Report of EPSU activities and update on EU

legal framework on health and safety

Key documents: http://www.epsu.org/a/725

EPSU/RCN prison services meeting How safe are prison services amid public budget cuts?

26-27 February 2015, London

EPSU 8 million members, 68% of whom are women, 275 trade unions in 49

countries

Organises in health and social services, local, regional and central

government, EU administration, energy, water, waste

EU Social partner status, leads trade union side in 5 EU sectoral social

dialogue committees

• Hospitals

• Electricity

• Gas

• Local and regional government

• Central government - including prison services

• Pending in social services

Networks: Youth, firefighters, prison services,

Gender equality committee

Largest European federation of ETUC & regional organisation of PSI

EPSU Congress, May 2014, Toulouse 19 resolutions

New leadership team

Elected General Secretary, Jan Willem Goudriaan

Appointed Deputy General Secretary, Penny Clarke

Elected President, Annelie Nordström, Kommunal Sweden

And 4 Vice-Presidents:

• Dave Prentis, UNISON, UK

• Françoise Geng, CGT Santé Action Sociale France

• Isolde Kunkel-Weber, Ver.di, Germany

• Mikhail Kuzmenko, HWURF, Russia.

Juncker’s new team for social dialogue and justice

EC pdt pledged for social fairness and social dialogue

Position Name Comments

Vice-President for the Euro and

Social Dialogue

Valdis

Dombrovskis

Latvia: former Prime Minister, Centre

Right (EPP)

Vice-President for Jobs, Growth,

Investment and Competitiveness

Jyrki Katainen Finland: former Prime Minister, Centre

Right (EPP)

Economic and Financial Affairs,

Taxation and Customs Union

Pierre

Moscovici

France: former finance and earlier

European affairs minister, Socialist (S&D)

Employment, Social Affairs, Skills

and Labour Mobility

Marianne

Thyssen

Belgium: MEP, Centre Right (EPP)

Former researcher at UNIZO

organisation for SMEs

Justice, Consumers and Gender

equality – Portfolio includes

heated issue of enforcing EU pay

curbs and bonus caps that have

infuriated financial barons.

Věra Jourová

Czech Rep: MP, centre left but with the

Liberal bloc in EP

Former Minister (regional development)

Objective: increase trust in judicial

system

Current issues Coordinated austerity across much of Europe:

• Cuts/freezes in public service jobs and pay

• Increase in unemployment, youth unemployment,

• Increase of inequalities and poverty including in work poverty ( 9 -10% of EU working population)

• No automatic reduction of debt/deficits e.g. Greece

• Pitting one population against another

Attacks on trade union rights and social dialogue - Hungary, Romania, Greece, Spain, Italy - some exceptions e.g. return of pay negotiations in Ireland (first time since 2009); collective bargaining maintained in Nordic countries

growing demand for public services, e.g. care and health services but seen as individual/market task, not collective responsibility = critical to reducing prison population

Unemployment – 2008/2014

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

EL ES CY HR PT SK IT BG IE LT LV FR SI PL FI BE HU SV EE RO NL DK UK LU CZ MT DE

2008

2014

6

EPSU Alternatives Public investment – shift focus to profits not wages, to

wealth/income redistribution, to public services

democracy in economic governance/EU semester

social dialogue at all levels, part of EU social model – TFEU

legal basis + EU charter of FHR + Relevance of international

obligations on trade union rights as part of fundamental rights

No further liberalisation/ yes to remunicipalisation trends:

EPSU European Citizens Initiative water campaign +

Thessaloniki local referendum, public procurement and

concessions Directives, EU bilateral trade agreements

TTIP, TISA, CETA

progressive taxation and fight corporate tax avoidance: FTT,

EPSU campaign “Europe’s missing €1Trillion” including research on scale of job cuts in tax administrations

Trade union rights International campaign for the right to strike

challenged by the employers at the ILO, action day

18/02/2015

Social dialogue in central government - SDC CGA

EUPAE-Employers’

platform:

1. Austria

2. Belgium

3. Czech Republic

4. France

5. Germany

6. Greece

7. Hungary

8. Italy

9. Lithuania

10. Luxembourg

11. Malta

12. Portugal

13. Romania

14. Slovakia

15. Spain

16. UK

EPSU-led TUNED: all EU/EEA except Slovenia

Work plan 2014-2015

• Ongoing negotiations on workers’ rights to information and consultation – to agree minimum standards

• Quality service project: follow up to Agreement (12.12.12)

• Health and safety: psycho social risks: planned for mid 2015

• Gender pay gap

• Response to EC consultations, EC strategy 20/20, restructuring, undeclared labour

• Affiliates-led projects, e.g.

EU legal framework on health & safety

Strong legal basis -TFEU article 153 + others

1989/391 Health and safety directive that applies to both private and

public sectors except army, police and certain “civil protection activities”

(in addition, 20 “ daughter” directives)

• Risk assessment obligation= culture of prevention

• Employers duty to care

• Improving H&S an objective “which should not be subordinated to

purely economic considerations”

• Obligation to consult workers representatives + training

EC consultation on working time directive –EPSU response by15/03/15

European stress agreement (cross-sectoral, 2004)

Violence/harassment related legislation or agreements - Employers duty

to protect workers against violence and harassment at work and to consult

• European harassment and violence Agreement (cross sectoral, 2007)

• Third-party violence guidelines (multisectoral, 2010)

• EPSU/Hospeem sharp prevention Agreement/Directive

• EU directives against sexual and racial harassment/violence

Health and safety 85% of workers satisfied with the health & safety situation in their

workplace (EB 2014) - due to legislation, policy actions, social partners

(EC).

However, > 4 000 workers die of accidents at work and > 3 million

workers are victims of a serious accident at work.

160 000 deaths annually attributed to work-related diseases, 95 000 of

which to occupational cancer.

1 in 4 workers in Europe report work-related stress, triggered by high work

intensity, family-work unbalance, harassment or monotonous tasks:

increase risk of accidents and mistakes. Long-term psychological pressure

can also lead to musculoskeletal or cardiovascular diseases.

Business case “ Costs due to work-related sick leave, diseases and

accidents are unacceptably high and put a heavy burden on

competitiveness and social security budgets” (EC) Studies show that for

each Euro invested in prevention the return ranges bet. Euros 1.29 &

2.89

the positive impact of healthy workplaces on growth is well known, much

evidence to support work being good for health, studies also show that

bad work is even worse for physical and mental health than unemployment

(RCN )

New EU framework on H&S 2014-20 (1)

In 2013, trade union including EPSU and affiliates respond

to EC consultations + joint responses with employers in

hospital, local and regional government, in central

government http://www.epsu.org/a/9117

In 2014, new Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at

Work 2014-2020 aiming to

• better implement current health & safety rules in all

workplaces regardless of size

• strengthen prevention of existing & emerging work-

related diseases –e.g. Troubles with bones, joints,

muscles as well as stress, anxiety and depression -

special attention to occupational cancers, asbestos, new

technologies (nanotechnologies)

• Tackle ageing workforce

• Evaluate health and safety rules, results foreseen for

end of 2015.

New EU framework on H&S 2014-20 (2)

Improve statistics, monitoring tools, practical support such

as online risk assessment, role of labour inspectorates and

social dialogue, simpler legislation, better cooperation with

ILO, WHO, raising awareness, synergies with other policy

areas and EU funds

Lack of recognition of trade unions role, of public resources,

holistic approach, no binding target and timetable (all

subject to pending review), no legislative proposals

Conflicts with EU better regulation agenda/reducing

administrative “burdens”, anti social dialogue climate and

blocking in Council of Social Partners Agreement on health

and safety in the hairdressing sector, revised pregnant

workers directive, carcinogens.. and regressive review of

working time directive.

Implications for prison services

Prison overcrowding: major source of H&S issues:

accelerate transmission of infectious diseases, impact on

mental health, rehabilitation capacity, working conditions

Impact of cuts (both in public health budget and prison

staff), understaffing

Diversity of prison population

Application of EU H&S legislation: shortcomings, e.g.

Spain, abuse of allowed exemptions

Shift/night work

Prison health ethos (Council of Europe, WHO) :

doctors/nurses have the sole duty to care for their patients,

should never be involved in security or punishment of

prisoners; should be independent from prison authorities;

should be part of health ministries.

Questions How will the EU framework be used at national level in relation to public

sector discussions on safety and health at work?

Are there specific challenges particularly pertinent to prison services we can include in the Social Dialogue in central government e.g. the 24 and 7 nature of the job? Projected staffing shortages/workload ? Public budgets? Resurgence of contagious diseases? Psychosocial risks? Social dialogue? Role of trade unions, labour inspectorates? Further evidence that good working conditions for staff improve detention outcomes?

What role for the EPSU Prison Network in monitoring the implementation of the EC strategy (review in 2016)? to map out key challenges and problems on the basis of today’s meeting and EPSU survey by LRD

To note, next EU Justice Council meeting on 12-13 March – update of EPSU statement 2012 Austerity is like putting salt into a wound”? http://www.epsu.org/IMG/pdf/EPSU_prison_justice_ministers_25-04.pdf

also 28 April 2015 Worker Memorial Day activities,