European trade unions warn in Sarajevo against corporate takeover of public services

At an EPSU pan-European conference in Sarajevo, European governments were urged to build international coalitions against corporate takeovers by companies such as Palantir by developing and sharing alternative technological solutions.

Samir Kurtovic, president of the Independent Trade Union of Civil Servants and Employees in State Administration Bodies, the Judiciary and Public Institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the Alliance of Independent Trade Unions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the conference was attended by 40 presidents of sectoral trade unions from EU countries, who had opened a dialogue aimed at improving workers' rights.

He described the event as very successful, saying that agreements had been reached on certain issues, with a focus on improving conditions for prison police officers, judicial police officers, firefighters, government administration bodies and public institutions.

Pablo Sanchez Centellas, EPSU representative for local and regional government, public services and firefighters, said that more than 120 organizations and trade unions from across Europe had issued a joint call to governments and the European Commission to cancel all existing public-sector contracts with US technology company Palantir and permanently ban the company from future public contracts.

He added that alternative data solutions compatible with public services needed to be developed and transparent mechanisms established to protect people from mass surveillance.

Centellas warned that greater investment in public services and more staff were needed, as it was evident that an increasing number of countries had fewer and fewer firefighters and public service workers.

Ann Georgsson, the new EPSU president for local and regional government (LRG) from the Swedish Kommunal trade union, announced that efforts would continue to fight for better working conditions, better working environments and more collective agreements.

She expressed hope that all EPSU-affiliated trade unions would make significant progress in these areas.

EPSU is the largest federation within the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), representing eight million public service workers across Europe.