EPSU Policy Statements

Public services for people in Europe

Public service trade unions and collective bargaining in a European environment

An active working time policy: for employment, time sovereignty and equal opportunities

Gender Equality

Enlargement of the European Union: meeting the challenges

European Tax Charter

Adopted at the 6th General Assembly, Lisbon, April 2000

EPSU policy statement: Public services for people in Europe

EPSU promotes the development of a Europe for Citizens, based on solidarity, equality and sustainable social, economic and environmental development.

“Public services must constitute the basis of a citizen’s Europe, promoting a humane and fair society, guaranteeing protection from all forms of discrimination, and safeguarding fundamental rights. These include human and trade union rights: the right to equal opportunities for women and men; the rights to education and training, health care and social protection; minimum levels of income, housing, energy and water; and access to information and communication, including public broadcasting, and to cultural and sports facilities. Human need must be put before the ability to pay[1]”.

The ability of public services to guarantee and deliver these rights to citizens has been under pressure from liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation. New forms of service delivery are booming: concessions, public-private partnerships, and private enterprise aiming for profit rather than fulfilling human needs. These “for-profit” providers are often large transnational companies active in several areas. EPSU affiliates see these developments as challenges. Europe's public sector unions are committed to engage in modernisation and reform of public services which should lead to effective, efficient and democratic services fulfilling the needs of Europe's citizens. Meeting these needs ensures the democratic legitimacy of public services. The changes should lead to more social justice and sustainable development and build a environmentally friendly infra-structure. These processes should be based on transparent and democratic regulation and control, quality and efficiency standards, stable employment and decent working conditions and the involvement of the workers and their trade unions at all levels.

Public Services, employment and sustainable development

Public services are key in a co-ordinated European strategy for full employment and sustainable development. More than 40 million people find employment in health care, education, local and regional government, national administration and utilities. Employment in health care, education and community services is growing in the European Union. Men and women benefit from these services and for many women they are an important source of jobs.

EPSU has supported the concept of an Alliance for Jobs, or a European Employment Pact. Different European Summits have stressed the need to take full advantage of the structural change towards a service economy in creating jobs and governments have argued for removal of barriers to employment-intensive services. One of the barriers that need removing is also ideological. Creating jobs in public services will contribute to meeting unmet social needs such as care for the elderly and is an acceptable way of creating jobs. Public services are a factor that positively influences investments in the private sector. As the promotion of balanced regional development and employment are important political objectives of the EU, Member States should develop and use public services to this end and create the necessary basis for private sector development in the regions. Public services also make a significant contribution to the EU objective of social and territorial cohesion.The promotion of public services should therefore be an important element of the European Employment guidelines and the European Employment Pact.

For Europe to move on a path towards sustainable development, choices need to be made based on restricting the use of natural resources to levels that can be maintained in the future. The choices should be made in such a way that they maximise the potential for job creation and social protection. To be able to make better and fairer choices, different accounting methods that accurately value public services and environmental protection are called for as argued in EPSU’s study on Growth, Competitiveness, Jobs and Public Services (1996).

Public services must be efficient, responsive to users’ needs and sufficiently funded. The reform of public services should involve the workers concerned and their trade unions.

Rather then ideologically motivated deregulation and privatisation concepts, EPSU advocates innovative and future orientated regulatory reforms based on democratic control. In case of commercialisation of public services social justice and sustainable development are to be safeguarded through regulatory frameworks. Substituting public monopolies with private ones is rejected by EPSU.

EPSU has developed broad ranges of policies on public services since the General Assembly in 1996. These policies put the user-citizen at centre stage and link good working conditions and high quality services.

EPSU policies have been a key source of inspiration for the ETUC Public Services Charter: ‘In the Public Interest’ - Public Services for People in Europe. The Charter identifies 8 areas to be developed:

  • Guaranteeing citizen’s rights
  • Promoting jobs for all
  • Sustaining competitiveness
  • Shaping a social market economy
  • Promoting cohesion
  • Modernising through social dialogue
  • Extending the social dimension to accession countries
  • Building European public services.

The ETUC Public Services Charter and EPSU policies will form the basis for an EPSU Campaign for Public Services for People in Europe. The focal point of the campaign will be the needs of citizens and the employment situation of public service workers. EPSU advocates the development of European Green and White Books on Public Services to be adopted by the European Commission.

EPSU recognises the specific challenges of public service trade unions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) particularly with regard to EU Membership. A programme will be established with the CEE affiliates to argue for a public services dimension to the enlargement process. The EPSU campaign will have a specific Central and Eastern European focus.

EPSU affirms that there should be no discrimination in the workplace. EPSU will therefore argue for European measures that prevent discrimination with reference to article 13 of the Treaty.

EPSU and the diversity of public services

EPSU’s Standing Committees will continue to play an important role to respond to the European agenda as set by Council, Commission and Parliament. The further development of the sectoral social dialogue will remain the political priority.

Local and Regional Government

The European institutions have no policies specifically targeted at local and regional government, although local and regional authorities are involved in many areas of European policy development. The Standing Committee will contribute to an adequate representation of the interests of local and regional government workers at European level. EPSU and the local and regional government employers have a common interest that can be developed in a sectoral social dialogue committee.

Current issues for the local and regional government social dialogue are employment, work organisation and modernisation of public services, the information society, vocational education and training, and equality. Common statements have been developed with the CEMR Employers Platform (Employment, Modernisation of public services, Equality). The Committee will develop these further and seek more binding agreements with the local government employers.

The Standing Committee will continue to play a major role in developing EPSU policies on public procurement.

Health and Social Services

The European Union’s health policy is limited to preventive and active measures on public health. Policies on health and social care are the responsibility of the Member States. Europe’s citizens should enjoy a guaranteed level of rights to care wherever they live and move within Europe. Other EU policies lead to public spending cuts and privatisation which have serious consequences for employment, working conditions and service quality and supply, concerning both workers in the sector and citizens/ users.

The EPSU will continue its efforts to work towards reducing the inequalities of access to health care and social protection by supporting the measures conducted by its affiliates in each country, through the social dialogue at European level and through various campaigns. To develop a health care system meeting the needs expressed by citizens and users, the EPSU will take initiatives promoting community care and access to care for all, funding of health and social care and social security, education and training, improving working conditions for the staff in both the public services and the trans-national companies in the sector.

Representative employers’ organisations have not yet been established in health and social care at the European level. Efforts to identify employers and put pressure on establishing such employers’ organisations will continue. The possibilities for a social dialogue will primarily be explored with municipal organisationsand public hospital authorities that constitute the employers for large sections of health care workers.

National and European Administration

The Treaty does not cover policies on public administration. The importance of the services and infrastructure in the remit of national administration is thus not fully acknowledged by the European Union. As a result, civil servants are disadvantaged regarding mobility, social dialogue and certain social policy directives. Doubts have also been raised as to the coverage of civil servants by European framework agreements. EPSU is committed to the equal treatment of civil servants with other workers.

Changes are taking place in national administrations all over Europe. EPSU and its affiliated unions are determined to play a constructive and creative role in modernising national administrations. This is essential to:

  • strengthen the democratic and ethical framework of national administrations;
  • use public finance efficiently and effectively;
  • improve service and administrative quality and responsiveness;
  • promote the employment security, employment terms and job quality of civil servants and other state employees.

The development of the European level social dialogue in this sector is hampered because of the lack of employers’ structures. The Standing Committee will continue to take initiatives and participate in events with the Directors General responsible for national administration in order to arrive at a formal and structured social dialogue. These efforts take place at national, regional and European level. At the same time social dialogue issues will be further developed, like administrative co-operation; mobility and opening of civil services; extension of exchange and training programmes; recognition of qualifications and basic training requirements; equal opportunities; modernisation of national administration including work organisation, working time and Information Technology; national recognition and consultations; implementation of health and safety directives.

Utilities

Several European Union policies have a major impact on the energy, water and waste sector. They influence the market structures and relationships and therefore employment and working conditions. Private sector provision is on the increase. Whereas municipal and other public enterprises are still major providers in some European countries, the “for profit” delivery of these services is dominated by a few transnational companies. The Standing Committee will continue to influence European policy dealing with the consequences of changed market structures on employment and collective agreements and with the emergence of transnational companies.

Environmental protection is a central consideration to achieve safe and clean drinking water, to treat waste water and sludge in an appropriate way, to promote renewable energy sources. The Standing Committee supports the development of industries such as recycling and sorting of waste as they imply a healthier environment and thus improved health and safety as well as offering employment prospects.

The Standing Committee argues for more democratic regulation based on the dual concept of a right to information and a right to participate in the regulation. With the increase of “for-profit” delivery, regulation will play a central role in ensuring the protection of citizens, service quality and employment. The outcome of this work will be of great significance for the development of the European Public Services Charter.

The Standing Committee has also developed the social dialogue with Eurelectric (on health & safety, vocational education & training, employment, customer orientation and skills, and equality), Eurogas (health and safety, monitoring of the Internal Market for Gas) and Eureau. It will continue to monitor the establishment of European Works Councils in waste, water and energy companies. Sectoral social dialogue and the trade union work in the European Works Councils are mutually supportive.

Transnational companies in public services

Transnational companies increasingly provide public services through concessions, joint ventures with public companies and other forms of public-private partnerships. EPSU will monitor and research these developments, arguing for democratic control and regulation of these contracts. Key companies will be targeted for collective bargaining and codes of conduct that contain public service elements such as the Water Code for Safe and Clean Drinking Water and Fair Labour Practices. EPSU affiliates in close coordination and cooperation with EPSU Secretariat will seek to establishEuropean Works Councils and trade union networks in the relevant transnational companies. EPSU will co-operate with PSI.

Professional and Managerial Staff

EPSU will conduct further work on aspects of management reform for the public sector. EPSU will promote examples of best management practice. The operation and management of public services needs to match distinctive purposes and conditions. They are rooted in basic values and principles, such as ethical conduct of public services, transparency of decision making, accountability and democratic control, user friendly and efficient delivery, neutrality with regard to changing political leadership, fulfilment of long-term objectives and obligations to social welfare, environmental and equality objectives.

These principles need to be further defined and their implementation across all aspects of the planning, design and operation of public services determined.

This 6th General Assembly commits EPSU to:

  • Launch a campaign on ‘Public Services for People in Europe’, based on the ETUC Public Service Charter, leading up to the celebration of the 25th EPSU anniversary in 2003.
  • Aim for the adoption of a Green and a White Book on Public Services by the European Commission.
  • Lobby for the adoption of a European Public Service Charter and/or the insertion of a stronger public service paragraph in the Treaty at the next Intergovernmental Conference.
  • Play a leading role in the establishment of a ‘European Public Services Platform’ for consultation on public service issues between trade unions, consumer organisations and relevant civil society groups. The platform contributes to the lobby for a Citizens’ Europe based on high quality public services.
  • Encourage EPSU and its member unions to support the development of public services. This includes the promotion of work, work organisation, and services in order to improve the working life and the psychological well being of workers. Services will have to adapt to the changing needs of our society. The most important prerequisite for the further development of public services is a proper co-operation between users, workers, employers and political decision-makers.
  • Promote sustainable social and environmental development by limiting the use of natural resources. The choices made should maximise the creation of jobs, ensure equity and the access of all to the Earth’s wealth. An important aspect will be the creation of alliances for a different measurement of the value of public services and environment services.
  • Argue for the contribution of public services in employment and their recognition in the Employment Guidelines and Employment Pacts.
  • Support a public service dimension in the Enlargement discussion and consequently assist unions in Central and Eastern Europe in making the case for public services.
  • Mainstream equality issues in the public services debate with specific attention to the impact of reform and restructuring on women.
  • Further define the contents of public service obligations in areas such as, water, electricity, gas, and further define the principles and values of public sector management reform.
  • Explore the consequences of the Information Society for public services and public services workers.
  • Monitor transnational companies in public services and research the private provision of public services and explore effective ways of promoting workers and citizen’s interests through regulation, codes of conduct with transnational companies.
  • Enhance the role of the Standing Committees in promoting public services and the interests of public service workers also through social dialogue.

EPSU policy statement:

Public Service trade unions and collective bargaining

in a European environment

  1. A new environment

Europe’s public service trade unions are faced with a series of factors influencing their way of operating. These are in particular:

  • The Economic and Monetary Union and the single currency
  • The European Central Bank with its role in setting macro-economic parameters orientated towards low inflation and stability
  • The Employment and Social Chapter within the Amsterdam Treaty
  • The Stability and Growth Pact. This will exert a constraint on public budgets for many years to come.

This environment reinforces the need for co-operation , co-ordination and joint action to promote the interests of public service workers