Every year ACV – CSC takes action on the 28th of April to raise awareness around health and safety at work. In 2015 focusing on the REFIT-program of the European Commission, several problems within the dangerous substances legislation (occupational limit values, carcinogens and reprotoxic substances) and organising a large information campaign on the use of dangerous substances. Following actions took place:
In all Belgian companies with workers representatives, but also in some SME’s ACV-CSC distributed leaflets with information on the safe use of dangerous substances, employers and workers obligations. (leaflet in French and Dutch )
ACV-CSC prepared a publication on the REFIT-program of the European Commission to explain what it is really about, a deregulation of workers rights, also in the field of health and safety (link to the REFIT-publication in French • More information.
On Tuesday, 28th of April, together with FGTB, CGSLB and ETUC ACV-CSC visited our minister of labor, Kris Peeters and asked him:
To make sure that REFIT won’t affect the health and safety of workers.
To defend the necessary revision of the European carcinogens directive with a priority list of 50 binding occupational exposure limits and the integration of the reprotoxic substances in the scope of this directive.
To defend a harmonisation of OELs in the European Community to prevent disloyal competition at the expense of workers health.
To take action on a national level to integrate reprotoxics in Belgian legislation on carcinogens.
More information on this visit you can find here in French and in Dutch.
28 April is the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers. The day is also known as Workers’ Memorial Day, the Day of Mourning, or World Day for Safety and Health at Work. Most importantly, it is a day for unions to renew their commitment to safety and health at work.
Controlling exposure to toxic substances is one theme that global unions have chosen to emphasize in 2015. Of the hundreds of thousands of chemicals in industrial use, we have substantial knowledge of the health effects of only a small percentage; and suspect that many unidentified killers are among the rest.
Occupational cancers kill at a rate of more than once a minute worldwide, according to a comprehensive review of the available evidence by the ITUC. The global union body, speaking out ahead of the 28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day, says this preventable waste of life must end and has a stern warning for rogue employers : “If you expose us, we’ll expose you.” More
Les presentamos un informe de la CSI que explica por qué los sindicatos debemos movilizarnos para proteger a los trabajadores y trabajadoras de las sustancias peligrosas, con datos y cifras claves.
Este documento ha sido preparado para apoyar los esfuerzos de movilización sindical para la Jornada Mundial de conmemoración de los trabajadores muertos y heridos, este 28 de Abril, que busca este año destacar la necesidad de eliminar la exposición a las sustancias peligrosas.
Nous vous présentons une note de synthèse de la CSI qui introduit les raisons pour lesquelles le mouvement syndical doit se mobiliser pour protéger les travailleurs et travailleuses des substances dangereuses, avec des données et chiffres clés.
Ce rapport a été produit pour soutenir les efforts de mobilisation syndicale autour de la Journée Internationale de Commémoration des Travailleurs Décédés et Blessés, le 28 avril, que cette année met l’accent sur l’exposition aux substances dangereuses.
An ITUC Briefing explaining why trade unions must mobilise for protecting workers from hazardous substances, with key facts and figures.
This Briefing has been prepared to support trade unions’ mobilisation for the International Day of Commemoration of Dead and Injured Workers, on 28th April, which is focusing this year on the need for removing exposure to hazardous substances.