• Index Seminar Reports  • Introduction  • Baltic Region  • Central Europe • Participants • Seminar Proceedings • Survey results • Using a questionnaire survey • Group work results on using a questionnaire survey • Identifying priority OSHE issues • Round-up of priority issues • Formulating trade union policy on priority issues • Summary of group work • Developing a strategy for action • Results of group work: Planning a strategy for action • Conclusions  • South-East Europe  • Ukraine and Russia  Survey Reports  • Regional Summary  • Bulgaria  • Czech Republic  • Estonia  • Hungary  • Lithuania  • Russia  • Slovakia  • Ukraine  • Data

Sub-Regional OSHE Experts Seminar for Trade Unions in Central Europe

This seminar gathered participants from trade union confederations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary and the Slovak Republic. The vast majority were experts on occupational safety and health and/or the environment, and they represented workers in very different sectors - mining, agriculture, metalworking, chemicals, construction, transport, telecommunications, hospitals, and public services. Most had participated in development of national OSH legislation, some were union inspectors, and some members of collective bargaining committees. Some individuals had participated in the questionnaire survey. Only Croatia and some of the Hungarian unions had not participated in the survey. Of the 19 participants, three were women (one each from the Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovakia). The three resource persons were women: Annie Rice from the SafeWork Programme of the ILO, Eszter SzabÛ from ILO-CEET, and Margita Ancicova, local coordinator from KOZ SR. A full participants list is attached at the end of this seminar report.

Seminar Proceedings

The seminar was opened by Mr. Eugen Skultety, Vice-president of KOZ SR for trade union policy, and also addressed by Mr. Vojtech Krupa, Head of the Occupational Safety and Health Department of KOZ SR. These stated that OSH and collective bargaining are among the most important activities of KOZ SR, and that the survey and the seminar will help to further these activities. The findings of the survey have to be seen in relation to transformation of the economy and privatisation with splitting of former big companies, all of which mean that OSH is becoming even more important. On the local level it is obvious that legislation is not being applied, which has a negative effect on workers’ health. Financial concerns are taking precedence over OSH requirements, and employees are reticent or not courageous enough to take action. A major effort will have to be made by union OSH experts and inspectors. The survey will help develop the necessary steps for action.

Annie Rice gave an overview of the survey results as they applied to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. (Participants had copies of each country report of the survey findings, in English and in local languages.)

The coordinators of the survey in the three countries also gave an overview of the logistics of carrying out the survey. The survey was a welcomed exercise which gave results that can be used for unions to help improve conditions at the workplace. The questionnaire was considered comprehensive and easy to understand with no open-ended questions.

Translation and terminology proved to be problematic in some questions where exact terms were not known, at least in Hungarian. Concerning distribution and carrying out of the questionnaire, usually the different trade unions from the Confederations were briefed on aims and procedures, with the choice of worksites and representivity regarding sector and size left to them. The Confederations thus had no influence or control over the respondents. One result of this is that the survey could not be considered as representative of the countries’ workplaces in general. For example, mining represents just 1% of the labour force in the Czech Republic but 30% of the questionnaire replies. But the major aim of the exercise was to provide the unions with information on members’ concerns and control structures on the shop floor on which to base their future actions. In this respect, the questionnaire succeeded, and participants could use their results, or use the questionnaire in a refined form for individual sectors for example. Participants who had not taken part in the survey expressed interest in using the questionnaire. A major drawback concerned the timing of the questionnaire. For various reasons time was short, which meant that in some cases only one month was available to distribute the questionnaire, get respondents to answer it and get it back to the Confederations. In addition this had to take place over the summer months when many enterprises are on holiday, so that many more replies could have been forthcoming. In spite of this, the Czech Republic returned 678 usable questionnaires, Hungary 571 and Slovakia 386.

Using a questionnaire survey

The aims of this exercise were:

• to help the participants implement an OSHE survey at the local level

• to analyse the steps to be taken and the possible obstacles

• identify what to do with the results of the survey

The questionnaire that was used for the ILO survey is available for anyone to use, but it was designed with an international comparison in mind. It can be refined and adjusted to local conditions and for specific union needs. In either case, using a questionnaire has to be well thought-out in advance, to define the aims, decide on distribution, choice of industry, workplaces, etc., how data will be collected, timing,, how to use results, etc. Small group work allowed the participants to come up with some action plans on specific issues. A detailed table of results of the group work on this activity follows, but key findings from group work and discussions include:

Aim of questionnaire:

• Survey of communication procedures between union health and safety committees and management (Czech Republic). There is no legislation on communication procedures in the Czech Republic so that different methods are used from industry to industry.

• Survey to see how familiar members are with OSHE legislation and how they help implement it at the workplace. (Croatia).

• Survey on election of union health and safety representatives and their rights (Hungary). Hungarian legislation allows for the election of safety representatives, but in reality only one-third of workplaces have taken this up. The unions want mandatory election of safety reps in workplaces of more than 50 employees, but there is tough opposition from employers.

• Survey of working conditions in the metal-working industries (Slovakia)

Developing and using a questionnaire survey on OSHE issues is an ideal opportunity for collaboration between unions; where several confederations existed these should work together on a survey (Hungary). Most of the participants would make use of branch unions for distribution and collection (Czech Republic, Slovakia.), with union health and safety representatives at the workplace as respondents. The use of a web site for a questionnaire was raised by Croatia, as most employees in this particular company have access to the technology needed.

It was estimated that the total number of respondents in such a survey could represent a minimum of 20-25% of local unions affiliated to the Confederations. Using a web site and bulletins, Croatia reckoned it was just about possible to reach all employees targeted in one company.

None of the participants would make use of interviews. Although using trained interviewers is a good method of making sure respondents understand the questions, it is very costly for unions.

The immediate goals were obviously to get an overview of the current situation and to make an analysis for further work (Czech Republic and Slovakia). The survey could also be seen as an awareness-raising exercise, to inform workers of their legal rights concerning OSHE (Croatia) and to improve competencies of representatives (Hungary). In the long-term it was important for legislation or established procedures to be developed that workers and their unions could rely on to assert their rights in order to help improve working conditions

It was thought essential to keep workers, respondents and union leaders informed of the goals of the survey, the procedures and results. This would help overcome any reticence, especially on the part of workers and respondents who may be indifferent or fear they will not be allowed the time from employers to complete the questionnaire.

An important consideration was what would be done with the results. All the participants envisaged using the data and subsequent analysis to back up their campaigns for improvements, to share the information with employers and government officials such as the State inspectorate and to raise awareness amongst members. In more concrete terms, the results would be used to develop guidelines for the union, draft amendments to legislation and for negotiations with employers.

Focusing on young school-leavers, apprentices and students in vocational training centres should be considered as this has proved very effective in Slovakia, where the unions found young construction workers to be receptive to their efforts to raise awareness on OSH matters. This would help spread a safety culture to SMEs, where many young people work.

Working with other institutes to improve working conditions can attract the funding necessary to improve conditions. This has been done in a previous questionnaire survey in Slovakia where the unions, in collaboration with the Institute of Preventive Clinical Medicine, collected data in the mining and quarrying industries. Based on the results, health examinations and general health care for miners was improved. Funds were raised and money earmarked for monitoring equipment. The World Health Organisation also supports the monitoring for sulphur dioxide, heavy metals, etc. A future study is planned in cooperation with a French Institute on carcinogens in mines using diesel locomotives and engines, whereby funds have been promised for purchase of equipment and newer technology.

The problem of multinational enterprises setting up in the Region and transposing their own systems of work was cited as a particular problem that is creating stress as regards work organisation. This should be investigated to determine the extent and effects of imposed customs such as overtime, out-sourcing, working in open-plan workstations (not widespread in the Region), flexible working time and full-time availability (through mobile telephony).

Group work results on using a questionnaire survey

The aims of this exercise were:

• to help identify different issues concerning OSHE

• to help think about local concerns of union members

• to help think about priorities for the union.

Using the survey results as a guide, the participants were asked to come up with a list of concerns they thought might affect their members and to put some kind of priority on these concerns. Four groups were each given a specific area to consider - safety, health, organisational or work-related environmental problems. It was pointed out that some of the conclusions from the survey may not be relevant to some participants’ particular national or local situation, but it would be interesting to compare their views with the results from the shop floor.

Key findings from group work and discussions show that:

Even basic safety problems such as noise, dust, humidity, vibration, radiation, uncomfortable working positions are widespread in the Region. The worst risks stem from equipment and machinery which have immediate effects on workers in the form of injuries, or in general wear and tear on the body. A lack of preventive maintenance and good working procedures also contribute to a high accident rate. The problem remains of how to make management responsible for providing a safe working environment, by defining safety rules and implementing them, and training in safety procedures - in other words, management should have a preventive policy on OSHE.

Work still needs to be done on a national level, especially as regards ill-thought-out laws and inadequate enforcement of current legislation. Legislation may stipulate that the employer is responsible for OSH and has to pay for improvements, but it may not define what constitutes a problem. Advisory services of State Labour Inspection need to be developed. Development of a national country-wide survey and report on health conditions at the workplace will help in this context.

Stress is becoming a number one concern in transition countries. The major aim is to reduce stress from new working methods, especially those imported with foreign enterprises. Local people are not used to working in open-plan work stations and the lack of socialisation that goes with out-sourcing. Foreign companies’ goals should be adjusted for different types of local conditions.

Work-related environmental impact is an important area that is not fully appreciated on the shop floor, as shown by the survey. There is an important union role in raising the environmental awareness of workers, and relating this to improvement of living conditions. Employee initiatives are being encouraged and pressure being put on employers to develop good environmental policies, including minimisation of waste and recycling - in other words, unions should encourage green company practices and individual lifestyles.

The aims of this session were to:

• help develop a union policy on identified OSHE issues

• help think about what action is needed to realistically carry out the policy.

It was basically an exercise in thinking through what action needs to be carried out by the union in response to a particular priority issue (identified through the survey and the previous sessions of the seminar), and how and when that action should be carried out. The aim was not to come up with a fully-developed union policy, but rather guidelines on how to look at problems and the means of tackling them over the longer-term. Using the activity sheet on "Formulation of a trade union policy on priority issues", each group was asked to consider an issue of concern from all four previous categories: safety-related issues, health-related issues, organisational, and work-related environmental issues. A summary of key findings follows:

Legal provisions may exist but are often not applied in the Region. For example, a new Ordinance from 1997 in Slovakia obliges employers to provide personal protective equipment, but most employers still follow the older laws concerning provision of PPE. In Croatia, legislation stipulates that machinery has to be labelled with safety instructions but this is rarely the case in reality. Solutions at local level revolve around collective bargaining to get a commitment from employers.

Atypical work is a problem of increasing concern, as witnessed in previous sessions and again in this, where out-sourcing, self-employment, and labour leasing, likened to slavery, were strongly protested. As a relatively new concern in Hungary, atypical work is not regulated under the Labour Code, but it is estimated that about one million people can be currently classified in this category.

Likewise, company health services and the quality and coverage of health examinations at the workplace were of major concern. While larger companies are generally in a better position and can afford to have their own health services, innovative ideas have to be found to help smaller enterprises, through grouping of services, agreements with insurance companies and local doctors, for example.

An international awareness exists among the unions, particularly as regards environmental issues, and the need to work internationally is well developed. Joining international campaigns was seen as a way to publicise a particular issue and project a positive image, e.g. Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28^th each year, the European campaign on musculoskeletal disorders.

Collective bargaining and campaigns on different issues need reliable data to back them up. Most of the initiatives (see following tables for details) stressed the need to collect local hard data through surveys, checklists of conditions at a worksite, etc., and a thorough analysis of the situation before issuing recommendations or negotiating agreements.

Overtime working is another problem in the Region. Although there are legal limits on overtime (150 hours per year in the Czech Republic), this is abused. Participants from Slovakia and the Czech Republic would like to see changes in the organisation of work and press for better wage conditions as means of reducing overtime. Trade unions are in a delicate situation at the moment as workers who rely on overtime for a living wage may leave the union if they see them urging for stricter limits on overtime.

Training of osh representatives to identify hazards and evaluate risks and negotiate for improvements, training and educating workers in safe work practices were seen as the most important means of improving oshe conditions on the shop floor. Many of the participants had already identified training materials which could be adapted and/or translated to suit local conditions and needs.

The aims of this session were:

• to think about how to implement an action plan at the local level on priority issues

• to analyse the steps and possible obstacles in detail.

This exercise was about being prepared and thinking through any possible obstacles, that may arise, for there will almost certainly be problems in setting up any action plan - lack of resources, already overworked experts and local representatives, management and even governments may not like some proposals for study or improvement, etc. Using the activity sheet "Planning a strategy for action", group work and discussion came up with the following key findings:

Priority problems:

New work organisation, particularly outsourcing, associated with foreign companies. Even though the links between this and health and safety of employees are not immediately clear, there is the risk of stress, lack of safety training, isolation, etc. (Croatia and Czech Republic).

Hazardous wastes and how to recognise and handle them from a trade union perspective. Hazardous waste is an urgent problem in Hungary, both to community and to workers. It is important to identify the hazards associated with waste, assess the quantities involved, and establish a system for collecting and handling of wastes, through discussions with all relevant parties - trade unions, employers, government, environmental NGOs.

Exhaust fumes from diesel engines. Old trains and heavy loading equipment in underground coal and magnesite mines are releasing diesel fumes which have carcinogenic potential and are causing respiratory problems and asthma (Slovakia).

Concerning development of legislation, trade unions need to be involved from the earliest stages, but this is problematic in some areas at the moment. In Croatia for example, unions receive draft legislation with only eight days to comment on it. European legislation stipulates that local workers keep their rights for at least one year from entry of their foreign employer, and Poland has the situation that foreign employers cannot lay off workers within three years. Fighting for workers’ rights in the process of new forms of work organisation must be through collective agreements. Information on the transposition of EU legislation is urgently needed.

Starting a project within an established programme may come up against fewer obstacles. The Hungarian participants, for example, looked at the problem of hazardous waste knowing that longer term trade union goals could take advantage of a government environmental programme and job creation scheme already under way. The Slovakian participants also thought through a project that was already progressing well. International funding had been found for this from France, mine visits carried out and project proposals submitted. The employers involved have agreed to work together with the unions to solving problems. A pilot study will soon be underway to evaluate data in three mines.

Hazardous work and grading of workplaces according to hazard is still widespread in the Region. Records from occupational health services show that high risk conditions are linked to workplaces assessed as grades 3 or 4, the two most hazardous gradings. Workers in these workplaces are entitled to regular health examinations, but this is not the case for workers in grade 1 or 2 workplaces. Hazard pay and other benefits for working in dangerous conditions is deeply rooted, so that work has to be carried out to change the attitudes in this respect. Employers who see prevention and control measures as costly have to see that accidents and ill-health are also costly and if they are made to pay their full share of costs then they may be more amenable to prevention. Ways of making prevention financially more attractive have to be found. Legislation and the role of labour inspectors also have to change from a system of certification of dangerous workplaces to one of risk assessment and advice on preventive aspects.

Using international trade unions and union colleagues in other countries was seen as an important and effective way of getting information, particularly as regards the operations of MNEs. But dealing on an international level should not detract from the importance of also getting local information, which is important to get the support of local members and to be seen to be acting on their concerns.

Improvements can only come about through the efforts of all relevant parties. Trade unions have to work with employers and their financial management as some recommendations for improvements may be costly, medical personnel, government institutions, relevant NGOs, especially in environmental issues, and all levels of the union.

The participants were very appreciative of the survey and there was an overwhelming commitment to using the results - not to let them just gather dust. The unions fully intend to use them not only to develop priorities and strategies at Confederation and at branch levels, but also for sharing and negotiating with employers, state administration, labour inspectors, etc. Some will adapt the questionnaire to survey specific groups of workers, e.g. metalworkers.

There was also an enthusiasm for reproducing the practical ideas and training techniques in developing the unions’ own policies and action plans when they return home. There was a commitment to start on preparatory activities to this end immediately.

• Czech Republic

  • Lubos Pomajbik CMKOS

  • Viktor Kempa CMKOS

  • Helena Bart· kova CMKOS

  • Milan Tesinsky CMKOS

• Croatia

  • Visnja Trosic Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia

  • Vladimir Kovar Independent Trade Unions of Croatia

• Hungary

  • P· l Gergely ASZSZ

  • G· bor Haubert Š SZT

  • Endre Sztupj· nszky LIGA

  • JÛ zsef PerÈ nyi MOSZ

  • G· bor Borhidi MSZOSZ

  • J· nos Rib· nszky SZEF

• Slovak Republic

  • Tibor L· znicka KOZ SR

  • Jaroslav Hrvol KOZ SR

  • MagdalÈ na Jurcikov· KOZ SR

  • J· n BacÌ k KOZ SR

  • Vojtech Krupa KOZ SR

  • Jozsef Soska KOZ SR

  • Juraj Horniak KOZ SR

• Resource persons

  • Annie Rice SafeWork, ILO

  • Eszter SzabÛ ILO-CEET

  • Margita Ancicova KOZ SR (local coordinator)

[ Index | Introduction | Baltic Region | Central Europe | South-East Europe | Ukraine and Russia ]
[ Participants | Seminar Proceedings | Survey results |  Using a questionnaire survey | Group work results on using a questionnaire survey | Identifying priority OSHE issues | Round-up of priority issues | Formulating trade union policy on priority issues | Summary of group work | Developing a strategy for action| Results of group work: Planning a strategy for action ]