Public Services International The global union federation of workers in public services

National Administration workers make our public services a reality. They develop and implement key policies on health, security, jobs, education, public finance, energy and a range of other key sectors. Our governments need their independent, ethical policy advice. Public servants must be free from political interference, with a strong culture of independence and commitment to service.

But decades of austerity designed to starve the public sector of sufficient resources, combined with propaganda about the superior efficiency of the private sector, have eroded some of the core pillars of public administration.

The Big Four accounting firms employ over 900,000 people – nearly twice the number of all tax department employees in every EU country combined.

Increasingly, policy development is outsourced to big consultancy firms which have a financial interest in the outcomes and whose employees revolve between senior public service, government and business.

The hollowing out of public administration invites corruption, policy capture by business, and service capture by contractors. Privatisation and outsourcing result in the loss of core skills and democratic oversight. Falling wages, insufficient training and precarious employment exacerbate these trends.

Public Administration: a key check on Government

We must demand tenured employment to protect from political interference, vested interest, policy capture and corruption. Staff must be well trained to provide excellent advice and service, with adequate remuneration to attract and retain good staff and avoid the incentives for corruption.

We need a diverse workforce that reflects the values and aspirations of the community it serves. Sufficient resources, strong anti-corruption policies, whistleblower protection and enforced legal protections are needed to ensure that public servants can exercise their right to organise and bargain collectively.

Civil servants in the central government, ministries, secretaries, national assemblies, judiciary and the police, are at the heart of an intricate network that is crucial for the wellbeing of millions of people in every country.

International Civil Servants

International civil servants are vital for global governance; their job is to make human rights a reality for all. They include UN and International Organization staff, peacekeepers, as well as consultants, interns, and volunteers.

Despite their exposure to significant risk, these workers lack basic workplace rights, including collective bargaining.

Many of them serve in some of the most dangerous conditions in the world including theatres of war, peace-keeping operations, natural disasters, epidemic emergencies and relieving people of famine.

Despite their exposure to significant risk, these workers lack basic workplace rights, including collective bargaining. They are often unable to access justice or workplace dispute mechanisms and face increasing uncertainty concerning contractual status, benefits and jurisdictional uncertainty.

This has an adverse impact on the vital work that these dedicated International Civil Servants need to perform. Through our affiliated unions and staff councils within the UN system, we fight for the rights of these workers to unionise, bargain collectively and improve their ability to respond to the world's greatest challenges.