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Africa & Arab countries

Africa and Arab countries form one of the four regions in the PSI structure. Our 153 affiliated organisations in some 43 countries represent a membership of around 1.5 million people here. The regional secretariat is based in Lomé, Togo. Contact our regional offices.

Liberia: Trade union actions on decent work for people with disabilities

04 April 2019
Daintowon Domah Paybayee, Advocate for persons with disabilities in Liberia

The Liberia Labor Congress held a joint workshop with ILO ACTRAV and the ILO Abuja office on decent work for persons with disabilities in December 2018. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, the nation has made significant progress towards decent work for all, but still has progress to make on eliminating social, economic and cultural injustice for persons with disability.

Unions, Social Inequalities and the Senegalese Health System

04 April 2019
Dr. Mbaye Kamara

From the 1980s, the Senegalese health system has evolved from a relatively modern and efficient system into a two-tiered system of privatised and commercialised healthcare delivery. Private provision has become increasingly widespread, while user fees and pharmaceutical charges finance a significant part of the public health sector.

25 Years After Apartheid: Health Inequities Persist in South Africa

04 April 2019
Young workers at the PSI People’s National Health Insurance Conference.

Although South Africa’s health system has undergone many positive changes in the last 25 years, social inequalities in health are widening across social groups and races. 50 million South Africans access the under-funded public health system while just over 8 million have access to well-resourced private care that is steeped in corruption.

Towards World Health Day 2019

25 March 2019

7 April has been celebrated since 1950 as World Health Day (WHD). This is to commemorate the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1947, and quite importantly to draw global attention to important issues in international health. WHO provides institutional leadership for WHD as a global health awareness day. This includes setting a theme.

22 March - Water for all... no exception

21 March 2019

As we celebrate World Water Day one week after the successful global students strike for climate, similarities between the two events find an echo in the frustration with political systems which refuse to address obvious and urgent needs of the people.

Human rights to water and sanitation lead the way to leaving no one behind, says UN expert

21 March 2019

The call to action comes from Léo Heller, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Handbook: Addressing violence and harassment against women in the world of work

21 March 2019

All women and men have the right to live and work free from violence and harassment. However, while this is generally accepted, violence and harassment remains pervasive throughout the world of work. It affects all jobs, sectors and occupations. It has serious consequences for workers, their families and communities, as well as for enterprises’ reputations and productivity.

8th of March: Transforming the world of work for equal pay

06 March 2016
poster no difference at work

Public Services International (PSI) promotes the work of women trade unionists and stands united with all of our sisters who deliver vital public services. From the 8th of March to Friday the 25th, PSI joins its members around the world in celebrating women and their achievements.

Join the social media storm against fracking

08 December 2015
Ban Fracking

Public Services International (PSI) is supporting the Food & Water Watch initiative to Ban fracking Now.

Please join the social media storm on 10 December!

Just Transition for the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs

08 December 2015
COP21

Public Services International (PSI) and its European representative European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) are very concerned that European delegations are not supporting the COP agreement to commit to Human Rights and a Just Transition. PSI requests all affiliates to urgently take action!

The support for energy privatisation in Nigeria is not acceptable

23 July 2015
Nigeria stop privatisation

Millions of pounds of UK aid money has been used to support the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity system. The result has been a disaster with escalating energy prices, job losses and declining quality of services. PSI has joined Global Justice Now and UNISON in their campaign to stop this privatisation.

Open letter: Nurses, Midwives and Healthcare workers speak out against aspects of the TPP

24 June 2015
Photo: Nurses - Creative Commons - Australian DFAT

In an open letter to trade ministers, prime ministers and presidents of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries, nurses, midwives and healthcare workers speak out for the sake of their communities’ health against aspects of the TPP.

Deep concern about the World Bank support for privatisation in education

18 May 2015

On 14 May, more than 100 organisations across the world released a joint open statement expressing deep concerns about the World Bank’s support for the development of a multinational chain of low-fee profit-making private primary schools targeting poor families in Kenya and Uganda.

Trade unionists in Swaziland under attack

03 April 2015
Vincent Ncongwane and PSI affiliate representatives at a meeting in London

Trade unionists and activists are subjected to intensified attacks in Swaziland, the only remaining absolute monarchy.

Global framework agreement on the EDF Group’s corporate social responsibility (2018)

03 July 2018

On 29 May 2018 PSI General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli, IndustriAll General Secretary Valter Sanchez and EDF Group CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy signed a renewed Global Framework Agreement on Corporate Social Responsibility covering human and labour rights in the presence of the International Labour Organization Director General Guy Ryder, during the 107th session of the International Labour Conference with the participation of French trade unions. Later, on 19 June, national trade union federations representing a majority of EDF Group workers affiliated to PSI and IndustriAll completed the signature of the renewed Global Framework Agreement with EDF Group, which entered in full force as of 21 June for a 4-year term.

PSI and IndustriALL sign renegotiated Global Framework Agreement with EDF Group

28 May 2018

On 29 May 2018 PSI General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli, IndustriAll General Secretary Valter Sanchez and EDF Group CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy signed a renewed Global Framework Agreement on Corporate Social Responsibility covering human and labour rights in the presence of the International Labour Organization Director General Guy Ryder, during the 107th session of the International Labour Conference with the participation of French trade unions .

FOCUS on tax justice - International union rights

17 May 2018

FOCUS on tax justice is Volume 25 Issue 1 2018 of the journal of International Union Rights. The journal is published four times a year in English and has earned a reputation as the leading independent forum for global trade union debate, winning a readership in more than 100 countries worldwide. The editorial "Corporate tax dodging is stealing from workers and must be stopped" in this issue was written by PSI.

86 CSOs sign open letter on PPPs to World Bank Executive Directors

17 April 2018

Among several demands to government representatives at World Bank Board of Directors, Civil Society Organisations call on them to declare a moratorium on funding and promoting Public-Private Partnerships until an independent review is available.

Case study: Workplace Violence - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

16 April 2018
PSI’s World Women’s Committee (WOC) agreed that a high priority area of work is workplace violence in the health sector. The experiences of affiliates in raising awareness and developing campaigns and actions to eliminate workplace violence will contribute to the discussions and preparation for developing an ILO standard (convention and recommendations) on violence against women and men at work. This case study was prepared in August 2016 as part of PSI’s contribution to the ILO tripartite experts meeting and is part of the 2018 updated report “Tackling Violence in the Health Sector”.

Tackling Violence in the Health Sector - A Trade Union Response

16 April 2018
This report on trade union preparedness and actions to tackle violence against women and men in the world of work, was first released in 2016. In 2018, an updated version of the study is being released, integrating the latest achievements of our affiliated unions in the health sector. The workers, many of whom are women, daily face ever-increasing levels of violence and harassment in the world of work. They respond and deliver quality service with deepest commitment and ethical principles.

Executive Summary - Tackling Violence in the Health Sector

14 April 2018
PSI is pleased to present the updated report entitled “Tackling Violence in the Health Sector - A Trade Union Response”, a consolidated research effort first released in 2016. The 2018 updated version of the study integrates the latest achievements of our affiliated unions in the health sector.

Trading Privatisation : Time to Fight Back!

28 July 2017

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are driving privatisation on a global scale. They pose a very real threat to public sector services and may even prevent attempts to re-nationalise when privatisation fails.

Conversation with authors of the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017"

17 July 2017

Authors of the recently launched Spotlight Report will present key findings and recommendations to participants for discussion. The 2017 edition focuses on privatization, partnerships, corporate capture and the impact they have on sustainability and inequality.

Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment to Achieve the 2030 Agenda

17 July 2017

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, will be speaking on 17 July at the UNSG’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment. The HLP is a side event at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), currently taking place in New York.

Policy Coherence and Financing for Sustainable Development With Equality

13 July 2017

Side-event during the 2017 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Jointly organized by Civil Society Financing for Development Group including the Women’s Working Group on Financing for Development, Femnet, Forum for Women and Democracy, Womankind Worldwide.

Demonstration in support of Algeria

13 June 2017

JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION TUESDAY 13 JUNE 13:00. PLACE DES NATIONS, GENEVA!

Algerian independent trade unionists attending the International Labor Conference in Geneva this year, say it is high time to finally put pressure on the Algerian government to stop the brutal violations of the human rights of workers who seek to exercise their right to join and form independent trade unions.

Route of Shame 2017

09 June 2017

Join PSI and global trade union leaders on 9 June for the “Route of Shame” bicycle ride, calling for social justice at target embassies and missions in Geneva.

Public Service Trade Union Responses to Climate Change (Jamaica)

19 May 2017

“Public Service Trade Union Responses to Climate Change” is a pilot project developed in cooperation with PSI’s Swedish affiliates. The project started in 2016 with affiliates in three African countries (Tunisia, Zambia and Kenya). In planning for further work in the 2018 to 2022 congress period, PSI expanded the pilot to include two countries in the Inter-Americas region, Jamaica and Perú.

Video: We won't wait another 20 years

08 October 2015

Naomi Dedei Otoo from the Ghana Public Utility Workers' Union of TUC and Chair of PSI Africa Women's Committee on the challenges facing women in Africa and Arab countries.

Video: Young workers are the future

08 October 2015

Young workers are the future and the new generation of trade unions. Boemo Batho from Botswana tells us about some of the challenges facing young workers in Africa and Arab countries.

Video: When a health worker dies doing their job it means that there is something very wrong with the system

08 October 2015

Dr Jasper Goss, PSI Project Officer,  explains how PSI had seen and understood the early warning signs of a system that was failing the public and health workers.

Video: Ebola is not an African problem, but a global issue

08 October 2015

Dr L. Toni Lewis, Chair of SEIU Healthcare, USA, participated in the special session on Ebola Virus Disease during PSI's 12th Regional Conference for Africa and Arab countries.

Audio: AFRECON song

24 September 2015

This song was written by Tonney Chiphwanya from the Water Employees Trade Union of Malawi in support of the 12th Regional Conference for Africa and Arab countries.

Video: Welcome to AFRECON 2015

27 August 2015

David Dorkenoo, PSI Regional Secretary for Africa & Arab countries welcomes all affiliates to the 12th Regional Conference for Africa and Arab Countries taking place from 22-25 September in Gaborone, Botswana.

Video: Globalisation in the absence of appropriate tax frameworks can lead to distortions in global efficiency

16 June 2015

Joseph E. Stiglitz, American economist and a professor at Columbia University, talks at the ICRICT panel "Expanding the debate on taxing global corporate profits" that took place in Trento, Italy on 2 June 2015.