The Role of Trade Union in Promoting OSH 2016 Tauvik Muhamad, Workers Education Expert, RMG Programme ILO Dhaka

Issues on OSH Workplace Workers’ rights on OSH Outline Issues on OSH Workplace Workers’ rights on OSH Why should union engage in OSH Union function and role in dealing with OSH Some empirical evidences What the RMG have done in dealing with OSH

What are the issues related to the OSH? Questions: What are the issues related to the OSH? Why should union involve in OSH?

Safety and health/ OSH Issues Safety and health/ OSH Issues *according to union workers (OSH Training) ISSUES 1. Cramped work environment in the factory 2. Too many machineries in the same floor 3. lack of PPE, those that are available are not usable 4. Lack of clean drinking water 5. Lack of proper ventilation 6. Lack of proper toilet 7. Workers are not aware of safety committee 8. Workers are restricted to form trade union 9. Health workers are not active 10. Female workers are not aware about using sanitary pads 11. Lack of separate rest rooms for female workers 12. Lack of day care centers 13. Workers are not aware about laws related to health care 14. Workers don’t get the right wage 15. Women workers are afraid to form TU PROPOSAL from union: Raising awareness among the workers about health safety Distributing leaflets Holding training on health and safety in factories Holding meeting with BGMEA

Why union should involve in OSH Every worker has a right to work in a safe environment and expect to come home from work in the same state of health as they left. Number of workers experienced a work-related injury or illness; Only workers who can voice their interests and concerns

How many rights embedded to the workers related to OSH?

33 Workers’ rights on OSH (among others) Defense rights (elimination of dangerous components, monitoring health safety, organizational measures for protection); Rights of information (national consultation, ask for information, training, etc.); Rights protection in case of emergency (first aid, left the job); Rights beyond enterprise (insurance, labour inspection, policy change); Rights to changes….(Preventive design, equipment change and conversion, correct location of hazardous activities)

Why Should Engage Workers (Union) on OSH? The Canadian Labour Congress cites a 1993 study done for the Canadian Ministries of Labour which concludes that union-supported health and safety committees have a significant "impact on reducing injury rates". (TUC) "Short history of occupational health," published last year in the Journal of Public Health Policy, notes: "It is important to recognize that throughout the often tragic history of worker health and disease, the worker played a primary role as the basis of every significant improvement in legislation, factory inspection, compensation, correction, and prevention."

Convention 155 on OSH Labour Law/ Implementing Rules - Workers representative (workers reps elected by workers, - gender consideration) OSH Committee (Involving union) Number of Workers Max Size of committee Below 500 6 From 501 to 1000 8 From 1001 to 3000 10 From 3001 and above 12

Convention 155 on OSH Convention 155 on OSH Article 19 There shall be arrangements at the level of the undertaking under which-- Workers, in the course of performing their work, co-operate in the fulfilment by their employer of the obligations placed upon him; Representatives of workers in the undertaking co-operate with the employer in the field of occupational safety and health; Representatives of workers in an undertaking are given adequate information on measures taken by the employer to secure occupational safety and health and may consult their representative organisations about such information provided they do not disclose commercial secrets; Workers and their representatives in the undertaking are given appropriate training in occupational safety and health; Workers or their representatives and, as the case may be, their representative organisations in an undertaking, in accordance with national law and practice, are enabled to enquire into, and are consulted by the employer on, all aspects of occupational safety and health associated with their work; for this purpose technical advisers may, by mutual agreement, be brought in from outside the undertaking; A worker reports forthwith to his immediate supervisor any situation which he has reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to his life or health; until the employer has taken remedial action, if necessary, the employer cannot require workers to return to a work situation where there is continuing imminent and serious danger to life or health. Article 20 Co-operation between management and workers and/or their representatives within the undertaking shall be an essential element of organisational and other measures taken in pursuance of Articles 16 to 19 of this Convention. Article 21 Occupational safety and health measures shall not involve any expenditure for the workers.

Identification risks; Share information and training; TRADE UNION ROLE ON OSH Identification risks; Share information and training; Organizing collective action; Building culture safety

Identification risks (1) Making visible the invisible; Union close to the workers and know about workplace - To protect and prevent;

Share information and training (2) Turning individual issues to collective issue/ solution; Union/ workers’ representative share workers concern/ issues; Information sharing and knowledge through training for collective bargaining and policy change (at workplace, sectoral and national); The need to have a mechanism (Workers representative, Union- CB, OSH Committee)

Organizing collective actions (3) Organizing, action, evaluate and follow-up; Social dialogue and collective bargaining (PC, OSH Committee and Collective Bargaining Agreement); Principle for protection (prevention and hierarchy of control)

Building safety culture (4) Building a culture of prevention: A safe workplace; Action, policy, organizing, planning, and Action for improvement

Empirical studies; Benefit of workers/ union engagement in OSH Later studies for the Ontario Workplace Health and Safety Agency "found that 78-79% of unionised workplaces reported high compliance with health and safety legislation while only 54-61% of non-unionised workplaces reported such compliance." US academic Adam Seth Litwin, the London School of Economics, concluded a review last year of health and safety in UK workplaces that unions dramatically improve safety in even the most hazardous workplaces. A non-union office worker was, by Litwin's calculations, 13 times more likely to suffer an injury than was a closed-shop union worker on an industrial assembly line.

Union can play role on a life saving role Union can play important role in promoting OSH A 1995 World Bank report noted: "Trade unions can play an important role in enforcing health and safety standards. Individual workers may find it too costly to obtain information on health and safety risks on their own, and they usually want to avoid antagonizing their employers by insisting that standards be respected. "A union can spread the cost of obtaining information on health and safety issues among all workers, bargain with employers on the level of standards to be observed, and monitor their enforcement without putting any individual worker at risk of losing his or her job. "Studies in industrial countries indicate that the role of labour unions in ensuring compliance with health and safety standards is often an important one."

Beyond workplace In addition social dialogue at the enterprises (OSH Committee or other forms): Participate in the preparation, implementation and review of national OSH policies and programmes; Participate and contribute to the development, strengthening and review of the national OSH systems; Work to set up tripartite National OSH Councils;

Modules MODULES

Outreach activities through TOR Approach

Union needs to work together “How many safety problems are there in your factory?” calls out the trainer. “We have 14,” shouts out one group of women, “We have 25,” yells out another. “Who can help solve them?” “The union!” booms back the reply. “The union alone?” “No. The employers and government need to help too.”

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