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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.

Canada: Outlining the risks of public-private-partnerships

11 September 2012

The Canadian union CUPE has launched a new guide for municipalities, outlining the risks of public-private partnerships.

Sweden: Crisis package rescued 8,500 municipal jobs

03 September 2012
Road workers

When the financial crisis hit, the Swedish government provided temporary grants to the municipal sector. Calculations now show that the money saved 8,500 jobs.

UK: Public sector pensioners to lose billions

15 August 2012
Workers on railway line

Public sector workers will lose more than £8.5 billion a year through cuts to their pensions. - A massive transfer of wealth away from public servants, says trade union leaders.

Remunicipalisation: A new trend in Europe

13 August 2012
Men working in the street

Privatisation, contracting out and outsourcing have been the dominant trends in public services. Now there is increasing evidence of trends in the opposite direction, according to a report from EPSU.

Spain: Action day against cuts in public sector

27 June 2012
Rally in Spain

Severe budget cuts are undermining and theatening our welfare state, says Spanish trade unions. Today, June 28., they call for action all over the country.

Norway on strike

01 June 2012
Public workers on strike

Health, childcare and schools are affected by the ongoing strike in Norway. The wage settlement negotiations broke down last week, and so far, more than 50.000 public workers are on strike.

Japanese municipalities enact public contract ordinances to ensure working conditions

08 February 2012
map of Japan

In December 2011 the cities of Tama, Metropolitan Tokyo, and Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, enacted public contract ordinances, as a result of which there are now four municipalities in Japan with such ordinances. The others are the cities of Noda, Chiba Prefecture, and Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, which enacted public contract ordinances in September 2009 and December 2010, respectively. In addition, the establishment of public contract ordinances is under consideration in such municipalities as Kokubunji, Metropolitan Tokyo, and Sapporo, Hokkaido.