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Global OHS Programme
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| Launched in May 2000, the IFBWW Global Programme "Healthy work, Healthy development" aims to assist affiliates with improvements in structure and strategy on occupational health, safety and the environment. |
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It also aims to create solid local, national, regional and global networks on health and safety that will consist principally of trained trade union officers and workers' representatives, with good contacts and information resources. Central to this improvement in structure and networking are the IFBWW’s health and safety coordinators.
Although the political and economic context of the countries involved has deteriorated sometimes sharply, one can observe a distinct improvement of the trade union activity around health and safety issues. The reason is clear, there is a deterioration of the working conditions in all sectors due to the growing insecurity of contractual conditions, that pushes health and safety issues to the centre of the trade union concerns and makes it a strategic focus for organizing. The struggle for an effective improvement in the health and safety conditions is emerging as a crucial component of the workers movement against the deterioration of their working conditions.
The trade union focus of the safety, health and environment (SHE) programme is the key to its popularity. Health and safety is not so much technical or medical but rather it is a basic component of trade union policy for daily workers activity. Even quite modest improvements are very visible and tangible, and readily lead to further achievements like health and safety is a strong area for unions to get improvements in legislation and policy and make positive contribution to prevention of injuries and ill health in the workplace. This is achieved through campaigns, orientation on collective bargaining, tripartite work to improve national legislation and policy in IFBWW sectors, combined with the political focus in defence of workers rights to dignity and democracy in the workplace and the link to employment security and skills training.
Principal lines of activity includes: Institutional participation - to increase trade union contribution in tripartite and bipartite structures at international, national, and local levels. Participation in the work place and collective bargaining - to facilitate the training of trade union representatives, the establishment of committees and the negotiation of company health and safety policies. Global health and safety campaigns - including a world-wide ban on all new uses of asbestos, and for better controls over work with existing asbestos in situ. International Workers' Memorial Day, 28th of April. Education and training - for trade union officials and representatives to help them organize effectively on health and safety. |
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