PSI leads the way towards Public Systems of Care in the Americas

Within the framework of the Inter-American Regional Conference of Public Services International (PSI) and thanks to the sponsorship of the FORSA project, the Regional Meeting of Care Workers was held on November 15 in Bogota, Colombia, where union leaders from 11 countries in the region met to develop strategies to strengthen unionization and improve working conditions in the care sector in this part of the world.

Among the topics discussed at the meeting were the importance of creating representative unions that can guarantee collective bargaining agreements, the impact of privatization on working conditions and the presentation of success stories in the construction of public care systems. The activity concluded with the goal of building a road map to improve advocacy and working conditions for those working in this sector.

PSI, through its women's committees, has been a pioneer in the struggle for social care, positioning itself as a global leader on two essential fronts: political, working for laws that recognize care as a human right, and labor, advocating for decent conditions for those working in this key sector. This dual approach has made it possible not only to influence the debate on the creation of public care systems on the continent, but also to include this issue on the global agenda as a public and universal good.

"The importance of guaranteeing public care systems goes beyond the provision of the service; it is about ensuring that all people, at some point in their lives, can access dignified and accessible care," said Huma Haq, PSI care social services organizer and moderator of the main panel.

Speakers included Nayeli Fernandez, social welfare secretary of the National Union of Social Security Workers (SNTSS) in Mexico, and Camila Miranda, a researcher with Nodo XXI in Chile. Both offered unique perspectives on the urgency of building strong unions and the devastating impact of privatization in the care sector.

The region faces structural challenges that hinder the development of public care systems. According to Camila Miranda, "privatization dominates the provision of care services, creating tensions between private profit and the guarantee of decent work". In addition, the growing "uberization" of the sector through digital platforms has made working conditions even more precarious, affecting both the workers and the people who require care. This was evidenced by her presentation of the results of the study on The Care Actors in Latin America, which she has developed together with PSI.

Nayeli Fernández, for her part, stressed the importance of rewarding and incorporating decent work in the debate on national care systems, as well as the organization of these workers. "Unionization is the most powerful tool to guarantee decent working conditions and strengthen the voice of care workers. Without strong unions, we cannot move towards public systems that recognize care as a human right."

A highlight of the meeting was the discussion of Argentina's progress in bringing social care before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). This effort, supported by PSI, seeks to have care recognized as a human right, establishing the co-responsibility of the State in its provision. This process not only has legal implications, but also transforms the way in which care is conceived and organized in Latin America.

The meeting concluded with a concrete commitment: to develop a regional strategy to organize care workers and prepare them to respond immediately to the outcome of the advisory opinion of the IACHR Court, as a measure of political impact and legitimization of PSI as the global union representing care workers in public services. In addition, it was agreed to advance in the training of women union leaders and the building of strategic alliances with social movements to strengthen the global movement for care.

"PSI reaffirms its global leadership in building public care systems. We promote a model that guarantees social justice, gender equity and decent work for all workers in the sector," concluded Huma Haq.