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Sten Gellerstedt, LO, SwedenETUC seminar in RIGA 11 -12 October 2005

Sten GellerstedtResearch officer

The Swedish Trade Union ConfederationLO


How a trade unions can use the Stress Agreement



How a trade union can use the Stress Agreement

A. The Swedish legal and contractual framework.

B. Swedish unions implementation of the Stress Agreement

C. How to use the Stress Agreement

ETUC seminar in RIGA 11 -12 October 2005


The legal framework

The legislations requirements of the work:

“Technology, work organisation and job content shall be designed in such a way that the employee is not subjected to physical or mental strains which can lead to ill-health or accidents.”

Sten Gellerstedt, LO, Sweden

B

B

b


The legal framework

The legislation states:

“The employee shall be given the opportunity of

participating in the design of his own working situation and in processes of change affecting his work.

Sten Gellerstedt, LO, Sweden

B

B

b


Legal binding provisionsSystematic Work Environment Management,

which employers has to follow. These rules include trade union participation.


Systematic work environment management - five steps

Follow up

Implement

Find solution

Assess risks

Policy and routines

Based on EC Directive 89/391/EEC: Improvement safety and health of workers at work.


Assess risks Find solutions

ImplementFollow up

Policy & Routines

Systematic work environment management

A wheel for monitoring & control of health and safety, with Policy and Routines as the hub


Systematic work environment management

The trade unions like it- We are involved early,- can call for investigations,- can give suggestions

- Motivate us and gives us time to talk about H&S

- However, we are only advisors, we can’t impose sanctions


Step 1. Agree on a policy and routines

The policy concerning working conditions and routines for the management of the human factor. The outcome of the policy should regularly be discussed within the work team.

We try to get a policy in the collective agreement.


Step 2. Assess risksWhen larger changes to the activity are being planned or if a team meets problems, risk assessment shall be performed. Findings shall be discussed within the team.

We can require such an assessment


Step 3. Find solutions

The work team shall be involved in developing the solutions.


Step 4. Implement

Measures and solutions should be settled upon and carried out. Measures which cannot be fulfilled immediately shall be entered into a plan. The plan should have a clear scheduling, indicating priorities and responsible persons.


Step 5. Follow up

The results of the accomplished measures should be monitored as well as the fulfilment of the plan. Key indicators should be used that verify accomplishment or the necessity of further actions, e.g. revisions of routines.


- 60% says yes in industry

- 33% women says yes in the service sector

Answer: Not yet

Does this management system work?


- An agreed translation is ready

- A letter of intention on the implementation in the private sector

- Soon a letter of intention in the municipal sector

Swedish unions implementation


- We have guidelines and education programmes dealing with stress at work and its effects.

- Seminar are planned to be held with member organisations of how to apply the Stress Agreement.

- High work intensity at low manning are among questions to be solve.

Swedish unions implementation


Supplement the Systematic Work Environment Management Act a collective agreement on:

- Tools for identifying and assessing problems.

- A procedure of how to take a dispute when you do not agree

C. How to use the Stress Agreement


Pain in neckand shoulders

Assess risk


Both technical and organisational reasons


Find solutions

1. Gather the safety representatives

2. Discuss solutions

3. Take an initiative: improve your collective agreement

Use the Stress Agreement as an argument.


Find solutions

• Motivate your own trade union leadership

• Set up a working group with the employers organisation

• Joint meetings with employers, main customers (if needed), work environment authorities and external expertise,


Which way?


Does it work?

Answer – it happens• If the members are active and push the question.• The employer has to report to his organisation that

his workers want to sole the problem.


How to get information from the workers into the agreement?

Obstacles, the union H&S officer:

• Has limited time • Limited knowledge about stress• Can’t argue in favour of specific details


Tasks for the union

• Convince the union leadership to allocate resources• Make priorities

– Education and training about stress – Identify most important problems– Create a simple net-work and report system

• Participate in the national groups• Apply for government money


You remember this?


Trade union pushed for good standards and job-rotation


Talk to each other… just as an operator assesses his machine from listening to its sound, so may the team learn to diagnose their well-being by talking about it and listening to each other.


United we stand