http://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Blogs/Resurrection-of-public-water-utilities/
From October 29 to November 4, the city of Amsterdam will host the first International Water Week in the Netherlands (IWW). One of the conferences that was organized during the week of the event is the conference Water Operators’ Partnerships.

This article was written for the workshop on 'Participation in WOPs: Why and How to do it' in the WOPs conference Each One Teach One (2nd November 2011) during the Amsterdam International Water Week.

Stockholm World Water Week of this year took place from August 21st to 27th.
Visit the blog on Water justice reports from Stockholm World Water Week
http://worldwaterweek.blogspot.com/

A people’s victory in Italy!
A resounding NO to water privatization, nuclear energy, and impunity for politicians

Pambazuka (the pan-African newsletter) has released a special issue on WATER AND PRIVATISATION IN AFRICA. Pambazuka prepared this special issue in cooperation with RITIMO and Transnational Institute.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/issue/533

On June 6, 2011, NGOs and the community protested in the city hall of Jakarta, demanding the governor to terminate Jakarta water privatization.

They warned that the privatization has been bringing Jakarta water company into severe losses and big debt. The private companies also fail to meet the target that the citizens of Jakarta cannot enjoy a reliable, easy, and affordable piped-water service.

Involved in the demonstration were the community, NGOs that concern on Jakarta water issue, and the Jakarta water labor union. This was the first time for the labor union to affiliate with other groups in their effort to push the policy makers to remunicipalise the water service. The protesters orated, did performance art, and held banners of their demands. They can’t wait the termination of Jakarta water until 2022.

The representation of the protesters also met with the officers of Jakarta government to submit the petition on terminating Jakarta water privatization and also to deliver the protesters’ demands. However, the protesters still attempt to meet the governor face to face, as well as to hold similar demonstrations. The International Petitions was signed by 90 Indonesian and international organisations and 592 Indonesian individuals. The protest was organized by JRMK, Kruha, SP Jabodetabek, SP PDAM, Walhi, LBH Jakarta, FPPI and SBMI.

This paper reports the issues occur to workers in the middle of Jakarta water privatization. There are at least three major issues. First, and the most problematic, is the workers’ status. The cooperation agreement seems intentionally left this problem into confusion and contradiction with other regulations, that now thousands of workers’ status is not clear whether working for the water utility or the concessionaires. Second, the basic salary of seconded employees that is too low and does not increase as regulated. Third, the peculiar pension policy that harms the retired workers’ financial security.

9:35 minutes
April 2011
Produced by Amrta Institute(Indonesia), support with Reclaiming Public Water Network

PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) entered Jakarta water service as a private partner when the water utility PAM Jaya privatized its water service in 1997. It is now owned by a multinational corporation Suez Environment, Astratel, and Citigroup. Since then, Palyja has a sole right to serve the west part of Jakarta. More than a decade after that, it’s not hard to see that Jakarta water service is not getting better as it was expected when the privatization undertaken. This short film includes several testimonies from South, West and North Jakarta districts. Listen to residences' voices: 'Water does not flow but bills keep coming', 'we would buy water but would not be able to afford rice'.

http://www.tni.org/multimedia/video-through-empty-tap-water-privatisation-jakarta

Italy has seen a very long and articulated process of democratic participation which has made possible a nation-wide referendum on crucial issues for the country. On the 12th and 13th of June Italian electors will be called to vote for a referendum consisting of four demands.