President Sert discussed our Union’s membership process with EPSU General Secretary

Mr. Devlet Sert, President of the Öz Sağlık-İş Health and Social Services Union and Vice-President of the HAK-İŞ Trade Union Confederation, met with representatives of EPSU, the umbrella organization of the European public services trade union movement as a part of his contiuning working visit programme in Europe.

Our Union President, Mr. Devlet Sert, discussed our Union’s membership process to EPSU/PSI with Mr. Jan Willem Goudriaan, General Secretary of the European Federation of Public Services Unions (EPSU) and other officials in Brussels, capital city of Belgium, on June 09th, 2026.  

Our Union President Mr. Sert met with Mr. Jan Willem Goudrian, the EPSU General Secretary and other officials, at the EPSU head office for a comprehensive discussion by focusing on the development of international trade union cooperation, particularly our union’s ongoing membership process to EPSU/PSI.

Our Union Delegation contained Mr. Devlet Sert that is President of the Öz Sağlık-İş Health and Social Services Union and Vice-President of the HAK-İŞ Trade Union Confederation together with Mr. Muhammet Esat Eyvaz, Vice-President for Financial Issues, Mr. Fadlı Erdem, General Secretary, Mr. İlyas Şeker, Chief Legal Advisor, Mr. Uğur Müftüoğlu, International Relations Coordinator, Mr. Mehmet Selim Ahi, Advocate of our Union.  

MR. SERT: GLOBAL REPRESENTATION OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES WORKERS SHOULD NOT BE DELAYED MORE

By recalling that our delegation had a productive meeting with Mr. Daniel Bertossa that is PSI General Secretary within the scope of the ILO’s Annual Conference in Geneva, Mr. Sert shared detailed information about our union’s strong organisational structure, high representation capacity as well as our/its contributions into the national and global labour struggle with Mr. Jan Willem Goudrian, the EPSU General Secretary and other officials.

During the meeting, our union’s long-running membership process to EPSU/PSI was mutually reviewed, and the importance of strong representation of health and social service workers in international trade union solidarity networks were emphasized.

Mr. Sert stated that solidarity, inclusivity, and a common understanding of struggle were at the core of international trade union organisations, and that the successful completion of our union’s membership application to EPSU/PSI, which has been pending for years, would be a significant achievement for both health and social service workers in Türkiye and the global trade union movement.

MR. SERT: A STRONGER SOLIDARITY IS POSSIBLE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COMMON VALUES

During the meeting between our Union President and the EPSU General Secretary, discussions also focused on the problems faced by healthcare and social service workers globally, current developments in working life, and alternative methods to strengthen international trade union solidarity.

In this sense, Mr. Sert emphasized that the common problems facing the global labour movement could only be overcomed through stronger solidarity and common understanding by stressing that constructive relationships developed internationally would significantly contribute to protecting the rights, freedoms and gains of workers.

EPSU GENERAL SECRETARY: WE VALUE STRENGTHENING THE LABOUR STRUGGLE

In the scope of the discussions, EPSU General Secretary Goudriaan stated that they valued the efforts to strengthen the organised struggle of health and social service workers globally by attaching great importance to developing mutual dialogue cooperation with our union.

NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD IN TÜRKİYE 
During the meeting, where future cooperation efforts were also discussed and the parties agreed that the next meeting would be held in Türkiye.

In brief,  the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) represents 8 million public service workers across Europe by being the strong trade union voice that workers need, whether that’s with employers, the European Parliament, the Commission or national governments. EPSU is the European region of the global public services federation PSI (Public Services International) and is also a member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).  EPSU works hard to deliver better working conditions, improved health and safety and enhanced rights for our members. By sitting down with employers at a European level, EPSU negotiates best practice agreements that improve the working lives of public service workers and ensure quality services for citizens. EPSU brings together trade unions from across Europe by influencing the policies and decisions of employers, governments and European institutions that affect public service workers, their families and communities by mobilising for action and change and are committed to achieving another, social Europe. For further information, you may visit this web site: https://www.epsu.org/about-us