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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.

Conversation with the authors of Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2018 (New York)

03 July 2018

The authors of the Spotlight Report 2018 Exploring new policy pathways: How to overcome obstacles and contradictions in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda will present key findings and recommendations to participants for discussion.

Asuncion: municipal workers, waste pickers and the community in strategic alliance for a quality public waste collection service

06 May 2018

Since the campaign to bring the municipal waste collection service back into the public sector in 2003, the Asuncion Municipal Workers’ Union (Sindicato de Obreros y Empleados de la Municipalidad de Asuncion, SINOEMA) affiliated to the PSI, has worked hard to maintain a quality service. The union encourages working class solidarity with recyclers and other informal workers because it understands that they and the community have an important role in keeping waste management under municipal control.

Esquel: recognition of the workers’ contribution and community participation – keys to the success of integrated waste management

04 May 2018

What began as a pilot project in the mid-1990s is today a benchmark for Urban Integrated Solid Waste Management (GIRSU - UISWM). Recognition of the contribution made by workers, combined with the involvement and commitment of the community, have been key factors in the success of the local plan.

Danish public sector unions win nationwide labour agreement on May Day

04 May 2018
Photo: HK Kommunal

On 1st May, Danish public sector unions reached an agreement with public sector employers covering over 700,000 workers in local, regional and central government.

Quito: greater recognition of the role of municipal waste workers but their rights remain vulnerable

27 April 2018

The Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ) is home to around 2.6 million people generating some 2,000 tonnes of waste every day. An Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) system has been in place since 2010, and is currently run by public companies. Among other things, it includes informal waste workers as “environmental managers”.

In Germany, Ver.di Calls for Token Strike: More than 45,000 Workers Taking Part

13 April 2018
Photo: Daniel Pilar/Ver.di

There have been strikes in a total of eleven Länder and in nearly all federal and municipal public service sectors and institutions. On Friday 13 April too, work stoppages are taking place in many public service sectors and institutions.

Major gender pay gaps in the UK labour market

04 April 2018

Gender pay gap figures disclosed by the UK's biggest companies have shown that the vast majority of them pay men more than women. 78 percent of the companies pay men more.

8 things you should know about the US Supreme Court case: Janus vs AFSCME

05 March 2018

And why it may represent one of the biggest attacks on trade union rights in recent decades.

After a 10-year freeze, Italian public service unions win new collective agreement for local and regional government workers

21 February 2018

After almost ten years of a negotiation freeze unilaterally imposed by Italian public sector employers, in the night between 20 and 21 February, public sector trade unions signed the preliminary agreement towards the renewal of the national-level contract for local and regional government workers.

Trade unions at World Urban Forum 9: “cities will not be inclusive until workers and labour rights are fully taken on board”

16 February 2018

On 11 February 2018, PSI together with BWI, Action Aid, WIEGO and the UCLG - brought the voices of trade unions, informal workers and local and regional governments in a roundtable at UN Habitat’s World Urban Forum 9, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The ILO offered concluding remarks.

Norwegian municipal union signs tripartite agreement on worker involvement and social dialogue in public sector digitalisation

06 February 2018
Photo: Ole Morten

In September last year, PSI affiliate Fagforbundet signed a local tripartite cooperation and dialogue agreement to shape an inclusive strategy for the digitalisation of public administration services in Norway. The agreement commits the social partners to engage in social dialogue and active worker participation in shaping the processes and policies that will accompany the roll-out of digital services in Norwegian municipalities.

PSI General Secretary addresses world mayors: “You have a responsibility to be fair employers”

29 January 2018

On 25 January 2018, Rosa Pavanelli joined many mayors of world cities in Barcelona, including local Ada Colau, where the third United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) Annual Retreat and Campus took place.

Turin city council votes to fully remunicipalize its water utility

22 December 2017

In early October 2017, the city council of Turin (Italy) voted to change the legal status of its local water provider - the “Turin Metropolitan Water Company (SMAT)” - from a publicly-owned joint stock company governed by private law to an inter-municipal enterprise governed by public law.

Swiss local government workers strike twice to defend quality public services and equal conditions

19 December 2017

Over 2,000 public sector workers of the Geneva Canton (Switzerland) went on strike on 14 December 2017 and gathered below the ancient walls of the Calvinist city letting their local government (Conseil d’Etat) know: “We are back and here to stay!”.

Municipal workers: the invisible, underpaid people who run our cities

31 October 2017

Millions of staff clean our streets and keep our cities moving. It’s time to recognise their contribution to the everyday fabric of our urban lives

Ten key points for Fair Cities and an inclusive New Urban Agenda

16 November 2016

The 10 key points on the following pages represent PSI’s priorities for a New Urban Agenda encompassing decent work for city workers – including public workers - universal access and adequate public investment in essential public services, such as water and sanitation, energy, health care, transportation, education, social housing, public space etc.

Memorandum of Undertaking for Disaster Risk Reduction between the local government of Bislig city and the PSILINK union

11 November 2016

The 2016 Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) was negotiated and concluded between PSI affiliate PSILINK and the local government of Bislig city, Surigao del Sur, Mindanao, the Philippines.

Overview of global megatrends affecting local and regional governments

12 October 2016

This paper was commissioned by PSI to inform a meeting of the PSI Local and Regional Government Committee held on 19 September 2016 in Brussels. The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of issues which affect local and regional governments (LRGs).

Policy brief EB-148 : Local and Regional Government

04 October 2016

This policy brief on Local and Regional Government (LRG) was produced for the PSI Executive Board 148 held at the ILO in Geneva (Switzerland) on 19-20 May 2016. Its objective is to inform EB-148 of activities in the local and regional government sector since EB-147 that took place in Geneva (Switzerland) in May 2015. The brief is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Japanese.

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.

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.

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.

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.

PSI CONTRAMA: Conclusions

09 September 2013
Cover page of CONTRAMA conclusions

Municipal trade unions from eleven Latin American countries met in Brasilia, 5-7 August 2013, to establish a new confederation of municipal workers – PSI CONTRAMA. Attached are the conclusions of the meeting.

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