LGBT Forum

Forming a rainbow alliance

How can we establish trade unions that are both inclusive and welcoming? The LGBT Forum delved into the real-life success stories of unions that have effectively incorporated LGBT+ inclusive policies, practices, organisational structures, and collective bargaining demands.

Minjin Lee, a representative from KPTU in South Korea, shared their achievement of a collective bargaining agreement that removes gender distinctions, ensuring inclusivity for all individuals, regardless of gender. "We consistently adopt a gender-neutral approach and employ a non-binary system in our events. The LGBT group collaborates with numerous companies to negotiate agreements that encompass the interests of all LGBT people."

Participants revealed that many of them are compelled to leave their communities and residences to escape harassment. Their pay and working conditions lag behind those of their peers. One participant passionately stated, "It's time for our voices to be heard, our presence acknowledged, and for people to understand that we are not merely an abstract concept or ideology. We are living beings."

Linda Bogle Mienzer of Bermuda Public Services Union said that LGBT members feel the need to be discreet in their workplaces, in their accommodation, and in society. They have to put up a facade to go to work and try to blend in. But they can better foster change when their presence can be felt.

Peter Mekers from the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions highlighted their efforts to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion within their union. They actively engage with LGBTQ+ workers, instilling confidence in their participation and advocating for their rights. This persistent advocacy has yielded results. For instance, IKEA in the Netherlands now provides paid leave for individuals undergoing gender transition, and is considering offering the same benefits in other countries too.

Deiby Porras Arias of the National Association of Public and Private Employees of Costa Rica urged trade unions to invest in LGBTQI+rights.  The union has developed a multilingual manual for creating inclusive spaces, and offering guidance on preventing violence and harassment. An intersectional approach has proven effective, such as forming alliances with women's groups and marginalised communities.

Mira Fey from the Geneva office of Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung has researched LGBTQI+ rights, and found a wide range of commitment from unions worldwide. While some unions, like PSI, embarked on this journey two decades ago, others have only recently started. The gender composition of unions seems to play a pivotal role, with greater female representation correlating with higher levels of inclusion. According to the research, best practices encompass educational training at both internal and affiliate levels, the formulation of resolutions, motions, and policies, the integration of LGBTQI+ concerns into collective bargaining, fostering open dialogues, and active engagement with youth, women, and other minority groups.

Workers united against the backlash

The anti-LGBT+ backlash is a measure of our success in the fight for equality, but it continues to be a very real menace that has even crept into our workplaces, threatening working class solidarity.

Malin Ragnegård, president of the Swedish Trade Union, Kommunal, denounced the right-wing agenda that threatens the lives of LGBT people, saying, “In Sweden, we have a conservative government and they have been pretty clear about LGBT rights. Transgender people have received death threats and transphobia is increasing in the crime statistics in Sweden. As municipal workers, what we try to do is make this visible.”

Solange Caetano from Brazil’s  National Federation of Nurses testified that while Bolsonaro's extreme right-wing government was in power, the LGBT+ community suffered from uncertainty and threats.

Salvatore Marra, CGIL, Italy, stated “We have to act! We need to unite around the trade union values of solidarity and bring people together without discrimination,” while Cristina Faciaben, CC.OO, Spain, said that trade unions are indispensable agents in the fight against the extreme right in the world.

Building Bridges to Counter Anti-Rights Forces Worldwide

Investigative journalist Claire Provost shared her infiltration of the elite, global World Congress of Families network, which aims to undermine reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights. She revealed their strategic, long-term planning and funding of misinformation. Provost argued for greater collaboration across borders and issues, stating "the more that we can learn from and support each other across struggles for LGBT rights, reproductive justice and intersectional justice, the stronger we will be."

Jaime Vernaelde of Ipas (Partners for Reproductive Justice)  outlined how small yet sophisticated US anti-LGBTQI groups like Family Watch International spread false narratives and partner with major blocs to attack rights globally. As Vernaelde emphasised, "It's a much bigger issue. And so it's just really to remind you to look at it more holistically in your work, and it's something that we at Ipas have to do as well."

ILGA World's Gurchaten Sandhu highlighted anti-rights efforts at the UN to remove language on gender identity and target LGBTQ-supportive public sector workers. She called for alliances between unions, LGBTQ+ groups, and feminists, arguing "What we need to do is build better alliances amongst our movements and build those linkages."

During public interventions, speakers from Brazil, France, Panama and Costa Rica reinforced the need for inclusion, collaboration, and positive messaging to counter interconnected attacks on human rights. As one noted, "we need to work with young people to develop… resources" to protect the next generation.

Candidate General Secretary Bertossa affirms his commitment during Regional Executive meetings

At the closed meeting of AFREC on Friday afternoon. Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary, bid  farewell to the comrades in the region, thanking them for the years of work shared over the last 10 years. AFREC members also honoured the work of Sani Baba Mohammed, Regional Secretary for Africa & Arab Countries, who will soon retire.

On the same day, Bertossa attended the APREC meeting, where he also expressed his intention to work towards building PSI  leadership from the countries of the South. It was cheerfully noted that, for the first time, APREC met the target of at least 50% gender equitable participation.

Candidate General Secretary Daniel Bertossa assured members of the continuity of the political role of PSI presented in the programme of action, saying that it represented  “... a continuity of an extraordinary political leadership that has really rebuilt the political base over the last ten years.” He added, “My priority is to ensure that we build and support and bring through the next level of PSI leadership so that that process of organisational renewal makes us even stronger… We need to also look for opportunities, so for the young workers in the room and for the emerging leaders in the room and out of your unions, one of my priorities will be to do as much as we can to support those emerging leaders, both within the staff, but also amongst the affiliates and the leadership structures.”

IAMREC definió sus candidaturas al Congreso Mundial y Candidato a Secretario General destacó el trabajo de la región

Con la sala casi llena, lxs miembrxs del Comité Regional de Interamérica se reunieron para resolver cuestiones relacionadas con el 31° Congreso Mundial de la ISP como la propuesta de los nuevos  candidatos al Comité Ejecutivo Mundial (EB) y Comité Mundial de Mujeres (WOC), además de la aprobación de los asuntos de la membresía.

Durante la sesión, Daniel Bertossa, Secretario General Adjunto, destacó el trabajo de dos años en la construcción del plan de trabajo -que será votado en el Congreso Mundial- y la participación activa de la región en las políticas de la ISP y generación de nuevos líderes. También se refirió a las condiciones de la política mundial en que será implementado el plan -crecimiento de la extrema derecha- y al espíritu de continuidad respecto lo que ha venido haciendo la ISP en estos últimos años: la defensa de los servicios públicos de calidad y las condiciones de trabajo decente.

Por su parte, Rosa Pavanelli, Secretaria General -que se integró más tarde a la reunión- se refirió a su relación con la región. “Han sido una parte importante de mi trabajo y me han ayudado a visibilizar la experiencia de Interamérica en toda la ISP”.

Además, en el marco de la discusión que se tendrá en el Congreso, llamó a lxs asistentes a “entender las razones de todos, no utilizar el metro de la ideología y sobreponer los valores del movimiento sindical como la solidaridad y los derechos humanos”.

La reunión estuvo presidida por los co-presidentes de Intermérica, Jan Hochedal, de la subregión de Estados Unidos y Federico Dávila, de la subregión del Cono Sur. Además, la mesa principal estuvo acompañada por el Jocelio Drummond, Secretario Regional de IA.

European region unions meet to prepare Congress

Yesterday the European region of Public Services International met. The EPSU Executive Committee discussed a series of issues that will be coming up over the course of the PSI Congress which are happening in the European region and its near borders. Many in Europe, including public sector workers, believed that peace was the normal nature of the continent after several decades without an armed conflict. Unfortunately, the last months have shown that this is not the case, as we have seen in Ukraine and Armenia, as well as with the escalation of the Israel and Palestine conflict.

The Executive discussed the resolutions and made a clear call for peaceful solutions to the different conflicts. The meeting noted an emergency resolution to congress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will be discussed later in the week.

The meeting was chaired by Mette Nord, EPSU President and Fagforbundet President who presented the two candidates to PSI President (Britta Lejon from Sweden) and General Secretary (Daniel Bertossa from Australia and current Assistant General Secretary).

The European region also discussed and endorsed other emergency resolutions coming from their members such as the situation in Iran and the sacking of ambulance workers in Georgia. A massive demonstration took place in Paris yesterday with thousands of workers protesting against austerity with delegations from several other European countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Ireland and Belgium. The EPSU Executive Committee took a solidarity picture with this protest. The protest marks the beginning of a series of demonstrations in Europe that will see a European protest in Brussels on December 13.

“No somos contrarios a la tecnología, somos contrarios a que la tecnología se nos imponga sin ningún control”

Con estas palabras el Secretario General Asistente, Daniel Bertossa fijo la posición de la ISP con respecto a la digitalización y su posible impacto en las y los trabajadores y el sector público, destacando el trabajo de la organización a nivel mundial y la respuesta positiva de las afiliadas.

“Tenemos que quitar el control de las empresas sobre nuestros datos, y darle una prioridad a la digitalización en todo lo que hagamos. Es importante que la ISP y sus miembros entiendan que las nuevas tecnologías están impactando en los trabajadores y la gobernanza en el lugar del trabajo”, señaló Bertossa al tiempo de destacar las investigaciones, la formación y las herramientas que se le han proporcionado a las afiliadas para ayudarles en los procesos de negociación colectiva, la gestión algorítmica y la inteligencia artificial.

El foro estuvo dividido en dos partes. La primera abordó las experiencias sindicales y el impacto de la digitalización en los lugares de trabajo y en la vida de quienes trabajan en los servicios públicos con relatos prácticos de las afiliadas de la ISP de Estados Unidos, Ghana y la India.

Jennifer Porcari, de AFT (EE.UU) contó que gracias a la ISP su sindicato empezó a interesarse por comprender el vocabulario que se emplea cuando se habla de digitalización o nuevas tecnologías para enfrentar de mejor manera los procesos de negociación. Mientras, que Jammu Anand, de NMCEU (India) y John Doe, de PSWU (Ghana) se refirieron a los elementos de vigilancia digital que se han introducido en sus lugares de trabajo para controlar a lxs trabajadores, dejando en evidencia la importancia de que los sindicatos se involucren o al menos, se hagan de la curiosidad sobre la gobernanza de los datos y de las empresas que los controlan.

Por su parte, Gabriel Casnati, coordinador del Proyecto FES sobre digitalización y coordinador mundial de los jóvenes de la ISP, se refirió a los programas de formación sobre digitalización en América Latina, destacando “los embajadores digitales” que han replicado sus conocimientos a cientos de trabajadorxs. Además, puso énfasis en la agenda política de la región destacando el derecho a la desconexión, la vigilancia y el teletrabajo.

En la segunda parte de la reunión, Hannah Johnston y Christina Colclough, presentaron importantes herramientas y guías que la ISP ha elaborado como parte del proyecto Nuestro futuro digital para apoyar la negociación colectiva y la promoción de políticas sobre cuestiones digitales, incluida la nueva base de datos mundial de la ISP sobre cláusulas de negociación colectiva digital.

Unions unite to Challenge Privatisation Globally

At the privatisation policy forum event, speakers emphasised building broad societal coalitions and workers' skills to resist privatisation and strengthen public services.. Donald Cohen of In the Public Interest talked about long-term coalition-building and narrative-shifting, providing examples of transparency laws, fighting deals, and building union advocacy capacity.

Aderonke Ige of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) Nigeria shared how cross-sector unions and civil society created a powerful "Our Water, Our Rights" movement. By educating and mobilising communities, they defeated water privatisation attempts by uniting people's voices, and their strategies are spreading across Africa.

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Pakistan's Abdullah Dayo discussed unions' people's inquiry on privatisation modelled after Australia's experience. Despite political instability, it engaged diverse allies to successfully challenge privatisation plans.

CPSU's Karen Batt outlined Australian unions' 2016 people's inquiry documenting privatisation's failures. Though progress is uneven, it has achieved steps like insourcing policies and legal protections. Outrage over consultant corruption strengthened efforts against their undue policy influence. As Batt stated: “We can win when we join together with a whole range of people."

Unions stand with Climate Refugees and Displaced Persons

Another PSI side event highlighted unions' vital role supporting refugees and displaced people globally. Speakers from PSI affiliates shared moving stories of migrants fleeing war, climate disasters, and poverty, often facing hostility, rights violations, and exploitation in nations unequipped to aid them.

PSI Migration Programme Coordinator, Genevieve Gencianos, said, "Public service workers are on the front lines braving the impacts of climate disasters and conflicts. They save lives and deliver essential services to communities."

Affiliates in the MENA region and Nigeria are training and advocating for refugee and IDP rights, organising workers, providing healthcare, and pushing for climate action and investment in quality public services. As ST President Britta Lejon emphasised: "We must use the experience of trade union organising to empower refugees and create possibilities for better lives."

Speakers were concerned by the regression of refugee rights in Europe. In Sweden, a proposed law will require public employees to report undocumented migrants, posing an ethical dilemma for healthcare professionals. Unions such as Vårdförbundet are united in opposing this attack, said Sineva Ribeiro, adding, "Healthcare and public services must be provided based on medical and social needs, not immigration policies."

From supporting displaced populations to resisting anti-migrant policies, the event highlighted PSI unions' solidarity and determination to defend rights. Swedish union SSR's Maria Östberg-Svanelind reiterated: "We are proud of this project as an excellent example of trade union work providing hope, inclusion and solidarity to vulnerable groups."

“Somos los que estamos esperando. Somos los que podemos detener las crisis climáticas, la privatización”, dicen las y los jóvenes trabajadores

La reunión de la red de jóvenes trabajadorxs de la Internacional de Servicios Públicos (ISP) empezó con la presentación de los trabajos de las regiones en los últimos años y cuáles son los desafíos para los próximos cinco años.

La primera región que presentó fue Europa con el trabajo del colectivo de Juventud en la EPSU -Sindicatos Públicos de Europa, que hablaron sobre el trabajo con la juventud en la más importante organización europea que aglutina a 8 millones de miembros en 49 países. Según una encuesta realizada por EPSU sobre las actitudes de los jóvenes trabajadores realizada, la principal razón por la que los jóvenes trabajadores no hacen parte de un sindicato es que nadie les preguntó. De lo anterior, las jóvenes europeas contaron las campañas que han emprendido, destacando el cupo de joven en la estructura de los sindicatos y el trabajo transversal de juventud en todos los sectores.

Las y los jóvenes sindicalistas trabajadores del sector público en la región interamericana han obtenido avances significativos en términos de comunicación, participación y formación. La colaboración con la revista trimestral La Voz y la implementación de otros medios de comunicación han sido clave para difundir la labor de los jóvenes sindicalistas. En este sentido para la juventud trabajadora de Asia-pacifico, que ya han logrado un 30% del cupo sindical joven y adquirido herramientas para aumentar sus capacidades y liderazgo, para el próximo periodo, una de las prioridades ahora es que el 30% de la participación de esta región en las actividades de la ISP sea de jóvenes.

La juventud trabajadora de los servicios públicos de África ha presentado importantes avances para involucrar más jóvenes en sus organizaciones a pesar de los desafíos que han enfrentado. “Nos demos cuenta de que hay muchos jóvenes que tienen miedo de afiliarse a un sindicato, pero para nosotros es un deber ir hablar con ellos sobre los beneficios de la afiliación”, dijo una de las representantes.

En el cierre del evento, el secretario general asistente de la ISP, Daniel Bertosa, hizo un importante llamamiento a que las y los jóvenes se involucren en la construcción del poder para la clase trabajadora. “Está claro que el cambio que necesitamos y que ya no podemos ignorar. Ya tenemos las respuestas, pero aún no tenemos el poder suficiente. Tenemos que conquistar el poder suficiente para cambiar la realidad. La clase trabajadora es quien más sufre por lo debemos dejar claro que nuestra voz es importante”

“Los derechos no caen del cielo y esta lucha concierne a todos. Somos nosotros los que tenemos que implicarnos. Pero más allá de eso debemos involucrarnos en la lucha y una de mis prioridades es construir un entorno que involucre a todos para construir ese poder”, señalo el candidato al puesto de secretario general de la ISP.