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Local and Regional Government/Municipal sector

Local and regional governments (LRG)/municipal sector workers run essential services in cities, metropolitan areas and territories servicing millions of people and communities every day. Our members work in public administrations; public utilities such as water and sanitation, electricity, and solid waste. They operate public transport and maintain public spaces; work in social, culture and education services such as libraries, museums, kindergartens, schools and universities. They are health and social services workers. Firefighters, emergency, medical first responders and municipal police are also among LRG/municipal workers. PSI defends and promotes the union and labour rights of LRG/municipal workers and advocates their decent working and living conditions so that they can sustainably deliver accessible, quality public services to the local communities and territories they serve and successfully confront the many challenges posed by rapid urbanization and globalization. Join the discussion on PSI's LRG/Municipal Workers Facebook Group.

Firefighters Network forum: organising for decent work

10 September 2015

Unions representing fire fighters from the Asia Pacific region met in Manila on 8 and 9 September 2015 with a view of strengthening their network.

Video: Social dialogue and cooperation at the municipal level pays off - the Norwegian experience

31 August 2015

PSI affiliate the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees (Fagforbundet) has produced a new video on how decent work and tripartite cooperation created the foundation for the Norwegian welfare state.

The work of the ants: Labour and community reinventing public water in Colombia

15 October 2014

Water services in Colombia’s rural and peri-urban areas have traditionally been delivered by a rich variety of autonomous community-owned aqueducts. This action-research project documents the struggles of one such community to preserve and reinforce its aqueduct as an alternative to both private and ‘state’ modes of service delivery.

Uruguay celebrates ten years of constitutional reform in defence of water

10 October 2014
Por el agua

On 9 October, the people of Uruguay celebrated the tenth anniversary of the victorious referendum in defence of water that forced a change to the constitution. Amendments to the constitution recognised water as a basic human right and made it impossible to privatise water resources and services.

Municipal workers of Americas create a new regional organisation

21 August 2014

The Confederation of Municipal Workers – PSI Americas (CONTRAM) held its founding congress in Mexico on 4 - 6 August 2014. This new organisation represents the specific interests of municipal workers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Water remunicipalisation tracker website renewed and relaunched

11 July 2014

Remunicipalisation, or the taking back under public management of previously privatised public services, is a growing trend. Together with our allies, PSI is supporting information gathering and exchange, in order to assist campaigns and decision-making.

Alliances for public services in South Africa

09 July 2014

The Municipal Services Project (MSP) is a research project that explores alternatives to the privatization and commercialization of service provision in electricity, health, water and sanitation in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is composed of academics, labour unions, non-governmental organizations, social movements and activists from around the globe who are committed to analyzing successful alternative service delivery models to under- stand the conditions required for their sustainability and reproducibility.

Working for the many - public services fight inequality

07 April 2014

The UK-based NGO Oxfam has published a 26-page booklet "Working for the many," that calls on governments to urgently reform tax systems and increase public spending on free public services, such as health and education, to tackle inequality and prevent us being tipped irrevocably into a world that works for the few, not the many.

Putting public in public services: Research, action and equity in the Global South

18 March 2014
Municiapl Serivces Project logo

The international conference Putting public in public services: Research, action and equity in the Global South, to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, on 13-16 April 2014, will bring together progressive academics and NGOs who work closely with PSI and our affiliates on a range of public services.

The tragedy of the private, the potential of the public

17 March 2014
Man dressed as clown holding banner against water privatisation

This new booklet co-published by Public Services international and the Transnational Institute surveys anti-privatisation campaigns by PSI affiliates around the world. From South Africa to Brazil, from Italy to the US, in Uruguay, Greece, Norway, the UK and in many other countries, municipal councils are taking services back under public control.

Philippines union works with municipality to improve public services and workers’ benefits

15 October 2013

Jonathan Jamora, local president of the Bislig City Employees Association (BISCEA) in the Philippines and a member of the National Executive Board of PSLINK, joined the PSI delegation to the UCLG Congress World Summit for Local and Regional Leaders, in Rabat, Morocco, 1-4 October 2013.

BISCEA has built a relationship with Bislig’s municipal government and takes an active role in improving and delivering public services daily.

Workers’ rights and municipal organising in Brazil

07 October 2013
Joao Gabriel Guimaraes Buonavita

Brazilian Joao Gabriel Guimaraes Buonavita represented the PSI-affiliated SINDSEP-SP union at the UCLG World Summit for Local and Regional Leaders in Rabat, Morocco, 1-4 October 2013.

“My participation at this conference was a great opportunity to meet Brazilian mayors and organisations,” he said.

The struggle for local government autonomy in Nigeria

07 October 2013

Ibrahim Khaleel from the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) was a member of the Public Services International delegation at the World Summit of the Local and Regional Leaders in Rabat, Morocco, from 1-4 October 2013.

No democracy without transparency

04 October 2013

Public Services International General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli stressed the importance of transparency in public services as a means to fight corruption and to obtain resources to cover the needs of public service users, during forum discussions at the United Cities and Local Governments World Summit in Rabat, Morocco, 1-4 October.

European Groups applaud Bern for becoming first Blue Community in Europe

18 September 2013
Three people holding Blue Planet Project cerificates

Social justice, environmental, and labour organizations in Europe are applauding the city of Bern for taking a bold new step to protect water as a commons. Launched by the Blue Planet Project based in Canada, the Blue Communities certification requires municipal governments to pass legislation recognising water as a human right and pledging to promote and protect public water and sanitation services.