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Trade union rights news

All work has dignity, and all workers deserve to be treated with respect by their employers. Trade unions play a decisive role in improving working conditions, safety and wages – yet some governments and employers systematically abuse the right of workers to join existing unions or form new ones. PSI works actively to support the right of workers to free collective bargaining, and to help stop abuses when they occur.

Campaign materials: Route of Shame 2014

22 May 2014
Route of Shame

Campaign materials for the 'Route of Shame 2014' bicycle ride.

PSI at the Inter-American Development Bank

21 May 2014

Since the 2013 meeting of the PSI Inter-American Regional Executive Committee (IAMREC), held in Washington, D.C., PSI leaders and staff have intensified efforts to engage the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to improve working conditions and strengthen labor rights in the region.

A social model worth fighting to save

21 May 2014

Many PSI members want to know how public services unions in Europe are opposing and fighting for an alternative to the unprecedented attack on workers and unions rights. They recognise that the European unions contributed to building this social model, through collective bargaining and social dialogue, which provides the basis for equitable distribution of wealth, including universal access to quality public services. This model is unique, special, and is the aspiration of many workers in the world.

EPSU 9th Congress

20 May 2014
EPSU Congress logo

The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), PSI's European branch, is holding its 9th Congress, 20-23 May 2014, in Toulouse, France.

UN staff celebrate rights victory

17 May 2014

PSI has received a letter from Ian Richards, Vice-President of the United Nations Staff-Management Committee and President of the Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations. He tells us of the successful outcome of PSI's action in September 2013, with a protet letter to UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon and a strong declaration from members of PSI's Steering Committee. We have reproduced here the contents of the letter from Ian Richards:

US Labor Relations Board complaint against FirstEnergy labour practices

05 May 2014

The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint charging FirstEnergy Corp., its operating companies West Penn Power and Potomac Edison, and other FirstEnergy subsidiaries with a wide range of unfair labor practices during ongoing negotiations with the Utility Workers Union of America for a new labor agreement covering more than 700 workers throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

International Workers' Day - 1 May 2014

01 May 2014
Quality Public Services

The first of May symbolizes the struggle of the international labour movement. In 2014, International Workers’ Day, May Day, is as relevant as ever. Six years of austerity and neo-liberal policies washing over entire continents have left trade unions struggling for fundamental freedoms and rights at work all over again. Twenty-five years after the break-up of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Iron Curtain, the world is engulfed in another ideological and economic battle. Public service workers from Canada to Paraguay, Algeria to Botswana, South Korea to Thailand and Turkey to Spain, are fighting for their rights and against anti-worker policies, often risking their lives.