1. Defending universally-accessible quality public services:
a central challenge for municipal workers unions
La defensa de los servicios publicos de calidad para todos:
un desafio central para los sindicatos de empleados municipales
Jorge R. Mancillas
Health and Municipal Services Officer
Responsable de salud y municipales
Oslo, Norway
26 November, 2008

2. Public services improved quality and length of life
For the last 100 years, unions and political organizations of workers
Fought for and improved key determinants of health:
Better incomes & better living and working conditions
Fought for public services: health, water, sanitation, education...
Result: Improvements in Life Expectancy and quality of life

3. IMF index - Indice del FMI
EXPANSION OF PRIVATE
SECTOR DOMINANCE
EXPANSION DEL DOMINIO
POR EL SECTOR PRIVADO
1975
2002
IMF index - Indice del FMI
“Economic freedom” available to private companies
“Libertad economica” ejercida por empresas
GRIS no datos o NO PS - Sector privado
1 = Weak PS - Sector privado debil
7 = Strong PS - Sector privado fuerte

4. Political & economic transitions
Military coups
Fall USSR
Financial tools
Lending>debt crisis
Tax cuts
Budget deficits

5. 1970s Political & economic transitions
coups
chile
Military coups
Financial tools
Lending>debt crisis
Tax cuts
Budget deficits

6. 1980s political & economic transitionsUS UK
ThatcherReagan
Financial tools
Lending>debt crisis
Tax cuts
Budget deficits

7. 1990s political & economic transitions
Fall USSR
Financial tools
Lending>debt crisis
Tax cuts
Budget deficits

8. 2000s political & economic transitions
Fall USSR
Financial tools
Lending>debt crisis
Tax cuts
Budget deficits

9. Progression of reforms
Pressure on Public services
DEVELOPED
Tax cuts Budget deficits
DEVELOPING
Structural adjustment reforms
Plus military coups or war > weak states
Reduced public spending
Staff cuts – service cuts
Public services deteriorate
Decentralization
Privatization by stealth:
Outsourcing & Contracting out
Public-private partnerships
Private financing initiatives
Direct privatization
Sale or issue of shares in public
Company (telecom, utilities)
Increased private sector dominance of economy

10. Impact on workers 1. Loss of public sector jobs
2. Worsening of employment conditions:
Increase in short-term, part-time employment
Lower wages
Loss of benefits
3. Worsening of working conditions:
Larger workloads
Greater workplace hazards

11. Consequences of commercialization
Public services:
basic rights commodities for sale
1. Decreased access to public services
2. Generalized deterioration in quality of services
3. Increases in costs
4. Reduced democratic accountability
Access to and quality of public services received
depend on economic status, increasing inequalities

12. INCREASE IN INEQUALITY
Survey of 59 countries Source: World Bank staff calculations

13. Global economic crisis: challenges and opportunities
OPPORTUNITY: Push for growth of public sector
The crisis exposes the structural flaws of the private sector, its limitations and failures.
Opportunity to explain private sector limitations and offer alternatives
b) Public investment in publicly owned services and infrastructure to promote growth in a way that ensures public accountability and pursuit of social goals
CHALLENGE: The crisis puts public services at further risk
Renewed push to cut public services due to resources devoted to financial rescue and decreased revenues due to reduced tax base
Argument that crisis broke because “structural reforms” were not complete

14. Goals of this meeting ANALYSIS:
1) Develop an updated global picture of the policies and strategies being used to promote privatization, the form they take in each sub-region, and the forces behind them.
STRATEGY:
2) Share experiences (positive and negative) with the host of strategies that unions have pursued to deal with the many aspects of privatization.
3) Identify concrete steps we can pursue nationally, regionally and globally to better respond to the challenge of privatization/marketization of municipal services.
4) Develop teams and networks to better organize effective responses and to advance in the achievement of quality municipal services.

15. Plan for this meeting: Develop a clear picture of trends and actors
a) Outcomes of 30 years experience - Warner
Factors influencing decisions on private or public
b) Forces behind privatization - Hall
GROUP DISCUSSION: identify targets for our efforts & means to influence them
2. Develop a picture of successful union strategies
a) Political actions - Sternatz
b) Alliances with communities/users of services - Tokumo
c) Union alternatives for reform of Municipal services - Butcher
GROUP DISCUSSION: identify universal elements of successful strategies
The WIN strategy: example of a systematic approach
3. Global activities and how we organize to pursue them
GROUP DISCUSSION: specific global targets and activities to impact them
development of teams and networks

16. 100 years of difference PSI
Founded by ,000 members 20 million members
Delegates 6 countries 161 countries

17. Dr. Jorge R. Mancillas
(+33)