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Public sector pay and procurement strategies during austerity Conference Manchester Business School and EC Panel: Perspectives from European social partners & policy experts. Key documents: http:// www.epsu.org/a/725. EPSU- European Federation of Public Service Unions .
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Public sector pay and procurement strategies during austerityConference Manchester Business School and ECPanel: Perspectives from European social partners & policy experts Key documents: http://www.epsu.org/a/725
EPSU- European Federation of Public Service Unions • 8 million members, 68% of whom are women, in more than 275 trade unions in 49 countries • Organises in health and social services, local and regional government, national and European administration and utilities (energy, water, waste) • social partner in 5 sectoralsocial dialogue committees – • hospitals, • electricity, • gas, • local and regional government • central government administrations • Member of ETUC, involved in cross sectoral social dialogue • member of PSI – Public Services International
EU 20/20 strategy supposed to be “ smart, sustainable, inclusive growth” but coordinated Eusterity that has led to recession • Public sector workers – “the wrong target” • Can’t dissociate quality of employment from quality of services • Lack of planning, transparency and impact assessment in “reforms” (cuts and restructuring) • Impact on gender equality • Breakdown of social dialogue incl. collective bargaining at national level , increase of low pay, undermining of public sector as a good employer • Role of EU institutions and/or Troika, implications of economic governance for public sector wages and other working conditions • Trade union actions and alternative policies • Exposing the scale and consequences of cuts for workers and citizens • Promoting alternative economics and policies • Role of EU sectoral social dialogue including collective bargaining Key points
Social partners in central, local and regional governments • EPSU-led TUNED and EUPAE in central government social dialogue committee (CGA) set up in December 2010 • EPSU and CEMR in local and regional government (LRG) social dialogue committee set up in 2004 • Statements on the crisis to EU institutions incl. importance of sustainable public funding • Response to EC Green Paper on restructuring, March 2012 • Critical of lack of social dialogue, focus on consequences of restructuringincluding impact on gender equality • more difficult to agree on nature of change • Image and attractivity of central government administrations – agreement on values of public services, serving the general interest and trade union rights • Role of collective bargaining in EU economic governance?