PSI charts new strategies to confront privatisation policy

• Re-elects President, General Secretary

The Public Service International (PSI) has developed a five-year plan to confront implementation of privatisation policy in developing countries of the world.

Speaking to The Guardian at the just-concluded 30th world congress in Geneva, Switzerland, President of PSI African region, Peters Adeyemi, explained that the fight against privatisation policy across the world would be prioritised under PSI Programme of Action (PoA) for the next five years.

“The meeting reviewed what has been done in the past five years on privatisation and has mapped out new strategies to confront it in our five years programmes of action that have been endorsed by the congress.

“This new thinking by our governments across the globe that government has no business in business is not in the best interest of the working people as well as the mass of the people.

“In PSI, and indeed the entire labour movement, we believe that government has business in business and where it is not participating directly, it should put in place guidelines to ensure that the people are not short-changed in the provision of goods and services,” he said.

Adeyemi stated that the victories that have been achieved in recent years would be used as a basis for the strengthening of PSI struggles against privatization programmes across the world.He noted that PSI would also confront tax justice, especially in Africa, which loses about $50 billion annually through unnecessary tax holidays and exceptions.

“Of course, we know that the issue of tax justice is not entirely an African problem as revealed in the Panama papers that detailed how eminent personalities across the globe evade taxes in their countries. PSI will work assiduously to ensure that there is equitable tax justice across the world,” he added.

Adeyemi, who is also deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), hinted that the PSI Africa region would raise the issue of non-payment of salaries by the Nigerian government through a presentation of an emergency resolution, saying,

“This penchant for not paying salaries is a new development that must be confronted.”Though resources from the donor community are thinning out due to the global economic recession, Adeyemi hinted that there are a new commitment on the part of PSI to devout more resources to the training and re-training of trade union leaders through projects in Africa for the struggle ahead.

Adeyemi stressed the need for the African trade union movement to unite against bad governance in Africa that has stunted her economic growth.The 30th world congress re-elected Rosa Pavanelli as the General Secretary while Dave Prentis was also returned as President.