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Health and Social care services

Quality health care is important to families, societies and the economy – because healthy workers are more productive. The PSI – which represents 8 million health care workers – believes that care must be available to people who need it, not just to those who can pay. Health care is dangerous work. These workers, and the services they provide, are worthy of everyone’s support. Read more

Respect the right to organise - Reinstate Liberian trade union leaders NOW!

06 October 2016

The Liberian regime has no respect for basic Human Rights; or Workers Rights!



In Liberia, the government has arbitrarily fired health workers who were on the front lines of the fight against Ebola; simply because they were trying to ensure adequate protection and working conditions for public workers. Before you consider traveling to or investing in Liberia, think about whether you really want to support a regime which treats health heroes as disposable goods.



Learn more about how to stand up for the rights of Liberian workers by watching the video above and signing the petition below!

Public meeting on neoliberalism and healthcare in South Asia

22 September 2016

The healthcare sector in South Asian countries has seen significant restructuring with an increase in private sector participation in provisioning. The discussion will explore the linkages between neoliberal reforms and informalisation of employment; explore the trends in employment patterns in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka; as well as look into some of the trade union responses to this growing phenomenon.

UN Commission: New Investments in Global Health Workforce Will Create Jobs and Drive Economic Growth

21 September 2016
PSI General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli joins the Presidents of France and South Africa calling for urgent public investments globally to create new jobs in the health sector in order to prevent a projected shortfall of 18 million health workers primarily in low- and lower-middle-income countries, and help countries to maximize the social and economic benefits of increased health employment.

Safe Workers Save Lives: PSI Health Priorities and Trade Union Response to the Ebola Virus Disease

21 September 2016
Photo: UNMEER/Martine Perret. Creative Commons

At the start of the Ebola crisis, PSI was contacted by its affiliates from the three most affected countries with the alarming news that health workers were dying on the workfloor. This update reports on the work that has taken place on the ground since the implementation of PSI's Ebola response strategy.

Pakistan: women health workers organise massive convention to demand their rights

20 September 2016

Several hundred lady health workers (LHWs) and employees of the national immunisation programme and other related initiatives attended their annual convention titled “Campaign against stolen wages” on 17 September 2016 in Hyderabad.

PSI General Secretary statement at the 2nd ComHEEG meeting

20 September 2016

This second meeting of the UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth (ComHEEG) aims at finalising and formally endorsing the recommendations and the report of the Commission, as well as discussing the way forward towards implementation of these recommendations.

Indian nurses protest deteriorating working conditions

12 September 2016

The All India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF), has been engaged in a fierce battle with the Central Government for more than nine months over pay and working conditions in public facilities. The basic demand is for a better entry-level pay-scale, which is due for correction since the Fifth Central Pay Commission (CPC) of 1996.

ILO Tripartite Technical meeting adopts the General Principles and Operational Guidelines on Recruitment

09 September 2016

The Tripartite Technical Meeting of Experts to Develop Guidance on Fair Recruitment held at the ILO in Geneva on 5-7 September adopted the General Principles and Operational Guidelines on Recruitment that will be submitted for approval by the ILO Governing Body in November.

South Korea: Survey finds hospitals are still a blind spot for maternity protection

05 September 2016
KHMU photo

PSI affiliate, KHMU carried out a survey in Spring 2016 of the working of conditions of healthcare workers and found that the shortage of nurses leads to a pregnancy rotation system (8.4%) and miscarriages or stillbirths (2.9%).

Korean health workers' union protest flawed labor market reforms

05 September 2016
KHMU protest healthcare privatization in May 2014

PSI affiliate, the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union (KHMU) has decided to hold two general strikes at the end of September and October, to protest flawed labor market reforms. The union is also striking for 2016 collective wage bargaining and to secure a sufficient number of healthcare workers in hospitals.

In Turkey, Erdoğan lays off over 40 SES members

04 August 2016

PSI's affiliate SES (the trade union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services) organized a press meeting to protest the unlawful temporary layoffs of public employees, declaration of state of emergency and the decrees suspending democracy and the parliamentary system. They have sent PSI the following report of the situation.

The road to Quito: workers and decent employment must be at the heart of the New Global Agenda!

06 June 2016
H III

The countdown for Habitat III - the UN conference that is expected to set out the new guidelines for urban policies - has begun. The ‘United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development ’ – as it is officially called - will take place in Quito, Ecuador, 17 – 20 October 2016.

No to privatization of occupational health and safety!

19 May 2016
Ebola Personal Protective Equipment - Photo:UNMEER/Martine Perret - Creative Commons

PSI welcomes the news that the draft ISO 45001 has been rejected by ISO Member Organizations, since the majority vote necessary for its adoption was not reached. PSI has campaigned for a NO-vote through its affiliates around the world and now calls for a genuine standard-setting process to be launched within the ILO!

Work-related stress: what impact in the public services?

28 April 2016
Rosa Pavanelli

Today (28 April) is the "World Day for Safety and Health at Work". In the following interview with ACTRAV/ILO, the General Secretary of Public Services International (PSI), Rosa Pavanelli, explains how workers in the public services are affected by stress.

Billionaire corporations pay lower effective tax rate than your average nurse, new study finds

20 April 2016
cover page

Financial data from 76 of Australia’s largest multinationals has revealed they pay an average effective tax rate of 16.2% – half the corporate tax rate.