International

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has launched a petition on the Internet against the liberalisation of public services and in favour of maintaining an accessible and high quality public sector. The SP supports the action and calls on everyone to do the same.

In common with the SP, ETUC rejects the introduction of market working in sectors such as public transport, essential services, home helps, education and health care. The SP is calling for support for this action against the neoliberal plans of the European Commission, a body determined to commercialise as many public services as possible.

Profitability rather than quality is given ever more importance. The liberalisations of the last few years have already made it clear what damaging consequences this fixation on profits has, for example in health care, the energy market and public transport. Market working in the public sector produces only losers, the sole exceptions being the handful of shareholders and big earners at the top of the liberalised organisations. Quality takes a back seat, prices and fares rise, the position of employees deteriorates and the public gains nothing. It is therefore extremely important to offer a powerful counterweight to the continual pressure from neoliberal politicians to sell off more and more public services.

You can add your voice to this resistance by supporting this ETUC action. http://www.petitionpublicservice.eu/spip.php?article2