Tag Archives: Europe

Europe: Heat deaths at work up by 40 per cent in the EU

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The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)  has reported a significant increase in heat deaths:

The number of people dying at work due to extreme heat is increasing faster in the European Union than any other part of the world, new data shows ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day.

According to estimates provided to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 80,800 people suffered injuries at work due to heat exposure in 2020 and 67 people died as a result of working in extreme heat.

Speaking ahead of International Workers Memorial Day on April 28, ETUC Confederal Secretary Giulio Romani said:

“On International Workers Memorial Day, we remember the dead and fight for the living.

“We cannot accept that every summer dozens of workers needlessly lose their lives because we have not adapted our working practices to the changing climate.

“On building sites or in warehouses, people are dying or being seriously injured because they are forced to keep working in obviously dangerous temperatures.

“Adapting working hours to avoid the hottest part of the day is common sense way to protect workers while maintaining productivity.

“The rising number of deaths across Europe shows employers are failing to do this, which is why the Commission must make it an obligation through legislation on maximum working temperatures.”

Read more: Heat deaths at work up by 40% in the EU

Hungary: 28 April actions from MASZSZ

Hungarian Trade Union Confederation MASZSZ has published  details of an International Workers’ Memorial Day action taking place on 29 April. Further details below:

MASZSZ actions – April 28

1st Workers’ Health and Safety Symposium – afternoon April 29.

On the occasion of the Workers Memorial Day the Hungarian Trade Union Confederation invites all OSH community members, interested colleagues to be part of the OSH Symposium to discuss

 

  • the presence and future of OSH
  • state of play of social dialogue
  • what is presently at stake regarding OSH?

Discussants are: chair of employers’ group of the tripartite National OSH Committee / vice president of the Chemical Workers Union / OSH experts of several confederations.

We aim at open, forward-looking exchange of opinions how to revive a meaningful and full social dialogue for improving the OSH situation and assess the manifold challenges ahead of trade unions, workers’ representation, safety reps. We can not let the continuation of weakening the OSH regulations and the increasing of workers’ exposure to unhealthy, unsafe working conditions.

Commemorative act at the Memorial of those died and injured in work accident – evening April 29.

Wreath laying, candle lighting, addresses by OSH tripartite representatives

Europe: Asbestos victims urge EU to stop workplace cancer scandal #iwmd23

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Victims of occupational cancer and their families are today, on International Workers Memorial Day, calling on EU leaders to give workers the highest possible level of protection from asbestos.

Around 90,000 people lose their lives to asbestos-related cancer in the EU every year, making it the leading cause of workplace fatalities.

Between 4 and 7 million workers across the EU are exposed to asbestos and that number is expected to grow by 4% over the next decade as a result of building renovations as part of the EU Green Deal.

The EU is currently reviewing the asbestos exposure limit but the European Commission and European Council want to keep it at a dangerously high level in order to minimise costs for businesses.

To show the consequences of such a decision, trade unions are publishing the testimonies of those whose lives have been blighted by cancer caused by exposure to asbestos at work. They include:

  •      Two sisters who lost both parents: “A disease with no possibility of treatment, terribly distressing for the whole family… it suffocates you.”
  •      A retired transport worker: “This is like a sword of Damocles. At any moment, I could pass away.”
  •     Two brothers who lost both parents: “Death was ultimately redemption from torment we had to endure.”
  •     Campaigner who lost parents and brothers: “Asbestos is still in buildings of the ’60s and ’70s, getting old, falling apart, being inhaled. People need to be aware.”

Trade unions are calling for the safest possible occupational exposure limit for asbestos: 1,000 fibres/m3 as recommended by the International Commission of Occupational Health and supported by the European Parliament.

That would cut the number of asbestos-related cancer deaths expected over the next 40 years from 884 to 26, according to a study for the European Commission.

However, the European Commission and European Council still argue that would be a “disproportionate burden on businesses” and want a limit which is ten times higher (10,000 fibres/m3).

That is same or higher than the current asbestos exposure limit in Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands, meaning their preferred limit would bring no benefit to a third of the EU’s population.

It would also see almost 10 times the number of people die from asbestos-related cancer (221) than if an exposure limit of 1,000 fibres/mwas adopted.

ETUC Deputy General Secretary Claes-Mikael Stahl said:

“Although asbestos has been banned in Europe for almost two decades, its use has left a long legacy of pain and suffering which still sees tens of thousands of families torn apart by cancer every year.

“Workers have paid with their lives for low safety standards for too long. We know now that asbestos is Europe’s most deadly workplace threat so there is no excuse for half measures.

“The much-needed renovation of buildings as part of the Green Deal is going to lead to an increase in workers being exposed to asbestos. EU leaders therefore have a moral responsibility to provide them with the safest possible working conditions.

“On International Workers Memorial Day, it’s time for politicians to learn the lessons of the past and finally put people’s safety above profits at any costs.”

European Federation of Building and Woodworkers General Secretary Tom Deleu said:

“On this International Workers Memorial Day, we focus our attention on asbestos, a threat that is still out there, in private and public buildings, in schools, hospitals, in our homes.

“It is still killing construction workers, who inhale this deadly material every day in their workday whenever a renovation takes place. It is time to put workers lives and health before profit.

“Let us stop this pandemic. The Renovation Wave is vital, but it must be done in a safe way for workers. We have to lower the exposure level, we have to train these workers, we have to protect them.

“Ensuring workers’ safety, saving lives, is in the hands of the European Commission who must act and guarantee a level of protection of 1,000 fibres/m³.”

Case studies

Martin and Grega Velušček, family of victims – Read full case study

“After the diagnosis was confirmed, our mother was given all the care she needed, and alternative treatments were sought, including abroad. But life expectancy of these patients is less than a year, so the sufferer and those close to her have mixed feelings of hope, hopelessness, and disbelief. Last days before death of patients in palliative care are everyway psychologically exhausting.
“A year after our mother’s death, also our father felt pain in his back, and tests showed that he already had bone metastases and that he too had pleural mesothelioma. Alongside conventional treatment we tried to arrange immunotherapy treatment for him in Heidelberg, Germany. The most striking aspect of visit at that hospital was the doctor’s question as to whether our father was aware of the seriousness and incurability of the disease. The answer was, of course, yes. The hospital in Heidelberg carried out all the tests and, a good three months later, announced that treatment could be attempted. But by then our father was already dead.
“Facing a diagnosis that offers little hope of getting better was extremely mentally exhausting for both parents and the whole family. The time leading up to death was practically nothing but taking farewell, and death was ultimately redemption from torment we had to endure.”

Isidoro Aparicio, victim

“I have a series of scars on my lungs. Every six months I am checked at the hospital. I was never informed of the risk of my work. I started working in the Madrid metro in the 1960s. At first I was a driver and after passing a public competition I went to the workshops, in the pneumatics department. I was a technician and I had an assistant: he and I repaired the opening of the doors, which worked with asbestos belts. To make the asbestos stick a little better, we used to put it in our mouths. Real atrocities. All this information has been kept hidden.
“What angers me the most is that I have never been told anything and that the people responsible for this are getting off without a trace and none of those responsible have wanted to know anything about it. The medical team in the metro should also have known something.
“I underwent an operation and a lot of tests were carried out. When I went to see the results, the oncologist told me that my lungs were damaged. From now on I am being closely monitored.  I thank the trade unions, their lawyers, the prosecutor’s office and the labour inspector for their help.
“I get more and more tired. I used to love hiking in the mountains. Now I can’t do it anymore, because I get exhausted. This is like a sword of Damocles in which, at any moment, what I have inside of me could wake up and I could pass away. I would also ask that this sort of thing should never happen again. Politicians must apologise they have never apologised to us.”

Eric Jonckheere, president of Belgium Association of Asbestos Victims (Abeva) and victim

“I started as an activist against asbestos, only later did I discover that I was too a victim. My father died of mesothelioma, then my mother got sick too. She had me and my brothers tested to know if we had been in contact with asbestos. All of us had it. My parents and brothers ended up dying of asbestos exposure. Before dying, my mother moved a court action against Eternit and her desire was to make people aware of the dangers. The industry lied about the danger of asbestos and moved from Europe to less developed countries. I want to point the finger to the industry, because they move for profit, the health of their bank account is more important than the health of workers and peoples’ lives. They knew the dangers and they hid them from workers, from legislators, just for profit. Asbestos is still in buildings of the 60s and 70s, getting old, falling apart, being inhaled. People need to be aware of this. As president of ABEVA we help families, with paperwork, we give support. It is not only about those who are sick, for the families, everything is exhausting too. How do you explain to a multinational that the place next to you in bed is empty?

“I knew I had asbestos in my lungs, but then you move on, until the moment when you learn that you are the next in line. Everything you planned goes down the drain, it is like a tsunami that takes everything away from you: your health, your job, your plans. And in my lack of chance, I was privileged because I already knew that I had it in me, we did not waste any time with tests. I was one of the 5% who are operable, the doctors removed everything. So, two years later, here I am.”

Maria Jesús and Yolanda Masa García, family of victims – Read full case study

“Our father died in 1997 from mesothelioma pneumonia at the age of 66. A disease with no possibility of treatment, terribly distressing for the whole family… it suffocates you. When the symptoms worsened, the doctors told us about the possible link between their activity and this disease in the direct members of the family. When he died, my sister was 26 years old, and I was 32. My mother, Matilde García Lopez, a housewife by profession, became a widow at the age of 65.
“During this time, we received news periodically of colleagues of my father who were passing away. In January 2003, my mother began to suffer from back pain, which became progressively worse. Everyone thought it was caused by muscle pain, bad posture… This pain increased and after several medical tests at the University Hospital of Palencia, the University Hospital of Valdecilla and confirmation during a visit to the University Clinic of Navarra, she was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in May of the same year. This type of cancer is specific to direct contact with asbestos due to coexistence and handling of work clothes. She died on 24 September 2003. Since our family has been suffering from the terrible scourge of asbestos.”

Lenie Stormbroek, victim

“I never thought I would get sick from asbestos. I had heard of it, but always thought it occurred in men who had worked a lot with asbestos. We think it comes from the demolition and rubble work my father used to do. He ensured that old buildings, sheds and stables were demolished and the rubble was removed again. My father’s company moved around my parental home, which sometimes also contained asbestos-containing debris from my father’s demolition projects. From a young age until I got married, I regularly helped my mother beat and clean my father’s work clothes and my brother who also worked in the company. We suspect that I developed mesothelioma because of this. Until recently I didn’t know how dangerous asbestos really is.”

Juan Carlos, trade union representative

“In 2003 the social security bodies asked for information about train parts containing asbestos. A report was made which was kept hidden from the workers. The unions then went to court, where the report was made public by the police. We did not find out about this report until 2017. Metro de Madrid did not inform any workers until 2017, so the prosecutor’s office said that there was a crime against the health of the workers.
“7 people in charge of Metro were charged, but they were middle management. The directors are politicians of the Community of Madrid, who were not charged.  The old trains had asbestos everywhere, for example the floors, the paint and the brakes. In 2005 we started to build new trains without asbestos, but we are still finding parts with asbestos because we have been asked to move parts from the old trains to the new ones.
“In the Madrid metro we have 14 deaths due to asbestos and 7 sick colleagues. Most of the workers who have contracted this disease are already retired, due to the long latency period of this disease. We believe that there are colleagues who died without knowing that it was due to asbestosis.
“Thanks to the work of the trade union, these compensations were achieved, as well as a map of asbestos where all the continuous pieces are included. The union has managed to get the Social Security to carry out medical check-ups for workers who have been retired for many years. This was not easy, because as they were no longer workers the right and obligation to undergo medical examinations did not apply anymore.
“For active workers, what they demand from us is the possibility of an early retirement, as it is very likely that they will contract the disease in the future. We also demand more comprehensive medical examinations. If only X-rays are used, the asbestos is found when it is already too late for the disease. We want CT scans to be used. We also want a lower level of exposure to asbestos”.

Marco Galuppi, victim

In 2016 Marco Galuppi was diagnosed a neurodegenerative disease due to the exposure to chemicals and mutagens and carcinogens substances like asbestos link to his work as a firefighter. He was a chief of firefighters in Frosinone, Lazio (Italy). He has stopped working and he is slowly waiting his death.

In 2017 the doctors made a link between his profession and his illness.

Here is the full story of the firefighters federation of CGIL: Particella_Pazza_25-1.pdf (fpcgil.it)

Europe: On 28 April EPSU calls on EU to protect firefighters from asbestos poisoning – #iwmd23

Did you know that 7⃣8⃣% of occupational cancers are related to #asbestos?

Europe: Asbestos victims urge EU to stop workplace cancer scandal – ETUC – #iwmd23

Victims of occupational cancer and their families are today, on International Workers Memorial Day, calling on EU leaders to give workers the highest possible level of protection from asbestos.

Around 90,000 people lose their lives to asbestos-related cancer in the EU every year, making it the leading cause of workplace fatalities.

Between 4 and 7 million workers across the EU are exposed to asbestos and that number is expected to grow by 4% over the next decade as a result of building renovations as part of the EU Green Deal.

The EU is currently reviewing the asbestos exposure limit but the European Commission and European Council want to keep it at a dangerously high level in order to minimise costs for businesses.

To show the consequences of such a decision, trade unions are publishing the testimonies of those whose lives have been blighted by cancer caused by exposure to asbestos at work. 

Read more here:
https://www.etuc.org/en/pressrelease/iwmd-asbestos-victims-urge-eu-stop-workplace-cancer-scandal

 

Moldova: Declarația Confederației Naționale a Sindicatelor din Moldova cu ocazia Zilei internaționale a securității și sănătății în muncă – 28 aprilie

 

‼️Declarația Confederației Naționale a Sindicatelor din Moldova cu ocazia Zilei internaționale a securității și sănătății în muncă – 28 aprilie

?Anul acesta suntem chemați de Confederația Internațională a Sindicatelor de a susține promovarea dreptului la securitate și sănătate în muncă ca drept fundamental în cadrul Conferinței anuale a Organizației Internaționale a Muncii.

✅Toate acestea sunt promovate, fiind fundamentate la nivel mondial pe o statistică foarte tragică: aproximativ 2,9 milioane de lucrători mor în fiecare an din cauza accidentelor și bolilor profesionale și cel puțin 402 milioane de persoane, anual, sunt vătămate la locul de muncă.

?În Republica Moldova, statistica, la fel, nu este îmbucurătoare: pe parcursul anului 2021, la Inspectoratul de Stat al Muncii au fost comunicate 627 de evenimente de accidentare a lucrătorilor în câmpul muncii, în urma cărora au avut de suferit 664 de persoane, dintre care – 78 au decedat.

➡️Accesați pagina web a CNSM pentru a citi mai multe detalii http://sindicate.md/?p=38741

#iwmd22

Finland: Kansainvälinen työntekijöiden muistopäivä – työsuojelu on oikeus

Tänään kansainvälisenä työntekijöiden muistopäivänä – kun muistamme työssä kuolleita tai loukkaantuneita – Eurooppalainen ay-liike vetoaa Euroopan unioniin sekä jäsenvaltioihin vaatimalla, ettei töissä satu enää yhtään kuolemaa.

Maailmanlaajuisesti työhön kuolee 3 miljoonaa työntekijää joka vuosi. EU:n jäsenmaissa (27:ssä) kirjattiin vuonna 2018 yli 3 300 kuolemaan johtanutta onnettomuutta ja 3,1 miljoonaa ei-kuolemaan johtanutta onnettomuutta. Yli 200 000 työntekijää kuolee vuosittain työperäisiin sairauksiin. Syöpä on suurin työperäisten kuolemantapausten syy, mikä on 52 prosenttia kaikista työperäisistä kuolemista Euroopan unionissa. Kaikista työperäisistä syövistä 80 prosenttia liittyy asbestiin, mikä johtaa vuosittain 88 000 kuolemantapaukseen.

Tämä ei ole hyväksyttävää. Euroopan ammatillinen yhteisjärjestö ETUC vaatii 28.4.2022 julkaistussa manifestissa nollaa kuolonuhria työssä. Manifesti kehottaa tekemään työterveydestä ja -turvallisuudesta ILO:n perusperiaatteen ja oikeuden työssä. Sillä estetään yhä useamman työntekijän kärsivän sairauksista, vammoista ja jopa kuolemalta.

ETUC muistuttaa, että työntekijöillä on oltava oikeus kieltäytyä vaarallisesta työstä ja osallistua ennaltaehkäisyä koskeviin päätöksiin työpaikallaan. Työntekijät tarvitsevat ammattiliittoja varmistaakseen, että nämä oikeudet toteutuvat.

Euroopan unionin nykyisessä terveys- ja turvallisuusstrategiassa todetaan, että ”kaikki toimet on toteutettava työperäisten kuolemantapausten vähentämiseksi mahdollisimman paljon työperäisiä kuolemia koskevan ”Vision Zero” -lähestymistavan mukaisesti”. Tämä on ETUCin mukaan hyvä asia, mutta siinä luvatuilla toimilla ei saavuteta nollakuolema-tasoa.

Nolla kuolemaa työssä ei ole utopistinen unelma, mutta se vaatii toimia. ETUC kehottaa manifestissa Euroopan unionia, sen jäsenvaltioiden hallituksia ja työnantajia sitoutumaan aidosti ja ryhtymään tarvittaviin toimiin nollakuoleman saavuttamiseksi työssä. Pelkkä puhe ei enää riitä.

”Tänä kansainvälisenä työläisten muistopäivänä muistamme ennen kaikkea ne, jotka ovat työn takia kuolleet. Ja jos poliitikot ovat halukkaita toimimaan, voimme saavuttaa nolla kuolemantapausta työssä vuoteen 2030 mennessä. On korkea aika asettaa työntekijöiden elämä etusijalle”, kommentoi ETUCin varapääsihteeri Claes-Mikael Ståhl ETUCin lehdistötiedotteessa.

Voit keskustella aiheesta sosiaalisessa mediassa häsäreillä: #IWMD22 ja #ZeroDeathAtWork. 

Spain: El Gobierno debe abrir ya el diálogo social para atajar la lacra de la siniestralidad laboral

La Secretaria de Salud Laboral de UGT, Ana García de la Torre, presenta en rueda de prensa, junto a su homólogo de CCOO, el manifiesto con motivo del Día Mundial de la Seguridad y la Salud en el Trabajo, que se celebra el 28 de abril

Continue reading Spain: El Gobierno debe abrir ya el diálogo social para atajar la lacra de la siniestralidad laboral

Albania: Siguria dhe shendeti ne pune duhet te jene te drejta themelore te ILO

Facebook event:   Bashkimi i Sindikatave te Pavarura te Shqiperise

TUESDAY, 26 APRIL 2022 AT 09:00 UTC+01

Siguria dhe shendeti ne pune duhet te jene te drejta themelore te ILO

Dhoma Kombetare e Zejtarise

“BSPSH eshte konfederata me e madhe ne Shqiperi e krijuar ne shkurt 1991 dhe luftoi ne rrezimin e komunizmit me te eger te Ballkanit.”
 

Ireland: Workers’ Memorial Day 2022 | ICTU

Congress IWMD logo

Thursday 28th April 2022 – Remember the dead, fight like hell for the living

Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28th will be marked with a ceremony to be held in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.

Congress representatives will be joined by the HSA, Ibec, CIF and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for a number of short addresses and the laying of a commemorative wreath by Minister Damien English TD. Please contact us at osh@ictu.ie if you wish to attend.

Workers representing a variety of sectors will lay flowers in memory of those who have been killed, injured or made ill at work.

Congress is asking all affiliated unions to encourage events in workplaces to mark the day.

There are a wide range of initiatives that unions can consider including:

  • Get involved in creating awareness by using the official Workers’ Memorial Day Ireland logo on your website, social media presence, presentations, email signatures, displays and in offices and workplaces.  The logo is available below; just right-click and save.
  • Website/Newsletter content
  • Social media content. For example, take a photo of your activity or event and share it on social media.  Please use the hashtag #WorkersMemorialDay and #IWMD22 on any posts and tag relevant organisations
  • Add an overlay to your organisation or personal Twitter account at https://twibbon.com/Support/workers-memorial-day-11
  • In-house training sessions or a toolbox talk
  • Guest speaker presentation to staff
  • Team activities focusing on workplace safety and health
  • Press release to your local/national media marking your event or the day itself
  • Your own ceremonial event or minutes silence to mark the occasion

Source: Workers’ Memorial Day 2022, ICTU

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