We've moved to a new site!

Join us at publicservices.international - for all the latest news, resources and struggles from around the world.

We are no longer updating world-psi.org and it will be progressively phased out: all content will be migrated to the new site and old links will redirect eventually.

  1. Home
  2. Sectors
  3. Water and sanitation

Water and sanitation

Clean water and sanitation – recently recognised by the United Nations as basic human rights – are critical to good health. They help prevent disease. Yet billions of people have no ready access to safe water. It is an essential service that governments must provide to protect their citizens and serve their common good. Read more here

American Water benefits slash illegal, says Labour Relations Board

09 August 2014
UWUA logo

On 31 July, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board declared that American Water illegally slashed healthcare and other benefits for 3,200 workers in nearly 70 different bargaining units in fifteen states across the U.S.

Water is a human right, and not just in Detroit

29 July 2014

The heat is on in Detroit, where the public water utility is cutting off water supply for non-payers. This new policy of water shutoffs, leaving thousands of families without access to running water, has sparked a mobilisation with global implications.

How will Jakarta water change under new presidency?

14 July 2014

A recent Asia Times article studies how the control of Jakarta water may change if Jakarta governor and presidential hopeful Joko Widodo wins the July 9 polls.

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.

Paris public water success damaging to private companies

11 July 2014

Private water companies Veolia and Suez, who controlled the Paris water supply from 1985 until its remunicipalisation in 2008, say "The Paris remunicipalisation decision has done a lot of damage to our profession." More and more cities are choosing to bring water back into public hands.

Video: The fightback against austerity

07 July 2014

Public Services International (PSI), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), together with our affiliate unions, ADEDY, and allies in Greece brought together a team of expert union journalists and communicators. This solidarity exchange enabled PSI communicators from other countries to learn more about the issues facing Greek trade unionists and share this understanding with their union members and communities around the world.

Eurozone President and Dutch Finance Minister Dijsselbloem suffers crushing defeat in Greek saga

07 July 2014

The privatization of the Greek water companies in Athens and Thessaloniki has been frozen. This was the news reported to the General Assembly of the Thessaloniki water company (EYATH) today. Workers representatives cheered the report that the ongoing privatisation of the public company is in direct conflict with a decision of the Council of State which had decreed that the privatization of the Athens water company sought by the Greek government and welcomed by Eurozone President and Dutch Finance minister Dijsselbloem was illegal. The workers, their union and a broad coalition of social movements had already successfully organized a referendum in which 98% of votes cast of nearly 220.000 people said No to the privatization, 18 May 2014.