Activities of Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS related to 2015/2107(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
EU Strategic framework on health and safety at work 2014-2020 (A8-0312/2015 - Ole Christensen) EL
EU Strategic framework on health and safety at work 2014-2020 (debate) EL
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020 PDF (214 KB) DOC (150 KB)
Amendments (33)
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas good health, both mental and physical, is a fundamental right that hasis of positive value in itself;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the right to work in a proper health and safety environment is a fundamental employment right that is constantly under challenge as a result of the working conditions currently on offer for workers, who, faced with the prospect of unemployment and impoverishment, are forced to accept anything; whereas the economic crisis has been contributing to the aggravation of working conditions;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas preventing occupational risks and promoting health and safety at the workplace are fundamental ways of creating and maintaining healthier and safer working environments, improving working conditions and effectively combating workplace accidents and occupational diseases;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas identifying at-risk workers and detecting symptoms early are vital strategies for preventing musculoskeletal disorders, as is the introduction of a follow-up and monitoring system based on clinical assessments, in order to produce a more up-to-date reference model;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the present situation, with the widespread implementation of ‘austerity policies’ by the EU and its Member States, it is essential to discuss the 'social' cost of workplace accidents resulting from non-compliance, carelessness or negligence on the part of employers, who still regard health and safety at work as a cost;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the whole of society is overburdened by the cost of both workplace accidents and occupational diseases, and it should therefore be the employers of the workers affected who are liable for compensation;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the proportion of workers, who report their health and safety to be at risk because of their work, varies significantly across Member States14 and sectors of economic activity; __________________ 14 5th Working Conditions Survey, Overview Report, Eurofound (2012) http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/defa ult/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ ef1182en.pdf
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas work-related stress is the second most frequent health problem in Europe - after musculoskeletal disorders - and almost half of all workers consider it to be common at their workplace; whereas it accounts for almost half the number of working days lost each year and represents an annual cost to society put at EUR 240 billion;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the most common causes of work-related stress – precarious employment, longer working times, shorter rest periods, more intensive work patterns and competition among workers, as well as bullying by supervisors and managers – have increased with the austerity policies imposed on the peoples and workers of the Member States, largely as a result of the European Union Treaties;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas worker representation at company level and commitment from management is importantnecessary to successful risk prevention at the workplace15 ; __________________ 15 Worker representation and consultation on health and safety, EU-OSHA (2012) https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/repo rts/esener_workers-involvement
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas worker representation at company level and commitment from management is important to successful risk prevention at the workplace3, but the fight against workplace accidents, occupational diseases and psychosocial risks will be fully effective only if anthropocentric models are promoted in both business and public administration; __________________ 3 Worker representation and consultation on health and safety, EU-OSHA (2012) https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/repo rts/esener_workers-involvement
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. Whereas the EU needs sufficient resources to appropriately deal with workplace health and safety against the background of on-going traditional risks at work and continually emerging new risks like risks deriving from nanomaterials, psycho-social risks, aging of the workforce, demands concerning the mobility and flexibility of workers, or changes in the forms of employment;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. Whereas chronic health problems are widespread in the EU and the number of work-related diseases is alarmingly high, including an extreme high number of up to 192.000 work related annual deaths;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. Whereas the pandemic of asbestos related diseases is far from its end, and especially construction workers in maintenance, demolition, repair and similar occupations but also workers in other sectors are potentially exposed;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. Whereas low exposure to asbestos as for example in the environment or in schools and long latency periods can result in mesothelioma;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D f (new)
Recital D f (new)
Df. Whereas the precarisation of employment conditions is undermining existing structures of occupational safety and health and excludes workers with unstable contracts from training and access to OHS services;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D g (new)
Recital D g (new)
Dg. Whereas the fundamental role of European social partner organisations in the dynamic world of work is established in TFEU Art. 153 – 155;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that all employees have a right to the highest level of protection regarding health and safety in the workplace, which must be guaranteed regardless of the size of the employer, the underlying contract or the Member State of employment;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls on the Commission to work out a precise strategy to cover all forms of employment under the EU legislation on OHS and to integrate self-employment and other types of employment not covered into OHS services and training;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Calls on the Commission to rethink its SME concept which in its current form covers some 99 % of all companies and therefore does not allow making precise distinctions between varying conditions or needs of specific type of economic activity or company size;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to address the increasing number of musculoskeletal diseases resulting from working conditions;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. is concerned by the fact that some employers use the financial crisis as an excuse to reduce health and safety standards, and calls for better and more effective controls by the Member States in cooperation with the social partners;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that it is vital and necessary to ensurguarantee a safe and healthy working environment throughout people’s working life in order to achieve the goal of active and healthy ageing for all workers;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Urges the Council and the Commission to ensure that all EU trade agreements with third countries respect the obligation of the EU to improve the working environment in order to protect workers' health and safety;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. stresses furthermore that the participation of workers' organizations in planning national and risk assessment strategies both in public and in private sector are essential
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls for enhancing the role of trade unions, assuming its importance in informing, preventing, whistling and fighting against labour practices which are an offense to human dignity and reveal contrary to corporate social responsibility and decent work
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on Member States to ensure that the action taken by the authorities responsible for working conditions is coordinated with the judicial authorities, so as to hold to account employers who unlawfully and immorally violate the most basic human rights at the workplace;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on Member States to pass on to employers the costs relating to treatment of occupational diseases and accidents at work - the cost of drugs, sick-leave-related social security costs, the cost of rehabilitating and reintegrating workers, especially where occupational diseases that are work-related are involved, the cost of occupational-disease-based invalidity pensions, and the cost of exemptions in connection with transport and other public services for pensioners and persons with a disability, where those costs are attributable to poor working conditions;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. recalls that undeclared work is the most unprotected form of work and calls all Member states to develop practical tools both for control and compliance of employers using undeclared workers
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Calls on the Member States to strength public investment (both in terms of human and technical resources, but also in regarding financial means) headed for the supervision regarding the compliance of labour standards and for the sanctioning of their violation, and also headed for the promotion of specialized training in health and safety fields and for campaigns to aware, inform and to advice on issues concerned to labour relations;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes efforts to improve the quality of the regulatory framework; reminds the Commission, however, that the submission of OSH directives to the REFIT exercise and modifications of legislation should focus on further enhancing protection of employees, be transparent, involve social partners and must under no circumstances result in reductions in occupational health and safety provisions; reminds that EU Directives in this field are setting minimum standards and Member States are invited to implement higher standards and that the often used term of "gold- plating" is misleading and inappropriate in connection with EU OHS legislation;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the Commission to conduct a study, broken down by gender and age, into well-being and exposure to stress at work;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls on Member States to conduct studies, broken down by gender, age and area of economic activity, into the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders among the working population at national level, with a view to preventing and combating the emergence of these disorders;