April 28th is known as both International Workers Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work, an opportunity to reflect on what must change for our working world to deliver safe and dignified jobs.
This year’s thematic approach focuses on psychosocial risks (PSR), with trade unions across the globe united in calling for not just recognition, but action, in an area where Europe continually fails to deliver.
Last week, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) hosted a webinar exploring the differing approaches to tackling PSR, including an in-depth analysis of the European landscape from Eurocadres President Nayla Glaise. A full recording of the webinar can be found here.
Despite the public opinion of the “Brussels effect”, what was made clear throughout the event was how far behind Europe lags in comparison to other nations and regions. One such example comes from the other side of the world, with the Australian Council of Trade Union’s Liam O’Brien highlighted the excellent provisions within their national legislation, won through years of campaigning and advocacy with progressive political parties.
Adding to the presentation by PSC Observatory’s Maureen Dollard, Union Density and its Role in Shaping a Psychosocial Safety Climate, and efforts at the ILO level, what becomes clear is that Europe is dragging its feet in the protection of workers against psychosocial risks.
However, efforts are underway to change this.
“We are delighted to see International Workers’ Memorial Day focus on such a pivotal topic for professionals and managers. Eurocadres will continue to lead the push for European action, with the support of unions, as seen today, from right around the world”.
This month the European Parliament’s employment and social affairs (EMPL) committee were presented with MEP Estelle Ceulemans’ (S&D, BE) report on psychosocial risks, including a prominent call for a directive. The result of many months of discussions and drafting, the Belgian lawmaker has not only called on the Commission to act, but has outlined what a directive would look like in the annexe of the text.
While still a long way to go in the process, this report is an excellent starting point for yet another parliamentary call for action.
On the significance of IWMD, Eurocades President Nayla Glaise stated: “We are delighted to see International Workers’ Memorial Day focus on such a pivotal topic for professionals and managers. Eurocadres will continue to lead the push for European action, with the support of unions, as seen today, from right around the world.
“An integral part of this is the work of the European Parliament, and we commend Estelle for her terrific work in the proposal of this report. The coming months will be crucial to ensure support for the text, and we are looking forward to playing our part to help deliver a strong mandate to the Commission”.