Home page > Public Utilities

Public Utilities

The European Federation of Public Service Unions has a very active membership in the utilities sector. EPSU represents workers in public and private companies in the electricity, gas, water and sewerage and waste sectors. The President of the EPSU standing committee for Public Utilities is Sven Bergelin. The EPSU policy officer is Jan Willem Goudriaan.

Find out who is your EPSU representative for public utilities here

What are the main issues for EPSU ?

A secure supply of energy, clean water, and sustainable waste management are basic needs for each individual in society. The users of these rights must be confident that their needs are being met; that they are provided for in fair and environmentally responsible manner at a just price. The best way of ensuring this is through public control, and even ownership, of the utilities and proper regulation – regulation of those private and public utilities that supply these needs,

Find out more on introduction to public utilities

Please read our positions on energy issues and our Press releases.

Campaigns

Safe and Clean Drinking Water EPSU is concerned about proposals of the European Commission to introduce competition in the Water Sector.

Research and Transnational Companies

Much of EPSU’s work in this area is available through the website of Public Services International Research Unit, section: reports.


Smart grids, bargaining developments and global warming policies

(2 March 2010) The utilities sector is continuing to experience change and restructuring. The unions met to consider a number of these developments.
Some are related to new technologies such as smart meters and smart grids. The contributions of EPSU to the regulators were discussed. The experience of unions with smart meters is diverse. The position on the consultation of the regulators on smart grids will be further considered at the EPSU workshop on this issue 11 March.
Others are (...)

32nd Meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Utilities

Letter of protest to Mexican government – support for Mexican electricians union

(16 November 2009)
Update: National protest in support of union
http://www.labornotes.org/2009/11/national-work-stoppage-demands-reversal-mexican-power-takeover
(16 october 2009) The Mexican government sent its troops after the electricity trade union SME in Mexico. It dismissed 45000 workers ! EPSU has sent a letter of protest to the government and many affiliated unions have done also.
For background on the conflict: www.world-psi.org or http://www.inteldaily.com or the website (...)

Public Utilities Standing Committee Report 29 September

(30 September 2009) The members of the Public Utilities Standing Committee considered the proposed action plan based on the resolution adopted at the 8th EPSU Congress, in June. Intense and lively discussions took place on different aspects of the proposals. The European sector conference for the utilities, climate change, social dialogue in the water sector and health and safety issues in the waste sector triggered important debates in particular. With several suggestions, the action plan (...)

31st meeting of the EPSU Standing Committee on Public Utilities

EPSU 8th Congress Briefing - Public Utilities

The Public Utilities section of our congress will focus on:
Item 16) Resolution R.7 “Public Utilities” – introduced by Sven Bergelin (pictured), chair of the EPSU Public Utilities Committee - sets out the principles & objectives that EPSU affiliates commit to in relation to public utilities including: affordability, accessibility, high quality, preferably under public ownership and control; mainstreaming of climate change in EU legislation and policy; rejection of continued liberalization of (...)

Ukrainian union sounds alarm over deteriorating state of municipal utilities and housing

The state of the municipal utilities and housing sector is rapidly deteriorating and is becoming a break on economic growth, threatens the welfare of citizens and risks throwing the country backwards. The Ukrainian municipal services union has issued a report that details this dire state of affairs. ¼ of the city population lives in houses which are not fit to dwell in any more. Water pipes leak losing up to 80% of water and in many cities the water quality is very poor. 1/3 of the network (...)

Transnational agreements, financial crisis and company profits dominate 30th Standing Committee

(18 May 2009) Trade union representatives reported on the economic and financial crisis and how that affects the energy and waste sector in particular. Declining electricity consumption and less waste affect all companies. Companies are delaying payment of their utility bills. Jobs losses, outsourcing, pay freezes and increased unemployment were reported from all countries. Mistrust in banks, attacks on pensions funds are widespread, but so are protests of workers with mass demonstrations (...)

Just transition programs to accompany emission trading schemes says EPSU

(23 October 2008, Brussels) Energy and other unions discussed the consequences of the energy and climate change package proposed by the European Commission. One of the core proposals concerns the revision of the Emission Trading Scheme. The Commission has proposed full auctioning of emission rights for the electricity sector. This will have different impacts on the EU Member States depending also on their fuel mix. The social consequences can be positive as well as negative, and it can (...)

29th EPSU Standing Committee on Public Utilities

0 | 10 | 20 | 30


ERROR:This page doesn't exist