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Inter-America

In North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, 140 labor organizations in 35 countries are affiliated to PSI, with a total membership of about 3.3 million workers. The regional office is currently based in São Paulo, Brazil. Contact the regional offices.

International Youth Day, 12 August 2018

14 August 2018

The United Nations designated the theme of International Youth Day 2018 as “Safe Spaces for Youth”. The UN explains that “without the existence of safe space, youth may feel intimidated to freely contribute to the community".

Key outcomes from the 2018 Caribbean sub-regional women’s committee (SUBWOC) meeting

06 August 2018
Linda Mienzer, LGBTQI representative from BPSU, Bermuda. Photo: PSI in the Caribbean

Thirty-one women trade union activists, nine of them young workers, representing 15 affiliates, attended the 2018 SUBWOC in Castries, St Lucia, on July 2, under the theme “There can be no social justice without gender justice.”

UN Global Compact on Migration Concluded

02 August 2018

Friday 13 July 2018 was a historic day in the United Nations. After one year of preparatory thematic and regional consultations and multi-stakeholder dialogues, and six months of intense inter-governmental negotiations, UN Member States have concluded and agreed on the text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

Trade Unions in Transformation

31 July 2018
Photo: Striking dressmakers take a break in diner, ca. 1955 by Kheel Center - CC BY 2.0

With “trade unions in transformation«, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) contributes to shifting the narrative about trade unions. Moving away from the standard depiction of unions as victims of globalization, this project highlights that unions do have agency and power. The stories of successful trade union action told in this brochure demonstrate how labour can and already does shape globalization.

Barbados: Pilot study on gender–based violence in the Public Sector

31 July 2018
Stakeholders' meeting on Barbados pilot study on GBV@Work

PSI’s sub-regional office for the Caribbean, together with its two affiliates in Barbados, have entered into a research partnership with the University of the West Indies to carry out a pilot study which will focus on the health and social services sector.

Corporate power international seminar

27 July 2018

The principal objective of this activity wasto cultivate a broad discussion of the mechanisms that strengthen corporate power while connecting directly to PSI´s global priorities including tax justice, the fight against privatization and free trade agreements.

JALGO collaborates with Solar Head of State to promote renewable energy in Jamaica

27 July 2018
James Ellsmore of Solar Head of State receives donation of prize money from Helene Davis-Whyte, general secretary of JALGO

Earlier this year, the NGO Solar Head of State held a challenge targeting youth and young adults in which the goal was to inspire local or school communities to recognize the many advantages of solar energy. PSI affiliate the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO) was the only sponsor from the trade union movement and has contributed prize money to the challenge.

International Youth Day 2018 - #SafeSpaces4Youth

24 July 2018

For International Youth Day 2018 on 12 August, Public Services International (PSI) is calling on all affiliates and young workers to send a strong message that “Violence is NOT part of the job”.

Privatization Watch - 04/2018

22 July 2018
Latest issue of #PrivatizationWatch (04/2018) - The Global newsletter on privatization of public services around the world.

Defining the Value of Water from a rights-based perspective (New York)

18 July 2018

This side event to the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, co-sponsored by PSI, will focus on recommendations to “value water”. Using a rights-based lens, panelists will explore the ways in which water is valued in communities, cultures and faiths around the world exploring the ways in which market-based strategies have distorted these long-held values and further marginalized segments of the population.

In Honduras, mayor privatises waste sector and sacks 700 municipal workers

17 July 2018

Multinational company demands exclusive rights over street cleaning, waste collection, transport and disposal at the landfill site in San Pedro Sula, the country’s second biggest city. Many trade union representatives among those dismissed.

Cities are for people. Let’s put people first on the urban agenda.

12 July 2018

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, took the floor at the UN High Level Political Forum during the review of SDG 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable calling for strong public policies and governance for housing and the protection of public spaces and commons from privatization and gentrification.

PSI General Secretary meets with Louise Arbour, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on International Migration

12 July 2018

Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary, meets with Louise Arbour, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on International Migration, in New York on the sides of the final round of negotiations this week towards a UN Global Compact on Migration.

A Just Transition based on social justice, and labour rights

12 July 2018

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, took the floor at the UN High Level Political Forum during the review of SDG 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

PSI holds two seminars on tax and trade in São Paulo

11 July 2018

With support from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), the seminars discussed free trade agreements, the new methods employed by transnational companies (TNCs) to “capture” international organisations, corporate tax evasion and prospects for progressive tax reform.

Policy brief EB-148 : Local and Regional Government

04 October 2016

This policy brief on Local and Regional Government (LRG) was produced for the PSI Executive Board 148 held at the ILO in Geneva (Switzerland) on 19-20 May 2016. Its objective is to inform EB-148 of activities in the local and regional government sector since EB-147 that took place in Geneva (Switzerland) in May 2015. The brief is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Japanese.

Final report of the expert group to the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth

21 September 2016

The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, established the High-Level Commission on
Health Employment and Economic Growth (ComHEEG) in March 2016. Its task is to propose intersectoral
actions to guide and stimulate the creation of health and social sector jobs to advance inclusive
economic growth.
In support of the Commission’s work, an Expert Group was convened to critically review the
available evidence.

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.

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.

Gender and Tax Justice Resources

07 September 2016

These presentations and concept note were produced for PSI's global forum "No Gender Justice Without Tax Justice" held in London, 30 June-1 July 2016.

PSI Speech delivered at ILO Tripartite Technical Meeting on refugees

05 July 2016
ILO TTM on refugees

PSI Migration Programme Coordinator, Genevieve Gencianos, delivered a speech on 5 July at the Opening Session of the ILO Tripartite Technical Meeting on the Access of Refugees and other Forcibly Displaced Persons to the Labour Market. The meeting is being held from 5-7 July in Geneva, Switzerland.

United Nations General Assembly High Level Summit on Large Flows of Migrants and Refugees

17 June 2016

On 19 September 2016, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a “High Level Summit on Large Flows of Migrants and Refugees” at the UN in New York. The summit will call for a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing for refugees, which includes a comprehensive response plan on refugees and the strengthening of the global governance of migration.

Canada & USA North America Binational Meeting Report

24 March 2016

The PSI North America Binational meeting was held on March 4, 2016 in Ottawa and hosted by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Robyn Benson (PSAC), the Canadian titular, and Candice Owley (American Federation of Teachers-AFT), the United States titular, co-chaired the meeting. This meeting followed the Canadian SUBRAC and the United States SUBRAC, both held on March 3, 2016.

Comments on Expert Group background note for the first meeting of the UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth

24 March 2016

PSI gave evidence to the United Nations High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth in Lyon, France on 23 March 2016. PSI argued that public spending on public health was both a government obligation to ensure universal access to health care and an investment in economic growth.

Logos for the World Water Day (WWD) 2016

19 March 2016

Logos for the World Water Day 2016 are available for download in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese in both JPG and PDF format.

Development Cooperation

17 March 2016

PSI provided input to an assessment from the water justice network of development cooperation support for the implementation of human rights. Development partners, including the World Bank, have violated human rights, including with their conditionalities for private sector participation. We call for the suspension of grant and loan programs which implicitly or explicitly promote PPP schemes. The implementation of Sustainable Development Goal #6 on water and sanitation presents opportunities to improve the practices of development partners. We point to the examples of public-public partnerships (PUPs), which are gaining in popularity but have not received adequate support from development partners – in part, because PUPs are not-for-profit. We also call for more rigorous measures to ensure that all rights holders can participate in decision-making.

Report: Protecting the Public Interest from Predatory Privatization and Outsourcing

17 March 2016

A Public Services International Leadership Meeting held on 2-3 December 2015 in Washington, D.C. USA and hosted by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The objective of this PSI leadership meeting was to explore ways to work together to strengthen the fight against the global push for privatization, linking national campaigns to regional and global dynamics.

PSI Report: Gender equality and water

17 March 2016

PSI submitted case studies from India, Kenya, Argentina and Ecuador on the gender implications of the human right to water and sanitation for the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. The studies touch on gender implications of legislation, public finance, participatory decision-making, and monitoring.

Posters: Hope has no borders

17 March 2016

Public services welcome migrants and refugees say PSI"s posters for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21st March.

IAMREC 2016 (Puerto Rico)

09 March 2016

On March 29th, 30th and 31st, the IAMREC 2016 was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. See here all the information and documents related to the meeting.

Sovereign debt, a global problem: international experiences and the situation of Puerto Rico

29 February 2016

The seminar “Sovereign debt, a global problem: international experiences and the situation of Puerto Rico” will be taking place on 30 March 2016 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the Verdanza Hotel

2016 Caribbean SUBRAC meeting

15 February 2016

The Caribbean Sub-regional Advisory Committee (SUBRAC) meets annually. The SUBRAC is a PSI advisory body comprising representatives from affiliates who “facilitate the consultation process at sub-regional level on policy issues and work programme implementation, and who participate in exchange and dialogue on issues relevant to PSI affiliates.”

2016 Caribbean SUBWOC meeting

15 February 2016
2015 SUBWOC

The Sub-regional Women’s Advisory Committee (SUBWOC) meets on the day preceding the Sub-regional Advisory Committee (SUBRAC) meeting and comprises the women representatives attending that meeting. The chair is Sis Jillian Bartlett, the Caribbean Women’s Titular. The SUBWOC meets annually. In accordance with PSI’s constitution, the number of representatives attending the SUBWOC meeting must be at least 50% of the number of representatives attending the SUBRAC meeting.

17 August: PSI Inter-America Anti-Racism and against Xenophobia Committee Meeting

14 August 2015
Campaign to sign and to ratify the OAS Conventions A-68 and A-69

Representatives from the Caribbean, Andean, Southern Cone, Central America and Brazil sub-regions, coming respectively from Guyana, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala and Brazil will take part in this activity, which counts with the support from AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center.

11th PSI Inter-American Regional Conference (IAMRECON)

20 April 2015
IAMRECON 2015

Advancing trade union rights in the struggle for quality public services!

ILO Tripartite meeting on the Right to Strike

20 February 2015

The Meeting will bring together participants from 32 Governments of ILO member States, 16 Employer participants and 16 Worker participants nominated by the Employers’ group and the Workers’ group of the Governing Body respectively, as well as observers from the three groups.

Technical Mission from the ILO visits Ecuador

26 January 2015

An ILO technical mission will visit Ecuador on 26-30 January 2015 to examine first-hand a series of complaints received by the Committee of Application of Standards (CAS) on the working conditions of Ecuadorian public sector workers since 2007.

Funding Democracy - Practical alternatives to global austerity

26 January 2015
Funding Democracy

PSI's Canadian affiliate, the Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO) is organising an event on 16-17 June 2015 in Ottawa, Canada, to discuss issues of austerity, tax reform and funding public services.

Colombia: Second Anti-Corruption Forum debates transparency in the public services

15 December 2014
II Foro anticorrupción en Colombia

The Forum, which was held in Bogota, Colombia, on 9 December 2014, was attended by representatives of Colombian government agencies and public service unions from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, who shared their experiences of fighting corruption and promoting transparency in public services.

CSW59: Commission on the Status of Women

10 December 2014

The 59th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) will take place at the UN Headquarters, in New York, from 9th to 20th March 2015.

Bachelet calls on PSI to fight for an ILO resolution on the elimination of violence against women at work

01 November 2014
Mujeres de la ISP el “Encuentro Internacional sobre Violencia de Género en los lugares de trabajo y el empleo público”

Before an audience of more than 140 women members of the PSI, the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, called on the organisation to continue fighting for approval of an ILO resolution on the elimination of violence against women at the workplace and in public employment.

PSI Americas 2nd Regional LGBT Committee

27 October 2014
PSI LGBT logo

PSI Americas will hold its second Regional LGBT Committee in Mexico City, in parallel with the 27th ILGA World Conference.

Founding Meeting PSI Educational Support and Cultural Workers Network

20 October 2014

PSI affiliates represent hundreds of thousands of educational support and cultural workers throughout the world, many of whom work without job security, fair compensation and benefits, or recognition that their services are vital to ensuring high quality public education and culture for all citizens. The jobs of these workers are on the frontlines of the privatization and casualization struggle within the education and cultural sector, and many of them face challenges in pursuing their basic freedom to form a union and collectively bargain their terms and conditions of service.

PSI Global Trade in Services forum

17 October 2014

PSI’s Global Trade in Services Forum, From GATS to TISA, held in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Our World Is Not For Sale (OWINFS) network, is the first ever global conference to provide a critical perspective on the TISA.

It will bring together leading global experts, trade unions from the public and private sector, civil society and government representatives from around the world to share information about the TISA. They will discuss the threats posed to public services, democracy and workers, and plan action to oppose its harmful elements.