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TRADE UNIONS IN SPAIN RECENTLY won a famous victory which should lead to a new law and a big improvement in conditions in the country's giant construction industry. For six years the FECOMA building union had been trying to reform practices which have led to 95% of Spanish building companies having less than 25 workers, 70% employing less than 5 and the number of so-called 'self-employed' in the industry outnumbering all employees. Long chains of sub-contractors mean that investment in training, management and planning is practically non-existent. Not surprisingly this 'out of control' industry has the highest accident rate of any construction sector in Europe with thousands being injured every year.
FECOMA's proposal for reform was backed by a petition of the parliament signed by 600,000 people and the new Socialist government have agreed to debate it. The final law is expected to create a register of all subcontractors, which will have to be authorised to operate in the construction sector, while local authorities will be charged with verifying compliance with legal minima. It will place limits on the quantity of work that can be contracted out, and will prohibit subcontracting chains.
Fernando Serrano, Secretary General of Spanish building union FECOMA celebrates victory outside parliament
CRITICISM OF MOVES TO soften health and safety enforcement in the UK, which already comes out badly in world league tables (see our last issue), will be strengthened by recent experience in Eire. Here authorities have moved towards the voluntarist, education and information approach that has been advocated by the Health and Safety Commission in Britain, but recent figures have alarmed the authorities sufficiently to put the programme into reverse. Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority, Tom Beegan, announced a two-pronged preventative and enforcement strategy in reaction to recent accident figures: 'I am deeply concerned that 2005 has started out with eight fatalities so far, making it the worst January in a decade'. He unveiled the authority's programme of work for 2005 which includes an increase in the number of workplace inspections, something safety campaigners in the U.K. have long demanded, as well as the establishment of a special investigations unit. Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen, commented: 'The key emphasis is on the prevention of workplace accidents. We cannot take our foot off the pedal in terms of enforcement, inspection of workplaces and making awareness a top priority'.
The European health and safety body, TUTB, has published a summary of the concerns that unions think must be addressed by the new EU strategy to be announced for 2006-2010. Eight areas are outlined where H & S needs to be strengthened.
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Occupational health : Eight priority action areas for Community policy by Laurent Vogel is available, price €10, from: |
TUTB 5 bd du Roi Albert II B-1210 Brussels,, BELGIUM. |
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