Right now we are seeing a shift from neoliberal contempt for the state towards an authoritarian weaponization of it. This is a fundamental difference in scale, purpose and danger that represents a new and existential threat to democracy, public services and unions. A shift we must understand and respond to. 

The attacks on public services, workers and our unions by authoritarians and billionaires around the world are unprecedented. And there is a reason they are coming after us. An empowered judge can overturn unconstitutional power grabs. A committed nurse heals those who are in need - not those who can pay the most. An independent aviation regulator puts saving lives over cutting costs. An uncowered labour inspector can stop corporations from firing workers for unionising. And an inspirational teacher can equip generations of students with the critical skills to see through the lies. 

Authoritarians come after those who provide public services because we’re the last line of defense between democracy and oligarchy. And they know that public services delivered universally and for people - not for profit - demonstrate that another world is possible. 

Every day that workers provide public services is an act of defiance against those who want market fundamentalism or an authoritarian state.

Every day that workers provide public services is an act of defiance against those who want market fundamentalism or an authoritarian state. When we deliver healthcare, education, and essential services to all citizens regardless of their wealth or status, we are building a world based on solidarity and equality rather than profit, extraction and exploitation. And our unions, who represent the millions of workers who provide those services, protect them. 

That’s why we see public service workers increasingly mobilizing and preparing to stand in the way of attempts to use the civil service to attack communities. Public service unions are showing that hope is not lost and that we must out-organise our adversaries. It is becoming clear that doing nothing is no longer an option.

Around the world, where we see unions fighting back, workers are responding by rejecting the fear-mongering and false promises of the far right. When we fight back we provide a vehicle for popular anger and a movement to be part of that provides hope for change. We undermine the powerlessness that drives fear and hate, and the search for scapegoats and strongmen leaders. 

When we fight back, we win.

Like in Kenya, where the Government tried to trample health workers' rights and privatise the health sector. Doctors and their unions knew that this would make public health services worse - for patients and for staff - and organized peaceful protests demanding their collective agreement be upheld. When they were met with violence, and their General Secretary Dr Davji Attelah was shot in the head by police, they did not back down but instead came out in force, with even larger protests, wider support and anger at the government's actions. The government had no choice but to implement the agreement and come to the bargaining table for further talks.

Or in South Korea, where the President launched an authoritarian power grab and declared martial law to shut down the independent civil service and bring in the military to stifle opposition. Public service workers and the Korean union movement immediately marched on parliament to defend democracy from the troops - overturning the coup in a matter of hours. 

Around the world, unions are putting public services on the political agenda —not through polite lobbying, but through raw power.

Or in Pakistan, where Community Health Workers provide vital frontline care for tens of millions of people for decades without official recognition as public workers. When patronised by government this all-women workforce demanded union recognition, and organised thousands of low-paid, precarious workers - showing their united strength through sit-ins and marches on parliament. They secured recognition, massive pay increases and last year launched their first national union federation. They fought back. And they won.

Around the world, unions are putting public services on the political agenda —not through polite lobbying, but through raw power. Both in the streets and at the ballot box. Demanding that our foes - and our friends - take decisive action. 

In Australia, unions helped the Labor Party win re-election and fought back corporate lobbyists to secure world-leading legislation which will boost public funding by forcing corporations to globally reveal their tax arrangements. In Brazil, unions resisted an attempted coup launched by Bolsonaro and propelled Lula back into power. And in the USA, unions have become the de facto opposition, standing in the way of Trump and his militarized attacks on workplaces and migrant workers.

At the global level, the forces of capital are seeking to break free from all restraints, uniting with authoritarians to defund and undermine the international institutions which could regulate them. PSI and our members within the United Nations are fighting back to win a fairer international order where workers are put first. We have stopped deregulatory trade deals like the Trade In Services Agreement (TiSA), won new international labour conventions and a WHO Pandemic Treaty which protects hundreds of millions of workers, secured a new global minimum corporate tax and the launch of tax convention talks at the United Nations.  

At the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, James Baldwin wrote that "Despair is a dead-end for the soul; it blinds us to the possibilities of change." We must not let the dizzying nature of the right wing’s attacks lead us to despair or distract us from the task at hand.

We must organize like never before. To build the movement which can overcome their division and hate with our unity and our hope. To stand up for public services which are the lifeline for billions of people around the world

The hour is late and the threat is real. As American labour leader Dolores Huerta once said, “it’s time to get off the sidewalk and into the streets.”