The Regional Health Sector Meeting brought together affiliates of Public Services International (PSI) representing health workers in Inter-America. Guided by an intense work agenda, union representatives from countries in all sub-regions participated in the event that marked the strengthening and consolidation of the regional group of health workers.

"We know that governments talk to each other and that they use what works in one jurisdiction and apply it in all the others. The problem is that we have not been as coordinated, so with this federation we have an opportunity now to coordinate amongst the Americas, on what was successful in Canada, what was successful in Mexico, what was successful in the South and to develop collective strategies", said Jason MacLean of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), Canada.

This sectoral coordination was created two years ago with the participation of PSI affiliates in Inter-America to articulate common actions to address the challenges facing the sector, such as privatization, job insecurity, lack of skilled workers, migration in the sector, violence in the workplace and lack of public investment.

During the meeting in São Paulo, the leaders emphasized the importance of regionally coordinated trade union action, in addition to approving the federation's rules, which are in accordance with PSI's constitution. A renewed coordination group that will guarantee that the work continues between meetings was also selected.

Fabio Melo, president of SINTRAESTATALES, Colombia, and one of the group's coordinators, said that the meeting is a response to the common challenges faced by health workers. "We want to respond to the problems of workers with a structure that can influence the international context to solve the difficulties of the different sub-regions of Inter-America."

Debates and conclusions of the meeting

The agenda of the meeting included debates on the impact of neoliberal reforms on health, the challenges for union organizing in contexts of crisis, the role of care work as a universal human right, and the need to promote a feminist and intersectional perspective on health.

A highlight of the event was the participation of Rebeca Cruz, consultant to the Pan American Health Organization of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), who detailed how the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) - a standardized WHO system for the collection, analysis and presentation of workforce data in the health sector in each country - can be used by PSI affiliates to develop strategy at the policy level and at the bargaining table.

Also on the first day of the meeting, Pedro Villardi, PSI Global Coordinator for Health Equity, presented the Global Pact for Health and Care Workers, an advocacy tool promoted by the WHO to ensure that health and care professionals receive the recognition, respect and support they need to perform their duties safely and effectively. Although it is not a binding instrument, Villardi stressed that "it should be used as an advocacy tool to ensure these fundamental rights".

Both workshops were held as part of the formal collaboration agreement between WHO and PSI. PSI is the only global union federation with official relations with the WHO, which has made it possible to formalize this alliance to promote the aforementioned instruments: the National Health Workforce Accounts and the Global Compact.

Participants shared and analyzed successful experiences of struggle and collective bargaining and proposed new strategies for regional articulation. Solange Caetano, president of the National Federation of Nurses of Brazil, emphasized that the meeting provided an opportunity to develop a joint action plan. "This meeting is an extremely important moment for the construction of joint policies, in order to agree on strategies and actions that defend public health and workers in the region," said Caetano.

Finally, a proposal for the federation's work plan for the next period was approved, which includes the promotion of campaigns for the public financing of health care, the improvement of working conditions and salaries, and union training with a gender focus.