Services for trade unions

For more than 30 years the ESSU (continuing the work of the Centre for Public Services) has worked with trade unions and others in the labour movement to protect and advance the interests of working people. During the 1970s CPS worked with a wide range of tenants and community organisations in regeneration areas, housing campaigns and trades councils. We also worked closely with national and local trade union campaigns opposed to public spending cuts. During the 1980s and early 1990s CPS worked with trade unions and public bodies to oppose Compulsory Competitive Tendering, service transfers and externalisation and to help to keep jobs and services in-house. Since New Labour came to power, CPS has worked hard to promote a progressive vision of Best Value and alternatives to modernisation by marketisation and privatisation.

We have worked in partnership with trade unions at a national, regional and local level including UNISON, GMB, AMICUS (MSF and AEEU), FBU, T&G, AMO and the Prison Officers Union.

Examples of our services to trade unions are:

• Research, analysis and evaluation of PFI, PPP and other schemes and projects.
• Developing successful alternatives to transfer, externalisation and privatisation of a wide range of services including residential care, street lighting, customer, back office and IT related services and waste management.
• Developing alternative visions for the modernisation of social care and other services.
• Promoting the involvement of staff in change management and modernisation.
• Producing toolkits and detailed advice on trade union strategy and campaigns.
• Training and capacity bulding for members and activists.
• Developing and writing a wide range of reports and publications in support of alternatives to modernisation by privatisation, externalisation and cuts. See our publications section for details.
• Employee and member surveys to highlight grievances and issues to management.

See our list of services for more information or contact us to see how we can help you protect your members and work to improve services in a progressive way.