Daily News wrap #4 - PSI Congress - PSI - The global union federation of workers in public services

Oct 16, 2023

Our daily news wrap for congress events, delivered straight to you everyday, covering all the action!

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- Some of the text below may have been automatically translated to increase accessibility.

Daniel Bertossa is PSI’s new General Secretary; Britta Lejon, new President

A highlight of the day was the acclamation of the new PSI General Secretary, Daniel Bertossa, and Britta Lejon the new PSI President.

The congress gave both a standing ovation and welcomed them to their new responsibilities while also thanking Rova Pavanelli and Dave Prentis for the work accomplished.

Danny previously served as PSI’s Assistant General Secretary. He has been with PSI for over ten years, managing policy, advocacy and governance with a focus on PSI's economic policy work in trade, tax, debt and the future of quality public services.

He grew up in Adelaide, Australia where his father worked in a state-owned power station and his mother was a public school teacher. Danny previously worked as an organiser and national officer for unions in Australia and the UK covering local government and municipal workers, health and social services, education and private sector service workers, where he lead multiple campaigns for better pay and job security, and against outsourcing and precarious work. He was Director of Policy and Strategy at the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the Government of South Australia. Prior to that, he was Ministerial Advisor for Public Sector Management, Local Government and Planning, Aboriginal Affairs and Family and Community Services.

He is a strong voice for workers in the global media, contributing union perspectives for outlets such as Le Monde, The Guardian, Poder360, EuroNews, Equal Times, The Hindu, and the International Centre for Trade Union Rights Journal.

Danny is a co-chair of the steering committee of the Independent Commission on Reform of International Corporate Tax (ICRICT), member of the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) tax Technical Committee, member of the Centre for Research on Employment and Work (CREW) advisory board at the University of Greenwich and member of the committee of the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR).

He lives in France with his wife and two kids.

PSI’s new president

Britta Lejon has served as the President of The Union of Civil Servants (ST) in Sweden from 2012 to present, advocating for the rights and well-being of civil servants. She was also president of the National and European Administration Committee of the European region of PSI, EPSU, from 2015 to 2019.

Prior to her involvement in unions and administration, Britta Lejon was the President of the Swedish Library Organization from 2004 to 2009, where she contributed to the development and accessibility of libraries in Sweden.

She also served as a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2006, where she was a part of the standing committee of Labour and the vice president of the standing committee of Justice. Her contributions in Parliament focused on labor issues and justice reforms.

From 1998 to 2002, Britta Lejon held a ministerial position in the Swedish Government, where she was responsible for Democratic Issues, Public Administration, and consumer Policies. During the Swedish Presidency of the EU in 2001, she led negotiations on transparency, resulting in the first EU legislation on the right of access to documents.

Earlier in her career, from 1994 to 1998, Britta Lejon served as the President of the civil servants in the Government offices of Sweden, showcasing her expertise in public administration. Prior to that, from 1990 to 1998, she worked as a Senior officer in the Ministry of Transport and Communication, contributing to the development of transportation policies.

Britta Lejon's career began in 1987 as an Officer at the National Board of Transport and Communication, where she gained valuable experience in the field.

Video

Congress 2023 - Day 1 wrap-up (15 October)

Panel 1 - How to put people over profit in a world of crisis?

Since the last congress, workers around the world have faced multiple crises, such as climate change, rising inequality, increasing corporate power, the continuing legacy of neo-colonialism and the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the return to austerity and growing geopolitical instability, we also see political changes such as the withdrawal from many of the toughest trade agreements, a better understanding of why public services are essential and renewed resistance to the neoliberal model of globalisation.

The first panel at the 31st PSI World Congress entitled "People over Profit in a World of Crisis" proposed to take stock of the world we live in and how we must change it. Speakers included Harris Gleckman, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Governance and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts and former Director of the New York Office of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Rafael Freire Neto, General Secretary of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), Irene Ovonji-Odida, Commissioner of the Independent Commission on Corporate Tax Reform - ICRICT, Nicoletta Dentico, Global Health Justice Officer, Society for International Development - SID and Emilia Saiz, General Secretary, United Cities and Local Governments - UCLG examined who sets the global rules, how we can effectively challenge corporate power, the role of multilateral institutions and what this means for international trade unionism, PSI and our affiliates.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has become an opportunity to show the world the importance of public services, especially municipal workers, Emilia Saiz recalled that this recognition has not yet been converted into rights. "The pandemic allowed us to know how important public services were. But that did not help us to have more investment and better conditions for health workers today," she said.

For Nicoletta Dentico, the pandemic was a sequence of political failures, where there were no innocents, "not even the UN is innocent," she said. Another major failure in terms of how the world handled the pandemic was the failure to share information, "and this contributed to a delay in responses," she said.

The global governance system was also a point of analysis for the UNCTAD researcher, who agreed that the UN system now believes that various institutions should be part of the system, including having large corporations leading forums. For Harris Gleckman, the current system does not work, so "we have to make those changes, and everyone here should be part of that, of discussing what the new global governance should look like".

Irene Ovonji-Odida, Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Corporate Tax Reform - ICRICT, former member of the East African Legislative Assembly, the global financial structure is the biggest problem. We are talking about financial flows. "This is a major problem and it is linked to the offshore system. The loopholes are used by corporations to decide where to pay or not to pay taxes and to erode the tax base of countries and public services.

What is the role of trade unionism in this context?

For Rafael Freire, there are five tasks for the trade union movement at the moment, which is to update international trade unionism and the programme of international trade unionism. "We must not follow governments and big corporations. So a class-based view must return".

"We should take a stand against imperialism and have a vision for action in the face of neo-colonialism. We need a democratic and transparent trade unionism, where all actors have a voice", he pointed out.

Panel 2 - Continued struggles of the post-Covid era

The second panel of the Congress discussed the need for industrial action in the post-Covid world. Even before the pandemic, public service workers faced intolerable conditions – low pay, staff shortages, poor workplace health and safety... The situation has deteriorated since the onset of the pandemic. But the pandemic also provided an opportunity to organise health workers, and unions continue to harness that momentum.

"The stories and strategies developed during the COVID-19 pandemic helped improve union action. These examples should be used by unions everywhere," said Lorenzo Frangi of Université du Québec à Montréal, moderating the panel.

"The stories and strategies developed during the COVID-19 pandemic helped improve union action. These examples should be used by unions everywhere"

Talking about strategies for mobilisation and advocacy, Pipsa Allen of Tehy, Finland, said that effective use of social media can help to connect union members with the general public.

Jammu Anand from Nagpur Municipal Corporation Union, India spoke about successful organising of health workers in India during Covid-19. Even though the health workers were overworked, their salaries were kept on hold for three months in Nagpur city. The union organised them and held many demonstrations. The union reached an agreement with the local governing body that even if the state or central government delayed payment, the local body would release salaries from its corpus. The corpus can be refilled when the payment is made. This win gave confidence to the workers to join the union and organise for collective bargaining. In post-pandemic times, the health workers are continuing to fight for their rights, demanding job security, pension, and social security.

Mercy Nabwire from KMPDU, Kenya shared the experience of her union. KMPDU started to see where they were lacking and how to transform organising strategy. They mapped the entire sector and found that they were using employment as a barrier. They started to organise the unemployed doctors and those who are in training. By doing so, their membership increased from 4000 to 12000. This strategy helped during strikes. Previously, the government replaced employed doctors with unemployed ones during strikes. Now they can’t do that anymore, making agitations more successful.

KMPDU also formed alliances with like-minded organisations such as People’s Health Movement. This involved engaging with citizens and explaining that doctors can provide better care when their work conditions are better. This has led to major wins, including salaries paid on time.

Addressing the perspectives of young workers, Valeria Altamirano from FENPRUSS, Chile said that the situation reflects not only shortage of health workers but also the fact that the health sector is not prioritised by governments. Unions should first talk to young workers and include them in important positions. Young workers want the eradication of precarious jobs and low salaries so that they are not forced to move to other sectors. There are crosscutting issues for youth and policy making, such as gender equality, LGBTQI+ rights, and indigenous populations rights. Unions should prioritise these matters which will help to ensure the protection of public services.

Sylvia Buhler from ver.di, Germany said that many problems existed even before Covid - but Covid made it all worse. She highlighted organising health workers and lobbying with the governments. By doing so, ver.di union was able to achieve collective agreements in a number of clinics and hospitals.

Chris Aylward from PSAC, Canada talked about out of the box thinking. During the pandemic, strikes would not have been beneficial given the ride in home working. To ensure impactful strike action, they encouraged people to leave their homes: if you strike, you show up physically. An app was developed which would show the closest picket, allowing people to check and join. The pandemic forced trade unionists to rethink outside of the box.

Unions Take the Lead on Climate Action

At a panel organised by UNISON and Vision at the PSI Congress, union leaders shared how they are engaging members on climate change and incorporating "green" demands into collective bargaining and advocacy.

Veronica Magnusson, President of Vision Sweden, discussed the union's pioneering work training "green reps" to examine climate impacts and solutions in the workplace. "We know that the members at the workplace, that they were the ones who know their solution and their situation the best," she said.

Nick Crook, of UNISON UK, explained that climate change directly affects public service workers and patients. UNISON sees climate activism as an organising opportunity to bring in more women, young, and new members.

"We are increasing our member engagement, which means we're increasing our activist base within the union," Crook noted.

In Spanish, Margarita Lopez, President of SINTRACUAVALLE Colombia, shared that climate change is not just an environmental issue but a political responsibility with severe impacts on public sector unions in Colombia and the Andean region.

Mercy Nabwire of Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) Kenya discussed the union's education programs on climate justice for members and "green reps" to drive climate action from the workplace to the national policy level.

The lively discussion underscored the urgency of addressing climate change and pursuing just transition policies, with delegates from indigenous communities and unions in Colombia, Haiti, and Japan relating lived experiences of escalating climate impacts. Participants emphasised the need for solidarity between Global North and South, questioned the inaction of governments beholden to corporate interests, and explored strategies like awareness-raising and proposals for environmental reforms. There were calls for PSI to make just transition central to its work, provide concrete support for unions, and challenge systemic drivers like capitalism that commodify nature. The session highlighted both the disproportionate climate burden borne by marginalised groups and the vital role unions can play in advocating for climate justice.

Margarita Lopez closed by reflecting on how the union meeting brought climate justice to the forefront. She noted that PSI was the first global union to advance the concept of just transition, which governments have now co-opted. Lopez argued that it's time to mainstream just transition in PSI's Program of Action and use demands on governments to multiply action and mobilise unions, grassroots groups, and civil society. We have a unique opportunity and must heed the call to care for the planet.

Congress addresses ongoing war in Israel and Palestine

After moving contributions from affiliates from across the world condemning war crimes, and attacks on civilians, the PSI Congress affirmed a resolution calling for peace and restraint. The closing section of the resolution reads:

“It is time for the international community to take its responsibility, let diplomacy work to stop the war, protect civilians, address the root causes of the Palestine/Israel conflict, including the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and demand the implementation of the UN resolutions for the right of the Palestinians to have a viable state and live in dignity, alongside a secure Israel.”

Read the full resolution.

No Pandemic Treaty without us

The World Health Organization is currently discussing a global instrument known as the Pandemic Treaty. The impetus for the instrument was to build a global consensus to prevent the repetition of mistakes committed during the pandemic - mistakes which led to avoidable deaths and suffering, especially in poor countries and marginalised communities. Unfortunately, the Pandemic Treaty negotiating draft, as it stands, doesn’t address those mistakes. Instead it perpetuates inequality and uses language favoured by Big Pharma and developed countries.

Susana Barria, Sub-Regional Secretary for the Andean Sub-Region, PSI gave the latest updates on the treaty. A big gain for the health workers is the inclusion of language on decent work and other rights. This was not included in initial drafts, but constant advocacy from unions led to this important win. However, provisions that would lead to access and availability of medicines, vaccines, and other medical tools have been removed. Provisions of access and benefit sharing are also not there. Given the WHO’s mandate to finalise the instrument by May 2024, we need to push for PSI’s position strongly.

Mercy Nabwire from KMPDU, Kenya talked about their union’s work. In East Africa, they reinvigorated a trade union network across several countries. They strategically lobbied their governments for treaty provisions and amendments to protect health workers' rights. Their proactive approach included engagement with trade union federations and government ministers. Union members were consulted to ensure their perspectives were incorporated into the treaty proposal.

Maria Fernanda Boriotti from FESPROSA, Argentina, underscored the importance of collective bargaining and direct worker participation in treaty negotiations. She stressed the need for representation in these negotiations and warned against bureaucratic processes that might hinder progress. The motto "Save workers, save lives" encapsulated the urgency of their mission.

Evi Krisnawati from FARKES, Indonesia shared her experience working on the Pandemic Treaty during the G20 meetings. Indonesia is the only South-East Asian member of the G20. The union raised points regarding local manufacturing, strengthening public health ecosystems, and ensuring equitable access to vaccines. These efforts aimed to rectify the mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic and champion the cause of the Pandemic Treaty.

People Over Profit Art Exhibit

Don’t forget to check out our art show, coordinated by Artist (and PSI member) Zita Holbourne. When you come out of the main hall go through the doors on the far right.

Video

What happens when a frontline Nurse goes to Davos to confront Pharma CEOs and billionaires? Find out in our new short film! Support the campaign for a comprehensive #TRIPSWaiver

Nurse George <br>vs<br> The Davos Elite

This Congress wrap-up newsletter was produced by:

Trimita Chakma, Jyotsna Singh, Mayra Castro, Carlos Verdugo Ortega, Nayareth Quevedo, Leo Hyde, Bojan Kanižaj, Caroline Taleb, Sarah Bittel, Marko Janžić, Marcelo Netto, Jamie Caldwell, Pablo Sanchez Centellas, Chloe Kenny.

Check out all of PSI’s Key publications here

Access all the powerpoint slides from speakers here

Watch our Behind The Mask Interactive Documentary here

See all the official Congress photos here

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Consultez toutes les publications clés de l'ISP ici

Accédez à toutes les diapositives des orateurs ici

Regardez notre documentaire interactif "Behind The Mask" ici

Voir toutes les photos officielles du Congrès ici

Consulte todas las publicaciones clave de la ISP aquí

Acceda a todas las diapositivas de los ponentes aquí

Vea nuestro documental interactivo Behind The Mask aquí