The PSI World News is a monthly round up of events and news relating to the work of public service trade union staff and activists. To subscribe email communications@world-psi.org with the word/s: "english"; "français"; "espagnol"; "japanese" or "russian" in the subject line. Below is a selection of stories from recent editions.

World initiatives for a financial transactions tax

In reaction to the international financial crisis, initatives are multiplying around the world to make a financial transactions tax a reality.

• PSI is supporting a global electronic petition in favour of the financial transactions tax, addressed to G20 leaders. All affiliates are encouraged to sign the petition that can be accessed in 12 languages: http://www.makefinancework.org
• During his keynote address to the Public Sector Summit in Durban, South Africa on 12 March 2010. Peter Waldorff, PSI general secretary, called on the South African government to bring in a financial transactions tax as a way to generate revenue that will pay for the cost of economic recovery.
• In early March, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the financial transaction tax, available in 21 languages here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-0133/2010&language=EN
• Japanese foreign minister Katsura Okada expressed support for an FTT according to an article published by the Telegraph (UK)
  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/7352791/Robin-hood-bank-tax-wins-backing-of-Japanese-foreign-minister.html
• The Executive Council of the AFL-CIO, met early March in Orlando, Florida, USA, and adopted a "Call to Action on Jobs" that includes a declaration of support for a financial speculation tax. Read the full statement:
  http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/ecouncil/ec03032010g.cfm

Chile: investment in public health is essential

After the earthquake and tsunami that affected the southern central region of Chile, the National Federation of Health Service University Professionals (FENPRUSS) has stressed how urgent it is that action be taken quickly to deal with the effects of this disaster. FENPRUSS asks the new Government to make the rebuilding of hospitals a priority and to reassess the Health Services Network

The Federation’s President stressed that “right now, it’s more important than ever to invest in Public Health”.

Read more on http://healthblog.world-psi.org/

UK: Senior civil servants reject pay freeze

PSI affiliate the FDA, the senior public servants' union in the UK, has reacted to the government's proposal to freeze the pay of senior staff in the civil service, the military, the judiciary and the health service, alongside the pay of GPs and dentists and salaried NHS consultants.

Jonathan Baume, FDA General Secretary (picutured), said:
"We recognise the grave fiscal crisis facing the country as public expenditure has spiralled out of control. However, the SCS (senior civil service) comprises dedicated senior public servants whose professionalism and dedication will be essential to lifting Britain out of the economic quagmire over the coming years. It is simply untenable for the Government to continue freezing the pay of Senior Civil Servants as a political device year after year.

FDA press release: http://www.fda.org.uk/Media/Continued-pay-freeze-is-mean-spirited-gesture-says-FDA.aspx

Photos from Haiti

Photographer Natasha Fillion went to Haiti in February and took photographs of PSI affiliates and the remains of the union office in Port-au-Prince. You can see the photos in the Haiti photo gallery.

Trade union rights are women’s rights

This year, in connection with March 8^th, International Women’s Day, Public Services International (PSI) is working to draw global attention to the case of Seher Tümer, branch secretary of our Turkish affiliate SES (trade union of public employees in health and social services). Tümer, who is Kurdish, was arrested and imprisoned in April 2009. PSI contends Tümer has been targeted for her activities in the labour and women’s movements in Turkey, including participating in International Women’s Day activities last year. “I make an urgent plea to union sisters and brothers around the world to raise their voices on Seher Tümer’s behalf,” says Ylva Thorn, president of the global union federation Public Services International (PSI). Find out here how you can take immediate action to support Tümer.

• PSI International Women’s Day statement
• International Women’s Day Poster - A3 High Quality Print (PDF File)
• International Women's Day Poster - A4 (PDF File)
  

LabourStart campaign
Click here to send an online protest letter

Please help keep union offices open in Zimbabwe

PSI sends an urgent appeal to all affiliates requesting financial support for our members in Zimbabwe. The very existence of unions in the country is under threat. Under the compound pressures of loan conditions imposed by international financial institutions and civil unrest, wages and working conditions for public sector workers have been eroding in Zimbabwe. Unions have used up their savings, lost pensions and been forced to close rural and district branches. Now the government of Zimbabwe is demanding that unions re-sign all members in order to continue collecting dues. Our sisters and brothers in Zimbabwe need our support to continue representing members.

Please follow this link for details on how you can contribute – and read the story of Mirriam Gurajena, Provincial Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA), who draws a poignant picture of the hardships our affiliate members and their families are facing.

New Regional Secretary for Asia-Pacific region

We have the pleasure to welcome Anandalakshmi Vaidhiyanathan as new PSI Regional Secretary for Asia-Pacific region. Anandalakshmi, also known as Lakshmi, is a former officer with the Government Services in India. She began working fulltime on behalf of the international trade union movement in 1992. She has held various positions in PSI such as project co-ordinator for South Asia, Asia-Pacific region gender co-ordinator, and since 2004 has held the post of Sub Regional Secretary for South Asia.

Anandalakshmi will officially start work on 1^st March 2010, and be based in the regional office in Singapore. She will be taking over from Katsuhiko Sato who has worked in this position for six years.

UK: Civil Service strike ballot underway

More than a quarter of a million public sector workers in the United Kingdom are voting on whether to strike over proposed cuts to pension plans. The members of PSI affiliate the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) face losing up to a third of their entitlements if they are forced out of their jobs.
The government's cost-cutting measures could mean a loss of up to 100,000 jobs.
The strike ballot involves civil and public servants from across the UK including Jobcentre staff, tax workers, coastguards, border agency officials, passport workers, court staff and driving test examiners. Read more.

PSI Award: Nominate an affiliate for their inspiring work

PSI will present the first annual Public Service Trade Union award at the Quality Public Services Conference in Geneva this October. We're sure you know a PSI affiliate that deserves this special award. The union may have won a difficult fight against privatisation, or have found an innovative way to recruit new members. Maybe you were impressed by an inspiring public sector organising campaign, or the excellent services the union offers to its members.
Any PSI affiliate union or any local union of a PSI affiliate is eligible for nomination (sorry, self nomination is not allowed). Nominations must be sent to PSI before the end of April 2010 and must include an explanation backing the nomination (see the attached paper).
Please send your nominations to rolv.hanssen@world-psi.org. 

 Hospital Cleaners "worth more to society" than bankers

Hospital cleaners create more value for society than financial managers – it’s all in how you calculate it, says a new report from the New Economics Foundation. The progressive think tank, based in London, stacks up low-paid public sector workers (a hospital cleaner, a recycling plant worker and a childcare worker) against high-paid workers (a City banker, an advertising executive and a tax accountant). It concludes that the lower paid workers provide more value to society, generating up to £12 of social value for each pound of their salary. In contrast, the report contends, these higher paid workers destroy up to £47 of value for each pound they earn.

BBC article

PDF of the study.

Raising our voices for working women!

Thirty women delegates from Public Services International attended the 54th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, in early March. Our members were part of an international trade union delegation including members of Education International, UNI Global Union, and the International Trade Union Confederation. We advocated on behalf of the millions of working women whose ability to lead decent lives in dignity, equity and freedom from poverty and violence is being compromised by multiple global crises.  Please join the discussion through the new UN CSW blog.

Trade Union Delegation at the UNCSW

The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Rachel Mayanja met with our trade union delegation, following our letter of complaint about being denied any opportunity to have input on this year's declaration. She apologised, and gave assurances that the trade union group would be fully involved as experts in the run up to next year's CSW dealing with education and decent work. The trade union delegation thanks Ms. Rachel Mayanja for taking the time to meet with them. 

Members of PSI, Education International and International Trade Union Confederation met with the UN Assistant Secretary-General (centre)

Letter of complaint to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Background Discussion Paper

ITUC, EI and PSI Statement presented by Jan Eastman, Deputy General Secretary of EI, to the CSW54 High-Level Plenary

New Zealand prison workers protest over privatisation

On 9 February, members of PSI affiliate the Public Service Association (PSA) and the Corrections Association (CA) rallied outside the New Zealand parliament in protest against the National Party-led government’s plan to privatise prisons. Corrections Minister Judith Collins has asked the Department of Corrections to investigate privatising four prisons in South Auckland. Cabinet will announce its final decision in May. Prime Minister John Key admitted this week the plan is a cost-cutting exercise, claiming that private-run prisons are cheaper.
See PSA’s video "Follow the money": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqTnbK1iClM.

Optimism for Pay Equity in Australia

Australian trade unions are optimistic that pay equity legislation will, after the publication of a government report, become a reality for working women.
The Federal Government is supporting an Equal Remuneration Test Case. The new report "Making it Fair"confirms the importance of using the industrial system in gaining a fair wage for working women.

Read more 

Full report 

Labour's voice in trade policy

New research shows that unions can influence trade policy and negotiations, even where they have limited access and capacity. The latest of the Global Labour University Working Papers, "Developing a Labour Voice in Trade Policy at the National Level," makes a series of recommendations on actions unions can take to mobilise members and shape public policy.

RadioLabour

Tune into RadioLabour, the newest source of international union news on the internet. The weekly "Solidarity Report" audiocast focuses on union and workers' activities and issues with special emphasis on emerging market and developing countries. Trade unionists can also report on their own events or and activities.
www.radiolabour.net.

Davos: Corporate Greed Has to Stop

PSI general secretary Peter Waldorff is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this week in his role as the newly elected vice-chair of the Council of Global Unions.

Urgent Action Needed on Financial Reform and Jobs

Trade union leaders attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos this week will use the occasion to maintain pressure on governments to act urgently to tackle the deepening global employment crisis, and to move ahead with reform and restructuring of banking and finance. The unions will also challenge the business world to work with governments and unions to create decent jobs and to support financial reform rather than oppose much needed changes, as many in the financial sector in particular have been doing.

“Business has traditionally used the Davos platform to push for yet more deregulation and convince governments to leave everything to the market. This approach has had catastrophic results, with some 60 million people expected to lose their jobs due to this crisis and taxpayers having to bail out financial institutions which failed because of a toxic combination of greed and the withdrawal of governments from their responsibilities to govern effectively,” said ITUC President Sharan Burrow.

In its statement to the Davos meeting, the ITUC, with its Global Unions partners and national affiliates, will push a series of key policy demands which are central to the trade union inputs to the G20, the international financial institutions and the WTO.

The full article can be found on the ITUC website here.

Click here to access the Statement of Labour Leaders to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, 27-31 January 2010.

New Communications Coordinator

We have the pleasure to welcome Teresa Marshall as the new PSI Communications Coordinator, who will be working from our head office in France. Teresa began her career as a television journalist in Vancouver, Canada, and has worked for more than 20 years since as a social justice media and campaigns strategist, and award-winning filmmaker. She comes to PSI through the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) in her work as a communications officer for the past decade with the affiliated British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU). At this union she focused on bargaining, child care, environmental, anti-poverty and equity + human rights issues. Teresa has also worked with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on municipal and water campaigns, and with the Service Employees’ International Union’s (SEIU) Justice for Janitors campaign in northern California. See short examples of Teresa’s union videos at these links: a one minute animated cartoon about long child care waitlists http://www.bcgeu.ca/node/4120/play  and a three minute story featuring The Shock Doctrine author Naomi Klein on the dismantling of public services in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina  http://www.veracifier.com/gh/episode/GH_20071214/ground-hounds-from-evacuation-to-eviction

Quebec cartoons add a pinch of humour to negotiations

The Quebec Public Sector Union (SFPQ), a PSI affiliate in Quebec, Canada, has created a series of animated cartoons based on the negotiations between the union and the government and the importance of quality public services. A new cartoon appears every month, and they offer an amusing way to present the union vision to both union members and the general public. They cover issues such as building regulations, salaries and working conditions.
"We were looking for a new way to express our message, so people can think about these issues and have fun at the same time," says Lucie Martineau, SFPQ President.
You can watch the cartoons, developed by Yan Thériault, on www.sfpq.qc.ca/nego.

Unions in Canada and Europe alarmed by proposed trade deal

PSI affiliates in Canada the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), together with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), have published a joint report criticising the proposed economic and trade agreement between the European Union and Canada.
Canadian and European officials began negotiating a "Canada-European Union Trade and Investment Enhancement Agreement" in the summer of 2009. In the report, the unions highlight their major concerns, arguing that the deal is fundamentally flawed and a thorough rethinking of the whole approach to international trade is needed.

Read more here: http://www.nupge.ca/node/2869

To read the full report click here.

New protections and minimum standards will be better for all Australian workers

New minimum employment standards that came into effect on 1 January will be good for all Australian workers and represent a major step forward from WorkChoices, say unions.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) says the 10 National Employment Standards set out minimum entitlements for all workers that cannot be taken away under any circumstances, including hours of work, leave, notice of termination and redundancy pay.
Additional changes will provide additional enforceable minimum employment terms and conditions, including minimum wages, penalty rates, and superannuation.
“The new rights and protections that come into force on New Year’s Day are in addition to enhanced unfair dismissal protection, rights to collective bargaining and a good faith bargaining regime for all workers that began in July 2009,” said ACTU President Sharan Burrow.

Read more on the ACTU website.

GLU Conference - call for papers

The Global Labour University Conference will be held in Berlin, 14-16 September 2010. The Conference will look at how labour markets have been hit in a fundamental way by the financial crisis, and the organisers are calling for papers to be presented to the conference. The following topics will be discussed:

• Analyses of the crisis and short-term options
• Employment Developments and Labour Market Regulations after the Crisis
• Changes in the global economy and power structures and global governance reforms
• The Financial system, distribution and growth
• Social safety nets and the public sector
• Financial systems, corporate governance and multinational companies
• Looking beyond the horizon - are there fundamental options?

A longer version of the call for papers can be found on the GLU website: 
http://www.global-labour-university.org/fileadmin/GLU_conference_2010/GLU_Conference_Call_for_Paper.pdf

If you would like to offer a paper in one of these areas, please send a short, half-page abstract by 15 April 2010 to: malpg@hwr-berlin.de

See more on the financial crisis on PSI's blog http://financialcrisisblog.world-psi.org.

Ögmundur Jónasson leads democratic opposition in Iceland

Ögmundur Jónasson, a member of the Executive Boards of PSI and EPSU and of the Parliament of Iceland, continues to successfully lead the opposition to the unfair treatment of Iceland by the governments of the UK and the Netherlands. The movement he leads has succeeded in getting the President of Iceland to refuse to sign legislation that would impose onerous conditions on his country's population.
Jónasson, who resigned his post as Health Minister over his views on the Icesave agreement, has stated that "the British and Dutch are using the IMF and the EU as weapons to force the country to accept more debt than it is responsible for." After the coalition government approved legislation that opponents consider unfair to Icelanders, a quarter of the population signed a petition opposing it. The matter will now go to a referendum.
“It is fundamental for a democratic society to listen to the will of the people,” said Jónasson. "We have a saying," he told PSI, "that in times of crisis, the task is 'everyone take to the oars'. But for that to be the case, we all have to be on the same boat. And a few have profited and left, leaving the rest of us with the burden of their mistakes."
How the issue gets resolved in Iceland will not only have repercussions for the future of that country, but for the issue of who pays for the consequences of the financial crisis around the world.

Read more on http://healthblog.world-psi.org

Greece: Austerity cuts will affect the public sector

Greece has adopted big budget cuts designed to lower the country's 300 billion euro debt.
One measure the Greek government has adopted is a decision not to hire any new public servants in 2010. However, PSI affiliate ADEDY informs us that this does not concern the health, education or police sectors. Appointments will resume in 2011, but with only one recruitment for every five that leave the civil services.
Prime Minister George Papandreou has also outlined further measures, including a 10% cut in social security spending and a cut in defence spending.
ADEDY has warned against the public sector cuts, drawing attention to the negative implications that they will have in the provision of quality public services to the population. ADEDY has announced plans for a nationwide strike in February to protest the government's austerity measures. The union President Spyros Papaspyros said, "Many critical points remain unclear but we estimate that from the cut of supplemental salary allowances we will have a reduction of 3-4 percent in public sector wages. With some of the tax law changes, some categories may suffer a reduction of over 10 percent."  

Five-year stress campaign in Denmark

Regional, municipal and union representatives in Denmark have jointly published a short booklet in which they present how they have implemented the European framework agreement on work-related stress.
The booklet, "Five-year stress campaign in Denmark", describes the joint effort to prevent work-related stress at municipal and regional workplaces. It is a useful tool for unions, offering guidelines on how to identify, prevent and manage problems linked to work-related stress.
The booklet has been prepared by Local Government Denmark, representing the 98 municipalities, Danish Regions, representing the five regions, and KTO, the joint negotiating body for 46 Danish trade unions.

Read more about the stress campaign and download the booklet on http://www.personaleweb.dk/stresscampaign.

Labour film resources

Every year, PSI participates in the Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival (www.labourfilmshorts.org), jointly organised by the Global Unions.

The online labour film festival site https://laborfilms.dabbledb.com/page/laborfilms/oohjaYNX# features several such related festivals. It is sponsored by the DC Labor FilmFest and LabourStart, who also sponsor the online labour film database https://laborfilms.dabbledb.com/page/laborfilms/ePjMknLk#. The database includes no fewer than 1,465 union films and videos. If you have videos to suggest for inclusion in either of these lists, please send them on to cgarlock@dclabor.org.

The book "Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff: An expanded guide to films about labor" is a 434-page guide to 350 labour films from around the world. Its author, Tom Zaniello, describes all the films in detail, and gives rental or purchase details. You can buy the book from the UCS Labor Books Catalog: https://ssl30.pair.com/unionist/ccp51/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?rrc=N&pg=prod&ref=movies&affl=labourstart

New Regional Secretary

PSI Regional Secretary for Africa and Arab countries

We have the pleasure to welcome David Dorkenoo as the new PSI Regional Secretary for Africa and Arab countries. David is a Ghanaian national who has a strong trade union background. For the last six years he has been employed by the Ghana Trades Union Congress, as Head of the international department from 2003-2007, and for the past two years as Head of the education and training department and Principal of the Ghana Labour College.
David has already worked closely with PSI from inside his union, facilitating national workshops and designing a programme for young workers.
David will start work on 1st February 2010. He will be taking over from Têko Kpodar who is retiring after working in this position for over fifteen years. David will work from the regional office in Lomé, Togo.

AFSCME Releases Best Practices Guide for Pension Systems

PSI affiliate the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, has released a new report on pension plan governance. Enhancing Public Retiree Pension Plan Security: Best Practice Polices for Trustees and Pension Systems. The report serves as a road map for improving pension plan governance.
“Our members’ retirement security is directly tied to the investment performance of public pension systems,” said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. “Pension plans continue to be the best and most efficient way to deliver retirement security to public employees. Just as AFSCME has been a leader in promoting good corporate governance, our leadership in promoting effective governance of pension plans will ensure that they remain strong.”
The report proposes banning current and former pension trustees and staff from providing placement agent services at any system where they were previously employed. It reviews best practice policies and recommends policy language for pension systems to adopt with a focus on board member responsibilities, education, core competencies and ethical and fiduciary conduct.
AFSCME members and retirees participate in a public pension system with $1 trillion in assets.  In 2007, state and local government retirement systems paid $162.7 billion in benefits to 7.5 million retirees and beneficiaries. AFSCME has taken a leadership role in corporate reform and since 2005 has been leading the fight to make corporations more responsible and accountable.

For more information, visit the AFSCME web site at www.afscme.org/pensions.

Trading Away Human Rights?

Special Hearing on the proposed EU-Colombia Free Trade Agreement

The EU is in the process of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia – despite the terrible human rights situation in that country. Similar agreements
with the USA, Canada and the EFTA group of countries have all been delayed due to human rights concerns and Colombian civil society are calling on the EU
to suspend the negotiations until the human rights situation improves dramatically.

On 9th December, trade unions and civil society groups are organising a special hearing in Brussels. Speakers include:

• US Senator Sherrod Brown (tbc), Democratic Party, on why the Obama Administration has refused to ratify a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia;
• Dr Domingo Tovar, General Secretary of CUT, Colombia’s principle labour federation, on the ongoing violence against Colombian trade unionists;
• Colombian Senator Jorge Robledo, Democratic Pole Party, on why Colombia will not benefi t from the proposed Free Trade Agreement;
• Miss Yessika Hoyos, human rights lawyer, daughter of a murdered trade union leader, and recipient of the AFL-CIO human rights award, on the crisis of impunity in Colombia;
• John Monks, General Secretary of the ETUC, on why the European trade union movement is supporting the campaign against the EU-Colombia trade deal.
• Chair: Richard Howitt MEP, Co-ordinator for the Socialist and Democrat Group for the European Parliament’s Human Rights Sub-Committee

The hearing will take place:
4.30-6.30pm, Wednesday 9th December 2009
Room A3G-3, Altiero Spinelli building, European Parliament, Brussels

Simultaneous Interpretation will be provided in English, French and Spanish. For more information, contact info@justiceforcolombia.org or +44 207 794 3644.

Click here to download "Trading Away Human Rights - Why the EU-Colombia Free Trade Agreement is a step in the wrong direction".

Violence is NOT part of the job

PSI along with the ITUC and other Global Union Federations has renewed its campaign on the occasion of the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25th November.
Violence against women, whether in the workplace, in the home or in the community is a trade union issue.
Sexual harassment and violence in the workplace are common and constant threats to working women’s lives and livelihoods. Violence at work is not merely an episodic, individual problem but a structural, strategic problem rooted in wider social, economic, organisational and cultural factors. Violence at work is detrimental to the working environment and to the quality of services provided
“There can be no equality between men and women when gender-based violence - be it physical, verbal, psychological or economic - continues to be such a prevalent, unchecked and almost accepted part of our workplaces, our homes and our communities,” said Kuini Lutua, Chair of the PSI World Women’s Committee, “Trade unions must be ready to play their part in ending this cycle of violence against women.”

PSI encourages you to join this awareness campaign - send on a white ribbon or hold other activities. See www.world-psi.org/VAW 

Ireland: Public sector strike on 24 November

Irish public service unions staged a 24-hour strike on Tuesday 24 November in protest of government plans for more cuts to public sector pay. Last March public servants already suffered a pay cut of around 7% and now the Government is prepared to do the same thing again, hitting family incomes, public services, and the local economy. Public sector unions are up for a fair and workable alternative but the Government isn’t prepared to listen.
The strike was followed throughout the public sector, but the unions agreed to withdraw the strike notice from regions where recent floods and bad weather had caused widespread hardship and genuine emergency situations. Members of almost all public service unions affiliated to Irish Council of Trade Uunions (ICTU) voted to strike. They include the AHCPS, ASTI, CPSU, IFUT, Impact, INO, INTO, POA, PSEU, SIPTU, TUI, Unite and the craft unions. Excepting essential and emergency cover, staff across education, health, local authorities and the civil service agreed to join the strike.
Gardaí (police) members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) cannot legally take industrial action but they refused to perform overtime, and vowed to be lenient in handing out penalties for traffic offences. The GRA urged its members not to use their own laptops and mobile phones for official purposes. Off-duty gardaí joined pickets alongside health and prison staff.
PSI has sent a letter of support  to its Irish affiliates and applauds their efforts to find workable solutions, which would not only see jobs protected but the level and quality of vital services maintained.

Read more from The Post.ie: http://www.sbpost.ie/newsfeatures/pulling-the-plug-45784.html

Click here for Impact's "Why we're on strike" flyer.
http://www.impact.ie/iopen24/pub/crisis/strike/whyonstrike.pdf