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Trade union development

Free and democratic trade unions are built on solidarity – people working together for improvements in the workplace and the community. Through PSI, unions around the world work together to support each other. Established unions share their knowledge and experience with unions that have fewer resources. This assistance ranges from help with developing tools to serve members, to resource and education materials, to international support in upholding members’ rights.

Finnish union JHL trains activists to influence municipal decision making

14 August 2013

Trade union work requires many operational skills at all levels of the organisation. In Pirkanmaa - the area around the city of Tampere, Finland - JHL is currently running a project to hone and develop the skills of their local activists. The project is called Pilot Pirkanmaa and it will continue until the end of the year.

Advocacy campaign for the ratification of ILO Convention 151

30 July 2013
Members at meeting held 25 July 2013

While the Philippines has ratified ILO Conventions 87 and 98, public sector workers cannot exercise full collective bargaining rights due to government regulations. As part of an ongoing campaign to win these rights, PSI affiliates conducted an orientation activity on ILO C. 151 (Labour Relations in the Public Services, 1978) for members of the Public Sector Labor Management Council (PSLMC) spearheaded by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in Quezon City, Philippines, on 25 July 2013.

India: High Court tells Bangalore Metro to improve conditions for its workers

10 July 2013
Shack used as housing for Indian metro workers

PSI, together with other global unions, has been carrying out an FNV/Global unions funded project in India to investigate working conditions. As part of the project, Building and Woodworkers’ International conducted a study on the Bangalore Metro.

A tale of two unions: How public sector unions helped to unleash a surge of democratic reform in Egypt

15 March 2013
President of RETA during protest demanding a raise in Egypt's minimum wage, April 2010, photo by Hossam el-Hamalawy

During 2011, two independent unions in Egypt affiliated to PSI began participating in the activities of the PSI project “Campaigning for workers’ rights in Arab Countries” which took place between 2009 and 2011. Through this project, supported by affiliate IMPACT (of Ireland) in collaboration with FNV Mondiaal (a trade union solidarity support organisation from the Netherlands), PSI has been able to play a concrete role in affirming the emergence of a democratic and independent public sector labour movement in Egypt.

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.

Decent work for youth and nothing less! Southern Cone Youth Committees begin to mature

10 March 2013
PSI National Youth Committee of Chile, Santiago, 2012

The PSI /IMPACT-sponsored project “Young workers in southern cone: from a project to a union policy”, which took place from 2011-2013, helped to strengthen PSI Regional and National Youth Committees in numbers and representation.

Gender equality and equity: Flowing into the heart of Brazil’s unions

01 March 2013
PSI women’s coordination committee in Brazil - September 2012

The IMPACT/PSI project “Promoting pay equity in the public sector” ran from 2010-2012 covering all 27 of PSI’s affiliates in Brazil. Thanks to the project, sector-based national training workshops took place and participants developed action plans to take back to their unions. Enlarged PSI Women’s Committee meetings were held and a dedicated Facebook group set up. Gender equality became a prominent feature of many national conferences for PSI affiliates.