The General President of the Mauritius government employees’ union SEF/GSEA, Radhakrisna Sadien, has written an open letter to the Mauritius Prime Minister urging the government to take appropriate measures to protect workers and their families with a view to prevent its propagation in the Republic of Mauritius.
Read the letter • 18 April update on Covid 19 in Mauritius
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives and that of the workers in our sectors, with new risks and fears not only for health and safety but for our overall wellbeing and that of our families and communities. Given that the pandemic is affecting all workers worldwide, including building and construction workers and wood and forestry workers, our work as a Global Union to be united has never been as relevant as it is today. International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) is on Tuesday 28th of April 2020 and the BWI will campaign theme is year is “Protect Workers! Stop COVID-19” We encourage all affiliates to incorporate our theme in your respective campaigns so that your members can be part of the global campaign.
There are other serious health and safety issues continue to be important and should not be put aside this IWMD. We know that more than 100,000 construction workers die each year in preventable “accidents” on site. Forestry workers are also confronted with dangerous conditions that are notorious in the sector. Health and safety are undermined by the reliance of the forestry sector on informal and subcontracting work to boost their profits. The cement industry is also highly hazardous and accounts for hundreds of deaths in worksite accidents, and thousands of workers in the sector contract occupational diseases each year. The heavy use of outsourcing is also largely responsible for the lack of coherent management of hazards at work.
Precarious work in the sectors organised by the BWI affiliates is being paid for by workers with their health and their lives. Thus, the BWI supports IWMD campaign actions taken by affiliates on the need to prevent the loss of lives in these sectors. For example, affiliates active on our Lafarge Holcim campaign are likely to protest together on worker deaths at the company and outsourcing which is a contributing factor. Also, the BWI Youth Committee is organising its IWMD campaign under the sub theme “Life before Profit”.
The BWI also supports continued campaign actions on our longstanding Ban Asbestos campaign; meanwhile, two million tons of chrysotile asbestos is being put into the built environment every year – guaranteeing a deadly legacy for building workers and the public.
We encourage all IWMD campaign actions by affiliates to be shared with the BWI. Please send photos, statements/messages and videos to info@bwint.org
The BWI has put together seven-point 28 April 2020 action list that affiliates can consider which we will be able to incorporate under our global campaign theme. We suggest that campaign actions are carried out between 20 to 28 April 2020.
BWI has developed posters that can be printed and shared online in various languages
As a part of their International Workers’ Memorial Day 2020 call to action the Hazards Campaign has produced a series of social media graphics (below) for you to share in your networks. The Campaign wants trade unions and activists to flood Twitter, Facebook and other social networks with these images and, include the hashtags #iwmd20, #covid19 and tagging @hazardscampaign
Sample graphics scaled for Facebook
Sample graphics scaled for Twitter
Un año más, desde USO conmemoramos el Día Internacional de la Seguridad y la Salud en el Trabajo, denunciando que, en 2019, tenemos que lamentar y denunciar que 621 trabajadores y trabajadoras perdieron la vida en su jornada laboral o en el trayecto de ida o vuelta del trabajo en nuestro país.
Debido a la crisis sanitaria que estamos sufriendo, en la que los trabajadores y trabajadoras están en primera línea expuestos al contagio del COVID-19 en condiciones precarias y de carencia de equipos de protección, desde USO nos unimos al llamamiento de la Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI) y dedicamos nuestra campaña del Día Internacional de la Seguridad y la Salud en el Trabajo, con el lema “STOP a la pandemia en el trabajo” a los que están exponiéndose en sus puestos de trabajo haciendo que todo funcione y para recordar a todas las personas que han enfermado, lesionado o muerto realizando su trabajo.
Adjunto el cartel, manifiesto (páginas 1 y 2) y guía de PRL ante el COVID-19.
Recibe un cordial saludo
A minute’s silence will be held across the United Kingdom on 28 April to remember all the health, care and other key workers who have lost their lives to coronavirus.
The campaign, launched by the health unions UNISON, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives – who between them represent more than a million NHS and public service workers, including porters, refuse collectors and care staff – are urging politicians, employers, people at work and those on lockdown at home to join the tribute at 11am.
The minute’s silence – held on International Workers’ Memorial Day #iwmd20 – will allow everyone to pay their respects and give thanks for the lives of those whose work involved caring, saving lives, keeping key services running and the rest of the country safe, say the unions. The tribute is also a show of support for the families of those who have died.
The three unions are hoping the government and other organisations will get on board and join the campaign for there to be a minute’s silence on the day, which every year commemorates workers who have died around the globe.
UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This is the ultimate tribute to remember workers who’ve lost their lives and put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe and vital services running. Every year the sacrifice of workers around the world is recognised, but this year has a special significance because of the pandemic.
“Thousands of key staff are on the frontline while the rest of us are in lockdown. That’s why we’ve issued this call for the whole country to take part and remember the sacrifices they’ve made. The best tribute we can all pay them is to stay inside to protect the NHS.
“The minute’s silence is a thank you to all the workers including nurses, midwives, cleaners and care staff who’ve died from this devastating virus.”
Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive Donna Kinnair said: “We’ve become used to hearing a great roar on a Thursday night for key workers, but this respectful silence will be a poignant reminder of the risks they run to keep us safe. I hope the public gets behind this with the same affection they show when applauding our people.
“The silence is a simple show of respect for those who have paid the very highest price, but their loved ones must know the levels of gratitude we feel as a nation and take some comfort from that.”
Royal College of Midwives chief executive and general secretary Gill Walton said: “We had expected 2020 to be a celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife but, although we actively applaud their service, this is not what we had imagined. Instead, across the country, midwives and maternity support workers are seeing the impact of coronavirus not only on the women in their care, but on their colleagues as well.
“We are proud to join UNISON and the RCN in this campaign and to recognise and remember those who we have lost.”
The minute’s silence will be held at 11am on Tuesday 28 April. The campaign hashtag for the minute’s silence is #neverforgotten.
Here are the UK national union confederation TUC’s top organising tips. The TUC says “whether it’s saving workers’ jobs or protecting their health and safety, it’s essential we organise. Social distancing measures just mean we need to do it a little differently.”
Read the full article here.
COVID-19 prijeti zdravlju i životima radnika globalno. COVID-19 će takođe rezultirati ogromnim ekonomskim i posljedicama po zapošljavanje. Milioni preduzeća širom svijeta se suočavaju sa opasnošću da se ugase, što će imati teške posljedice po zaposlenost. To će devesti do liberalizacije zakona o radu i radničkim pravima.
Već i prije ove krize, PERV Mreža za zaštitu sigurnsoti zdravlja na radu pomenula je u svojim Memorandumima (Tirana i Baku, 2016.) da će se pogoršanje situacije sa zdravljem i sigurnosti radnika dešavati paraleleno sa promjenama oblika zapošljavanja i porastom broja nesigurnih radnih mejsta, dok se u isto vrijeme usvajaju izmjene i dopune zakona o radu u velikom broju zemalja, čime se smanjuju radnička prava; da je veliki broj radnika žrtva nezgoda i bolesti povezanih sa radom, dok broj smrtnih slučajeva ostaje visok – što uzrokuje ne samo siromaštvo i bol velikom broju porodica, već nameće visoku cijenu društvu u cjelini. Neprihvatljivo je pogoršanje situacije sa zaštitom zdravlja i sigurnosti na radu i prije krize; smatramo da su ulaganje u prevenciju i otvaranje radnih mjesta bez opasnosti ključno pitanje za sve.
Mreža za zaštitu zdravlja i sigurnosti na radu Panevropskog vijeća potcrtava kritičnu važnost socijalnog dijaloga na nacionalnom i multilataralnom nivou, gdje bi se odredile mjere za prevazilaženje ovih negativnih uticaja.
Naglašavamo, najsnažnije što možemo, važnu ulogu socijalnog dijaloga i socijalnih partnera u kontroli virusa na radnim mjestima, ali i šire, ali i u vezi sprečavanja masovnog gubitka radnih mjesta, kratkoročno i srednjoročno. Potrebna je zajednička odgovornsot za dijalog da se ojača stabilnost.
Snažni i funkcionalni zdravstveni sistemi su ključ za borbu protiv pandemije. Pozivamo vlade da iskoriste sve raspoložive resurse; hitno je potrebna podrška vladama da učinkovito koriste zdravstvene ustanove i resurse.
Covid-19 se mora pobijediti preventivnim mjerama, zajedno sa ljekarskom pomoći. Sindikati moraju raditi na podizanju svijesti, boriti se za socijalna prava radnika i pregovarati sa vladama o mjerama socijalne zaštite.
Pozivamo na političku volju potrebnu za potpunu provedbu odredbi MOR konvencija, naročito Konvencije br. 81 o inspekciji rada i Konvencije br. 155 o zaštiti sigurnosti i zdravlja na radu. Pozivamo na širu ulogu unapređenja sindikata u oblasti sigurnosti i zdravlja na radu i prevencije. Pozivamo na strogo uvođenje higijenskih mjera na svim radnim mjestima koje se zahtijevaju nacionalnim zakonima.
Energični sistemi različitih tipova inspekcije i provođenje zakona, putem saradnje između vlasti, poslodavaca i sindikata su ključni za održiva poboljšanja. Potencijal sindikata da unaprijede sigurnost i zdravlje na radnim mjestima treba se koristiti na svim nivoima, naročito u vrijeme smanjenja resursa i trenutne pandemije. Smatramo da je od ključne važnosti jačanje institucije tehničkih inspektora radnika, kojima sindikati mogu osigurati svoju podršku.
Smatramo da je imperativ da sindikati imaju ne samo veću ulogu u nadzoru nad pitanjima zaštite sigurnosti i zdravlja na radu, već oni moraju ojačati i svoju ulogu praćenja i pregovaranja, obrazovanja, podizanja svijesti uz pomoć odgovarajućih zakona, ako se želi ostvariti napredak.
Sindikati u regionu vide ključne greške u procjeni rizika u velikom broju preduzeća, što rezultira potcjenjivanjem opasnosti sa kojima se suočavaju radnici. Izloženost radnika tradicionalnim opasnostima, ali i novim poput psihosocijalnih rizika pandemije COVID 19, opasnih supstanci koje povećavaju broj tumora vezanih za rad i okolinske opasnosti su ogromne. Stoga pozivamo na hitno djelovanje!
Ukratko, moraju se poduzeti svi napori da se pomogne radnicima i preduzećima da se izbore sa ovom krizom, da sačuvaju radnike na njihovim radnim mjestima, da ih zaštite od nezaposlenosti i gubitka prihoda, te da se ublaži finansijsko propadanje.
COVID 19 and Occupational Health and Safety – PERC OHS Network statement
COVID-19 is threatening the health and the livelihoods of workers globally. COVID-19 will also have major economic and employment impacts. Millions of companies worldwide are in danger of being forced out of business with grave impacts on employment. It will push on liberalisation of workplace legislation and workers’ rights.
Already before the crisis the PERC OHS Network had mentioned in its Memorandums (Tirana and Baku, 2016) that the deterioration of health and safety of workers ran parallel to changes in forms of employment and growth of precarious employment, while at the same time labour legislation had been amended in many countries, reducing workers’ rights; still a high number of workers had been victims of work-related accidents and diseases, while the number of fatal accidents remains also high – bringing not only misery and pain to many families but also exacting a high price for society as a whole. OHS-related cutbacks made before the crisis are unacceptable; we consider more investment in prevention and the development of hazard-free workplaces is vital for all stakeholders.
The OHS Network of the Pan European Regional Council underline the critical need for social dialogue at national and multilateral levels to design measures to overcome this impact.
We stress in the strongest terms the important role that social dialogue and social partners play in the control of the virus at the workplace and beyond, but also to avoid massive job losses in the short and medium term. Joint responsibility is needed for dialogue to foster stability.
Strong and functioning health systems are key to combatting the pandemic. We urge governments to deploy all possible resources; support to Governments in their effective use of health facilities and resources, are urgently needed
Covid-19 must be beated by prevention measures together with medical aid. Trade union should raise awareness, to fight for social rights of workers and negotiate with governments on social protection measures.
We call for the political will to fully implement the articles of the ILO Conventions, namely Labour Inspection Convention No 81 and Occupational Safety and Health Convention No 155. We call for broader promotional role of trade unions in the area of safety and health of workers and prevention. We call for strict introduction of hygiene measures requested by national legislation at all workplaces.
Vigorous systems of different types of inspection and enforcement of legislation through the cooperation of authorities, employers and trade unions are crucial to any sustainable improvement. The potential for trade unions to promote workplace health and safety should be used at all levels, especially in times of shrinking resources and pandemic situation. We consider the strengthening of the institution of workers technical inspectors, to whom trade unions provide wide support, to be of key importance.
We consider it imperative that trade unions not only play a greater role as supervisors on OSH matters, but must also strengthen their monitoring and bargaining, educational and raising awareness role through appropriate legislation if progress is to be achieved.
Trade unions in the region see critical failures in risk assessment at many companies which lead to underestimating of hazards the workers are facing to. The exposure of workers to traditional hazards but also to new ones like COVID 19 pandemic psychosocial risks, dangerous substances with effects of work-related cancers and environmental hazards is enormous. Therefore, we call for action!
In short, all efforts need to be undertaken to help workers and companies to go through the crisis, to keep workers in their jobs, to protect from unemployment and loss of income, and to alleviate financial devastation.
Drage kolege, dragi članovi PERV Mreže za zaštitu i bezbjednost zdravlja na radu,
Vjerujemo da se svi vi, kao i vaše zemlje suočavaju sa pandemijom COVID 19 i da vlade vaših zemalja donose odgovarajuće mjere zaštite stanovništva i građana , ali i mjere i odgovore na spašavanju radnih mjesta i ekonomija vaših zemalja.
S obzirom da ste vi članovi PERC Mreže za zaštitu i bezbjednost zdravlja na radu, bilo bi dobro da partite mjere vaših vlada i da , ukoliko ste u mogućnosti, napravite veoma kratki pregled stanja po to pitanju i pošaljete nam isti putem maila. Imajući u vidu da se još ne zna koliko ovakvo stanje može trajati, u narednom period ćemo pokušati organizovati online sastanak ( putem određenih platformi) i razgovarati o ovom pitanju. I sama sam mislila da je to komplikovano, ali sa kolegama iz Brisela redovno imam sastanke na taj način, a i neki veći regionalni sastanci su se tako održavali, te vam mogu reći da je taj vid komunikacije u datim okolnostima veoma značajan i potreban.
U prilogu vam šaljem prevod na BSCM jezik dokumenta MKS-a “Dan sjećanja na radnike – zaustavimo pandemiju” , pripremljenog povodom 28.aprila – Međunarodnog dana sjećanja na radnike koji su ubijeni, stradali, povrijeđeni na radu ili su postali invalidi rada. Ispod je i link za originalan tekst na engleskom jeziku:
https://www.ituc-csi.org/28April2020
Nadamo se da ćete dokument u prilogu iskoristiti i za obilježavanje 28.aprila ove godine, iako u specifičnim uslovima.
Za sve članove Mreže OHS : U prilogu takođe dostavljamo Prijedlog Izjave PERC OHS Mreža, te vas ljubazno molimo da date svoje sugestije za izmjene ili dopune Izjave, putem maila, najkasnije do 16.aprila 2020.
Prijedlog Izjave PERV OHS Mreza – BCSM
Želim vam svima dobro zdravlje, u solidarnosti,
Enisa Salimovic,
Office Coordinator
ITUC/PERC SEE Office Sarajevo
71 000 Sarajevo, Dz. Bijedica 37 / VIII
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tel. +387 33 715 305
Tel / Fax. +387 33 715 306
e-mail enisa.salimovic@ituc-csi.ba
Dear colleagues, dear members of the PERC OHS Network,
We believe that all of you, as well as your countries face with the Covid-19 pandemic, and that your governments adopt appropriate measures aimed at protection of population and citizens, but also the response measures aimed at salvation of jobs and economic in your countries.
Given that all of your are affiliates of PERC OHS Network, it would be good if you could monitor the measures of your governments and, if possible, draft a brief review of the situation in this area, and submit it to us by e-mail. Considering that it cannot be predicted for how long this situation would continue, we shall try in the forthcoming period to organize an online meeting (by way of some platforms) to talk about these matters. I have also though this could be a complicated, but I do have regular meetings this way with my colleagues from Brussels, and even some bigger meetings were organized this way. I can tell you that this form of communication in given circumstances is extremely relevant and necessary.
I hereby enclose the translation to BSCM language of the ITUC document “Workers’ Memorial Day – Stop Pandemic at Work”, in reference to the 28th April – International Workers’ Memorial Day or Workers’ Mourning Day of remembrance and actions for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work. The link to the original text in English language is: https://www.ituc-csi.org/28April2020
We hope that you will use this document to mark the 28th April this year, although in these specific conditions.
To all Network members on OHS: We are also sending you attached the Draft PERC OHS Networks’ Statement on COVID – for consultation with you about the final text.
We wish you a good health and in solidarity,
