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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.

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.