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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.

Workers in Ghana demonstrate against massive increase in utility tariffs

27 January 2016

Wednesday 20 January 2016, Ghanaian workers, mostly public sector workers and members of PSI’s 8 affiliates in the country, took to the streets along with other civil society groups to protest the recent massive increases in utility tariffs calling on the government to withdraw the Energy Sector Levies Act 899 of 2015 with immediate effect.

Join the Global Frackdown to Paris!

26 October 2015
Ban Fracking

PSI is calling on affiliates to join the Global Frackdown to Paris initiative by signing an international letter to world leaders in support of a ban on fracking and a renewable energy future.

Building workers’ power in the utilities sector in Asia Pacific

12 September 2015

PSI affiliates in the water and electricity sector and local governments/municipalities met in Manila on 11 September to strengthen joint work within these sectors, highlight the failure of the massive wave of privatisation sweeping the Asia and Pacific region (AP), and propose long term solutions.

Unions oppose badly negotiated free trade agreement

03 August 2015

The Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia (CEPU), in unity with many other Australian unions and associations, rallied in Sydney on 31 July 2015 opposing the Federal Government for signing the China - Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA).

The support for energy privatisation in Nigeria is not acceptable

23 July 2015
Nigeria stop privatisation

Millions of pounds of UK aid money has been used to support the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity system. The result has been a disaster with escalating energy prices, job losses and declining quality of services. PSI has joined Global Justice Now and UNISON in their campaign to stop this privatisation.

Energy democracy and the climate agenda

03 July 2015

PSI and affiliates, along with a number of national union confederations and some industrial and private sector unions met in New York on 29 June 2015 to advance the programme on energy democracy and energy and the climate agenda.

Why Public-Private Partnerships don’t work

17 March 2015
Drinking from tap

Public Services International (PSI) has just released the new report “Why Public-Private Partnerships don’t work: The many advantages of the public alternative”.

UK aid funds energy privatisation in Nigeria

17 March 2015

New research released today by campaign group Global Justice Now shows that since 2002, £140 million of UK aid money has been spent by the Department for International Development (DfID) on projects to support the privatisation of Nigeria’s energy system, with disastrous consequences for people in Nigeria.

Ver.di negotiates pay rise and job security agreement for RWE workers

23 January 2015
ver.di logo

PSI affiliate in Germany ver.di has negotiated a successful new deal with energy company RWE, covering its 25,000 employees.

COP20: The public option in green policies

09 December 2014
Windmills - Photo: Pablo LordFerguson (Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)

As the UN Climate Change Summit, COP20, in Lima, Peru, draws to an end, PSI highlights the special role of local and national government structures in developing, implementing and monitoring green policies.

Climate change, energy democracy and the role of trade unions

22 September 2014

Ahead of the People's Climate March on 21 September in New York City, PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, and author and activist Naomi Klein talk about Climate Change, Energy Democracy and the role of trade unions.

Video: Climate Change and Energy Democracy

22 September 2014

Ahead of the People's Climate March on 21 September in New York City, PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, and author and activist Naomi Klein, talk about Climate Change, Energy Democracy and the role of the trade unions.

Power to the People: A Strategy Discussion on Advancing Social Ownership of Energy

11 September 2014

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, with representatives of PSI affiliates will be taking part in a strategic discussion on advancing social ownership of energy organised by the Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) on 20 September 2014 in New York. The TUED delegation will join in the People's Climate March on 21 September 2014.

Video: The fightback against austerity

07 July 2014

Public Services International (PSI), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), together with our affiliate unions, ADEDY, and allies in Greece brought together a team of expert union journalists and communicators. This solidarity exchange enabled PSI communicators from other countries to learn more about the issues facing Greek trade unionists and share this understanding with their union members and communities around the world.

FirstEnergy ends Penelec lockout but continues unfair concession demands

09 April 2014
striking workers

The Utility Workers Union of America, a PSI affiliate, welcomed FirstEnergy’s decision to end its lockout of 142 utility workers at its Penelec subsidiary in central Pennsylvania, but criticized management for unilaterally implementing unfair cutbacks in customer service standards, employee working conditions, and benefits.

Resolution 32: After COP 17: Campaigning for Green Jobs and Policies

30 November 2012

The 29th World Congress of Public Services International (PSI),

Resolution 34: PSI Sector Networks

30 November 2012

The 29th World Congress of Public Services International (PSI),

Desertec: what are the implications for Africa?

22 November 2011

The Desertec plan is a highly ambitious, large-scale project designed to harness renewable energy such as solar and wind power to generate large amounts of electricity. It will do this by establishing solar as well as wind plants in the Sahara desert in countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Water, electricity and the political context in Arab countries 2011

22 November 2011

This report examines the electricity and water sectors in North African and Middle Eastern countries. It consists of three sections. The first section examines the political, economic and global context as of September 2011. The second section examines the water sector. The third section examines the electricity sector.

Annual Report 2010

05 April 2011

In the face of widening cuts to public services and attacks on the rights of public sector workers around the world, leaders of private and public sector trade unions, municipal governments and civil society groups made the unprecedented joint commitment to work together to promote investment in quality public services backed by fair taxation policies as the key solution to the economic crisis, and the best way to build peaceful, equitable, democratic and environmentally-sustainable societies.

Annual Report 2009

03 April 2010

Environmental and social sustainability provided the primary theme for PSI’s work in 2009. Leading into the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen in December, trade unions and civil society allies worked hard to ensure that world leaders would agree on an ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions. Alas, this dream did not become reality. But we are committed to continuing this struggle and achieving real results.

Annual Report 2008

03 April 2009

Looking back at 2008 the one word that comes to mind is CHANGE. We saw a dramatic change in the global economy, it was the keyword in the US election and we initiated changes in PSI.