Asia and Pacific
Unions call for more emphasis on preventing workplace accidents and diseases
A symposium of union participants and ILO experts in Jakarta says preventative culture must become a priority.
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The trade union representatives from 14 countries drew up a series of recommendations to enhance regional cooperation of trade unions on OSH. They urged action by all the unions in promoting the shift from behaviour based safety and health to prevention, ratification and implementation of the key ILO standards on OSH (Convention No 155, its 2002 Protocol and Convention No 187), training and education of trade union leaders, and awareness-raising among management and workers on hazards and risks as well as preventative measures.
Other recommendations included: campaigning for the right to decent work; promoting workers’ and their representatives’ involvement in design, implementation and monitoring in the field of OSH at all levels from workplace to national; promoting rehabilitation and right to return to work for injured workers; strengthening cooperation with authorities and labour inspectorates to ensure improved workplace compliance and lobby for strengthened and effective inspectorates.
Union representatives stressed on the need for decent work-led rights based approach to health and socio-economic security of workers. To promote this, it is necessary that government take steps to ensure that workers have effective right to organize, to union recognition and to collective bargaining is guaranteed.
In addition, the participants called for the integration of OSH into the Decent Work Country Programmes.
It is expected that the participants will share the outcome and the recommendations with trade unions in their respective countries and use them when building union OSH strategies.
For more information, please contact:
Vera Guseva,
Specialist in Workers Activities
Tel: +41 22 799 61 07
Email: