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Speaking at a meeting of the National Educational Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) last week, the South African Health Minister, Mr Aaron Motsoaledi said the country’s health system is overburdened by foreigners. This is a dangerous playing up of the xenophobic card, to deflect attention from the major challenges facing public healthcare delivery: inadequate funding; poor governance, and sharp social inequality which reinforces health inequity.

Representatives from companies with a history of mismanagement of public contracts and renowned tax-dodging practices will meet in Geneva this week to lobby for business-friendly UN standards on Public- Private Partnerships.

Civil Society Organizations and Unions are calling for urgent pressure to be put on EU leaders following attempts by some member-states to scrap or derail the well-advanced negotiations on a Financial Transactions Tax.

A cross section of young workers across PSI affiliated unions in French-speaking Africa converged in Cotonou, Benin, from October 31, 2018 to November 2, 2018, for a workshop aimed primarily to discuss PSI’s political agenda from the young workers’ perspective.

On 5-9 November, PSI coordinated a workshop in Barbados, in collaboration with the Workers’ Activities branch (ACTRAV) of the ILO’s Latin America & Regional Office, to learn about gender-neutral job evaluation concepts and methods. The aim was to explore the application of gender-neutral pay systems in the workplace and especially in the health and social services sector.

Over 100 participants from trade union affiliates around the world came together on 14 November the for PSI Executive Board EB-153. The two-day meeting is being held at the International Labour Organisation headquarters in Geneva.

Trade unionists, representing Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and Inter-America, came together for the PSI World Women's Committee (WOC) on 13 November at the ILO headquarters in Geneva.

Healthcare is the most important issue of concern to Americans today. In an exit poll conducted by the Cable News Network (CNN) during the mid-term elections, 41% of respondents voted for healthcare as the “most important issue facing the country”. Immigration, economy and gun policy received 23%, 21% and 11% of the poll respectively.