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Local and Regional Government/Municipal sector

Local and regional governments (LRG)/municipal sector workers run essential services in cities, metropolitan areas and territories servicing millions of people and communities every day. Our members work in public administrations; public utilities such as water and sanitation, electricity, and solid waste. They operate public transport and maintain public spaces; work in social, culture and education services such as libraries, museums, kindergartens, schools and universities. They are health and social services workers. Firefighters, emergency, medical first responders and municipal police are also among LRG/municipal workers. PSI defends and promotes the union and labour rights of LRG/municipal workers and advocates their decent working and living conditions so that they can sustainably deliver accessible, quality public services to the local communities and territories they serve and successfully confront the many challenges posed by rapid urbanization and globalization. Join the discussion on PSI's LRG/Municipal Workers Facebook Group.

Report: Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2018

09 July 2018

PSI is a partner of the Reflection Group on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and together with other civil society organizations and networks has produced the annual Spotlight Report assessing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the structural obstacles in its realization.

Conversation with the authors of Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2018 (New York)

03 July 2018

The authors of the Spotlight Report 2018 Exploring new policy pathways: How to overcome obstacles and contradictions in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda will present key findings and recommendations to participants for discussion.

Asuncion: municipal workers, waste pickers and the community in strategic alliance for a quality public waste collection service

06 May 2018

Since the campaign to bring the municipal waste collection service back into the public sector in 2003, the Asuncion Municipal Workers’ Union (Sindicato de Obreros y Empleados de la Municipalidad de Asuncion, SINOEMA) affiliated to the PSI, has worked hard to maintain a quality service. The union encourages working class solidarity with recyclers and other informal workers because it understands that they and the community have an important role in keeping waste management under municipal control.

Esquel: recognition of the workers’ contribution and community participation – keys to the success of integrated waste management

04 May 2018

What began as a pilot project in the mid-1990s is today a benchmark for Urban Integrated Solid Waste Management (GIRSU - UISWM). Recognition of the contribution made by workers, combined with the involvement and commitment of the community, have been key factors in the success of the local plan.

Danish public sector unions win nationwide labour agreement on May Day

04 May 2018
Photo: HK Kommunal

On 1st May, Danish public sector unions reached an agreement with public sector employers covering over 700,000 workers in local, regional and central government.

Quito: greater recognition of the role of municipal waste workers but their rights remain vulnerable

27 April 2018

The Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ) is home to around 2.6 million people generating some 2,000 tonnes of waste every day. An Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) system has been in place since 2010, and is currently run by public companies. Among other things, it includes informal waste workers as “environmental managers”.

In Germany, Ver.di Calls for Token Strike: More than 45,000 Workers Taking Part

13 April 2018
Photo: Daniel Pilar/Ver.di

There have been strikes in a total of eleven Länder and in nearly all federal and municipal public service sectors and institutions. On Friday 13 April too, work stoppages are taking place in many public service sectors and institutions.

Presentations: The Role of Public Service Trade Unions in achieving Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities

21 March 2017

These presentations were made at the PSI meeting held 8-9 December 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland with ACTRAV and GED support. The meeting builds on a survey conducted by PSI and ILO of PSI affiliates’ initiatives on disability inclusion, and on ILO research giving a global overview of trade unions actions on disability inclusion.

Ten key points for Fair Cities and an inclusive New Urban Agenda

16 November 2016

The 10 key points on the following pages represent PSI’s priorities for a New Urban Agenda encompassing decent work for city workers – including public workers - universal access and adequate public investment in essential public services, such as water and sanitation, energy, health care, transportation, education, social housing, public space etc.

Memorandum of Undertaking for Disaster Risk Reduction between the local government of Bislig city and the PSILINK union

11 November 2016

The 2016 Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) was negotiated and concluded between PSI affiliate PSILINK and the local government of Bislig city, Surigao del Sur, Mindanao, the Philippines.

Overview of global megatrends affecting local and regional governments

12 October 2016

This paper was commissioned by PSI to inform a meeting of the PSI Local and Regional Government Committee held on 19 September 2016 in Brussels. The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of issues which affect local and regional governments (LRGs).

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.

The work of the ants: Labour and community reinventing public water in Colombia

15 October 2014

Water services in Colombia’s rural and peri-urban areas have traditionally been delivered by a rich variety of autonomous community-owned aqueducts. This action-research project documents the struggles of one such community to preserve and reinforce its aqueduct as an alternative to both private and ‘state’ modes of service delivery.

Alliances for public services in South Africa

09 July 2014

The Municipal Services Project (MSP) is a research project that explores alternatives to the privatization and commercialization of service provision in electricity, health, water and sanitation in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is composed of academics, labour unions, non-governmental organizations, social movements and activists from around the globe who are committed to analyzing successful alternative service delivery models to under- stand the conditions required for their sustainability and reproducibility.

PSI’s 29th World Congress in Durban, South Africa, 27-30 November 2012

22 November 2012

As part of its World Congress events, PSI is holding a series of pre-congress meetings on key issues.