We've moved to a new site!

Join us at publicservices.international - for all the latest news, resources and struggles from around the world.

We are no longer updating world-psi.org and it will be progressively phased out: all content will be migrated to the new site and old links will redirect eventually.

Energy

Reliable electricity improves lives and supports economic development. Just ask anyone who gathers wood to cook. Private corporations – motivated by profit – have frequently failed to expand electrical services to those who need it most. They also charge all the market will bear. Public enterprises – motivated by serving the public interest – are better placed to provide clean, affordable energy.

PPP: Corporations divert UN agenda, claims civil society report

13 July 2017

New York, 13 July 2017: Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), usually portrayed as a useful tool towards sustainable development, actually “involve disproportionate risks and costs for people and the public purse”, claims a global coalition of civil society organizations and trade unions in the Spotlight Report 2017 launched earlier this week.

World Bank plan to mobilize “trillions” will not help the poor

11 July 2017

Global Spotlight Report says that the proposed “cascade” of private financing for infrastructure will result in more corruption, high fees for essential services, and massive resource transfers to the rich from the poor.

The new generation of PPPs in infrastructure – meeting the needs of institutional investors

10 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.

Civil society groups reclaim policies for the public

07 July 2017

Launching on the opening day of the High Level Political Forum at the United Nations in New York this new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

EDF’s astonishing hypocrisy : during global talks on corporate social responsibility, EDF subsidiary in Belgium illegally fires workers

30 June 2017

On 29 June, 14 workers of EDF Luminus were summarily dismissed, without prior notifications, consultations, negotiations (one worker on sick leave was fired by SMS) – in apparent violation of a number of sectoral and national laws and regulations.

The Australian Services Union (ASU) and other unions win a just transition deal for ENGIE Hazelwood workers with the State of Victoria and local energy employers

22 May 2017

On May 1st the Government of the Australian State of Victoria, announced the signature of the Latrobe Valley Worker Transfer Scheme Partnership Agreement, a landmark agreement on a just employment transition for workers in the energy sector moving from carbon-intensive towards low-carbon and renewable power generation.

PSI research on ADB in the Power Sector in India

27 April 2017

Over the years, PSI has created a body of work on the series of reforms in the electricity sector in India and the role of International Financial Institutions, such as the Asian Development Bank.

Indonesian court judges electricity privatisation unconstitutional

14 February 2017

Trade unions in Indonesia turned to the Constitutional Court to examine a 2009 law on electricity designed to promote privatisation and market-based rules. While the Court’s decision agrees with the union’s stand, it appears to allow private sector participation under certain conditions.

PSI affiliate in Jordan protests against the Jordanian electricity company

23 November 2016

PSI affiliate in Jordan, the General Trade Union for Workers in Electricity (GTUWE) implemented a sit-in on 9 November 2016 in front of the electricity company in Ras Al Ain to protest against the Jordanian electricity company’s rejection of the workers’ demands.

Video: Towards Energy Democracy

06 September 2016

How are people across the world taking back power over the energy sector and re-imagining how energy might be produced, distributed and used?

4th African Energy Union's network communique

01 August 2016

The Energy Network meeting, held on 18th and 19th July 2016, at Ngong Hills Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, comprised of representatives from Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and PSI sub-regional office came up with the following:

Overview of proposed privatization of Electricity Sector in Ghana

22 June 2016

This recent analysis by PSIRU shows the influence of the US government and its Millennium Challenge Corporation in the planned energy privatization in Ghana.

The road to Quito: workers and decent employment must be at the heart of the New Global Agenda!

06 June 2016
H III

The countdown for Habitat III - the UN conference that is expected to set out the new guidelines for urban policies - has begun. The ‘United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development ’ – as it is officially called - will take place in Quito, Ecuador, 17 – 20 October 2016.

PSI affiliates oppose the privatisation of electricity in Ghana

23 May 2016
Demonstrations against energy privatisation

PSI affiliates the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) and the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) have called on the Government to stop the privatisation of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). Following PSI’s advice, the two unions are collaborating to advocate against the concession.

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.

United Nations issues brief: Energy

07 January 2014
light bulb photo by Olga Reznik

This document has been prepared for the United Nations' member states and their deliberations, for decision-making over the post-2015 agenda and for a specific Sustainable Development Goal on energy.

Presentation: Resist, reclaim, restructure

31 October 2013

This presentation was made by Josua Mata during the PSI Asia Pacific Quality Public Services Forum in Bangkok, Thailand - October 2013

Presentation: Is fracking a trade question?

16 October 2013

Presentation by Geert Decock, Policy Officer, Food & Water Europe. This document was presented at the PSI workship on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), held during the WTO Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, 2 October 2013.

PSIRU Paper - International Financial Institutions and Energy Investments

20 September 2013

This paper examines:
- The activities of the international financial institutions (IFIs) as they affect finance for the energy sector, through their preferences for private companies and insistence on eliminating price subsidies
- How investments to extend electricity networks and develop new electricity generation depend largely
on public finance
- The annexe includes lists of current IFI projects affecting the energy sector

PSIRU Paper: Renewable energy

20 September 2013

As part of policies to combat climate change, there is a global commitment to increase the proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources, including hydro‐electric, wind, solar and geothermal. This reduces the use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, which produce CO2 emissions and so contribute to climate change. National and global policies for renewable energies reflect the result of public debates and democratic decisions.

PSIRU Paper - Energy Liberalisation, privatisation and public ownership

20 September 2013

This paper reviews the trends in privatisation and liberalisation in the energy sector, and the development of remunicipalisation and renationalisation in Germany and elsewhere.

Enel Global Framework Agreement (2013)

25 June 2013

On 14 June 2013 in Rome, Italy, the global unions Public Services International and IndustriALL signed a Global Framework Agreement with the multinational enterprise Enel, which operates in more than 40 countries.

Strategic Activities Report: PSI at the World Social Forum, Tunis 2013

15 April 2013

Public Services International had the strongest global union presence at the World Social Forum 26-30 March 2013 in Tunis, Tunisia. PSI hosted and co-sponsored numerous events on trade union rights, youth, water, women’s issues, tax justice, energy and climate change.

Water, electricity and the political context in Arab countries 2011

11 April 2013

This report examines the electricity and water sectors in North African and Middle Eastern countries, including the record of privatisations, and the potential implications of the democracy movements, and the response of international institutions, as of September 2011.

Working for the alternative: Implementing PSI's mandate in 2013 and beyond

19 March 2013

The 2012 PSI World Congress provided a framework for Public Services International's discussions and decisions. However, it is necessary to focus priorities. This document presents a detailed implementation plan for PSI's mandate in 2013 and beyond.

PSI Congress Resolutions

12 March 2013

Resolutions adopted at the 29th World Congress of Public Services International, held in Durban, South Africa, 27-30 November 2012. The resolutions are available in English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish, Japanese and Russian.

Resolution 35: Migration Project

30 November 2012

The 29th World Congress of Public Services International (PSI), meeting in Durban, South Africa, on 27-30 November 2012

Resolution 14: The global fight-back against austerity

30 November 2012

The 29th World Congress of Public Services International (PSI), meeting in Durban, South Africa, on 27-30 November 2012

Resolution 13: Taxation

30 November 2012

The 29th World Congress of Public Services International (PSI), meeting in Durban, South Africa, on 27-30 November 2012

Resolution 3: Building a disaster-resilient society through the enhancement of public services

30 November 2012

The 29th World Congress of Public Services International (PSI), meeting in Durban, South Africa, on 27-30 November 2012