMF and World Bank and will be represented as a discussant in the session on "Joint work towards universal social protection and healthcare"'.

140th WHO Executive Board

23 January 2017

The Executive Board is composed of 34 technically qualified members elected for three-year terms. This year the annual Board meeting is held from 23 January – 1 February. The members will agree upon the agenda for the World Health Assembly and the resolutions to be considered by the Health Assembly.

High-Level Policy Forum & OECD Health Ministerial (Paris)

13 January 2017

Public Services International (PSI) and The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) will be participating and contributing to the High-Level Policy Forum on 16 January and OECD Health Ministerial on 17 January 2017.

Project culmination conference on migration (Johannesburg)

12 January 2017

The Culmination Conference of the PSI Project on Decent Work and Social Protection for Migrant Workers in the Public Services is taking place at the Reef Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa on 13 January 2017.

Audio: RadioLabour report on ILC 2015

08 June 2015

Radio Labour reports from the Interntional Labour Conference 2015 with the speeches by trade union leaders Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary and Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary.

Video: ILO Director General speaks about the future of work for the public sector

02 June 2015

Interview with Guy Ryder, ILO Director General, at the PSI Executive Board meeting (EB-147) that took place in Geneva, Switzerland on 27-28 May 2015.

Video: SATSE, Senegal – gender equality and young workers

01 June 2015

In this interview, Fatou Diouf, Public Utilities Syndicat Autonome des Travailleurs de la Sénégalaise des Eaux (SATSE), talks about gender equality and young workers.

Video: Gender issues in Swaziland

29 May 2015

Representatives of PSI affiliates met in Geneva on 25-26 May 2015 for the PSI World Women’s Committee. In this interview, Irene Khumalo from Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SDNU) talks about gender issues including violence against women in Swaziland.

Video: In Nigeria, faced with rocketing electricity costs but no electricity, unions and the public demand end to privatisation

28 May 2015

Representatives of PSI affiliates met in Geneva on 27-28 May 2015 for the PSI Executive Board meeting. In this interview, Adeniyi Peters Adeyemi, Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU), Nigeria, speaks about privatisation, reforms and Ebola. He explains how Nigerian people have suffered under privatisation, and how in view of the consequences of privatisation, they are now joining in the unions’ opposition and asking the government to fix the problems. He also explains how Nigeria achieved good results in tackling the Ebola crisis.

Video: PSI General Secretary at Conference of Speakers of European Union's Parliaments

22 April 2015

In this video Rosa Pavanelli, General Secretary of Public Services International (PSI), addresses the Conference of Speakers of European Union's Parliaments on 21 April in Rome, Italy.

David Boys speaks at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, 16 March 2015

27 March 2015

PSI Deputy General Secretary David Boys spoke at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Sendai, Japan, on 16 March.