A majority of European Union member states are failing to support health and safety at work as a fundamental and international right according the trade union umbrella organisations ETUC and ITUC.
In June, the ILO agreed to make two Health and Safety Conventions (155 and 187) into core conventions – making them a fundamental right. However, while EU MS supported these conventions, the majority of EU member states have still not ratified both of these conventions themselves. At the start of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work (24-28 October 2022) ETUC and ITUC urged EU countries to ratify both conventions and recognise health and safety as a fundamental right.
To visualise the stay of play, EU countries are grouped in 3 categories by ETUC:
- RED – 7 member states have ratified neither C155 nor C187: Italy, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia and Malta
- AMBER – 9 member states have ratified one but not the other convention: Germany, France, The Netherlands, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Ireland and Latvia
- GREEN – 11 member states have ratified both conventions: Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Luxembourg and Cyprus.
La Strada International joins the call of ETUC and ITUC and hopes EU MS will soon all have ratified both conventions.