Fifteen participants, including five women, from three BWI affiliates in Tanzania (TAMICO, TUICO, and TPAWU), as well as representatives from the Association of Tanzania Employers and the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA), attended and participated in a two-day tripartite consultative meeting held in Tanzania on 29-30 April 2024.
Participants highlighted the challenges surrounding occupational health and safety (OHS) in workplaces, including the existence of new hazards and diseases, the lack of employer-provided personal protective equipment, and other contraventions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 5 of 2003 (OHS Act).
The unions also delved into BWI’s “Enough is Enough campaign” to mark this year’s International Workers’ Memorial Day.” The campaign sought to raise awareness on poor OHS standards in various industries and empower affiliates to end negligent deaths and injuries in workplaces. Bonface Nkakatisi,
TUICO General Secretary, stressed the need to have a strong voice in defending workers’ rights and ensuring the safety and health of workers in the BWI sectors, protecting them against workplace hazards. He also underscored the need to enforce the implementation of the OHS Act and encouraged unions to work with TUCTA to ensure that the national law reflects workers’ concerns and needs.
“Hot, cold, wet and wild. Workers are on the front line when the climate crisis hits home.” Hazards magazine has published a print off and use 28 April poster
In the lead up to 28 April, SINTAICAF, NUBEGW, MANWU visited a Chinese managed road construction site to inspect the workers’ working and living conditions. Concerns were raised with the employers’ representatives (Chinese & HR managers) and details of the BWI’s IWMD ‘Enough is enough’ campaign was shared with attending participants.
To mark 28 April, Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia (BWTUC) has plans for a meeting with CLC (Cambodia Labor Confederation) and union alliance in Cambodia. The meeting will comprise discussions on IWMD/May Day and OSH issues for workers in Cambodia. On 28 April, BWTUC also plans social media media updates.
The Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania (KSSH- CTUA) has announced plans for International Workers’ Memorial Day:
In preparation for this day, on April 26 at 10:00 a.m., on Friday at the Tirana International Hotel, the National Conference is organized with the participation of all members of its General Assembly and leaders and activists of all levels and professions.
Every day, more and more jobs and workers are being threatened by climate change and biological hazards. These phenomena are seriously endangering the health of workers and endangering jobs every day.
The workers of various chemical industries, manufacturing and trading of industrial products, agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry, construction, transport and telecommunications, postal deliveries, delivery, are exposed and threatened not only by biological risks and heat but also from storms, hurricanes, floods, storms, lightning, tornadoes, fires, and strong winds are a permanent risk for workplaces and for the health and safety of workers.
It is therefore necessary and imperative for Unions to demand stronger and safer policies and practices to protect workers from the dangerous impacts of climate and biological change.
Join KSSH to ensure decent, healthy and safe work.!
This International Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April, trade unions are demanding urgent action to tackle ’Climate Risks for Workers’ – the escalating dangers posed by the climate crisis to workers globally.
There is an urgent need for emergency preparedness to be integrated into workplace safety policies, in democratic consultation with workers’ trade unions.
The World Health Organization’s statement in December 2023 highlighted an alarming surge in climate-related disasters, underlining the grave implications for workers’ health and job security.
Workers in agriculture, construction, postal delivery and other sectors have been particularly affected, with a marked increase in heat-related illnesses and fatalities. The threat is not just from heat; storms, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, lightning, tornadoes, wildfires and strong winds are a growing danger to the workplace.
ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle stated: “The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat; it’s a present danger to workers around the globe. It’s imperative that we demand robust policies and practices to protect our working people from the hazardous impacts of climate change. Our call to action is clear: we must integrate climate risk assessments and emergency preparedness into our occupational safety and health standards.”
Around the world, trade unions are already succeeding in winning protections for climate-related workplace hazards:
In Phoenix, USA, a campaign by the unions Unite Here and the SEIU won a new law requiring contractors to provide heat safety protections for outdoor workers.
Firefighters in Spain won recognition that carcinogenic smoke from wildfires is an occupational health risk and they have the right to protection from it.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, several unions have united to create a set of demands for workers in the critical mineral mining industry who are exposed to dangerous working conditions inside and outside.
In Australia, the CFMEU is actively winning changes to legislation and regulation to protect workers exposed to heat stress.
In Brazil, SITICOP is working to expand protections to workers affected by environmental disasters.
Luc Triangle concluded: “The work by these trade unions, and many others, is inspiring. We need immediate action from governments, employers and regulatory bodies to address the current and growing threat of climate change to workers’ health and safety.
“This includes consultation with unions, the implementation of comprehensive safety training and enforcement of stringent safety standards to mitigate the risks associated with extreme weather conditions. At the heart of this is democracy, because democracy in the workplace means that workers are listened to, and they can play a part in their own safety. As the ITUC campaign For Democracy says, real democracies deliver for working people, and that includes delivering climate protection for workers.”
The ITUC has produced a detailed briefing about the health and safety impacts of the climate crisis that is available here. You can find social media materials here.
Il est nécessaire et urgent d’intégrer la préparation aux situations d’urgence aux politiques de sécurité sur le lieu de travail, en consultant démocratiquement les organisations syndicales.
Dans sa déclaration du 2 décembre 2023, l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) souligne une augmentation très inquiétante des catastrophes liées au climat, pointant du doigt les graves conséquences pour la santé des travailleurs et la sécurité de l’emploi.
Les travailleurs des secteurs de l’agriculture, de la construction, de la distribution du courrier et d’autres encore ont été particulièrement touchés, et on constate dans ces secteurs une hausse marquée du nombre de maladies et de décès liés à la chaleur. La chaleur n’est pas la seule menace; les tempêtes, les ouragans, les inondations, les blizzards, les éclairs, les tornades, les feux de forêt et les vents violents sont autant de dangers croissants pour les lieux de travail.
Pour Luc Triangle, secrétaire général de la CSI, «la crise climatique n’est plus une menace lointaine, c’est un danger actuel pour les travailleurs et les travailleuses du monde entier. Il est impératif que nous exigions des politiques fermes et des pratiques solides pour protéger notre main-d’œuvre des effets dangereux du changement climatique. Notre appel à l’action est clair: nous devons intégrer l’évaluation des risques climatiques et la préparation aux situations d’urgence à nos normes de sécurité et de santé au travail».
Partout dans le monde, des syndicats ont déjà obtenu des protections contre les risques liés au climat sur le lieu de travail:
À Phoenix, aux États-Unis d’Amérique, grâce à une campagne menée par les syndicats Unite Here et SEIU, une nouvelle loi a été adoptée obligeant les entrepreneurs à fournir des protections contre la chaleur aux personnes qui travaillent en plein air.
En Espagne, les pompiers ont fait reconnaître les fumées cancérigènes des incendies de forêt comme un risque pour la santé au travail et ont ainsi obtenu le droit d’en être protégés.
En République démocratique du Congo, plusieurs syndicats se sont unis pour formuler une série de revendications pour les travailleurs de l’industrie stratégique de l’exploitation minière, qui travaillent dans des conditions dangereuses à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur.
En Australie, le syndicat CFMEU s’attèle activement à obtenir des modifications de la législation et de la réglementation pour protéger les travailleurs exposés au stress thermique.
Au Brésil, l’organisation SITICOP tente d’étendre des protections aux travailleurs touchés par des catastrophes environnementales.
Et Luc Triangle de conclure: «Le travail de ces syndicats, et de bien d’autres, est une source d’inspiration. Les gouvernements, les employeurs et les organismes de réglementation doivent agir immédiatement pour faire face à la menace actuelle et croissante que représente le changement climatique pour la sécurité et la santé des travailleurs.
De telles actions incluent de consulter les syndicats, de mettre en place une formation complète sur la sécurité et d’appliquer des normes de sécurité rigoureuses pour atténuer les risques associés aux conditions climatiques extrêmes. La démocratie doit être au cœur de cette démarche, car faire preuve de démocratie sur le lieu de travail suppose que le personnel est écouté et peut jouer un rôle pour sa propre sécurité. Comme l’affirme la CSI dans sa campagne Pour la démocratie, de vraies démocraties prennent soin de leurs travailleurs et travailleuses, et cela inclut de veiller à les protéger contre le climat».
La CSI a publié une note d’information détaillée sur les effets de la crise climatique sur la sécurité et la santé, disponible ici. En outre, vous trouverez ici du matériel pour les médias sociaux.
STECOMA is running a 28 April awareness campaign in workplaces. Health and safety training will also be delivered to workplace representatives.