European Hospital Social Partners to announce EU-wide agreement on Medical Sharps injuries

Calling Notice – European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)

First EU wide text agreed by Hospital trade unions and employers
set to prevent over one million injuries per year.

(8 June 2009, Brussels).
A European agreement, which is set to prevent over 1 million medical sharp injuries per year, for healthcare workers, will be announced tomorrow by the European Hospital Partners. The European Hospital Social Partners are:

The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)

The European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association (HOSPEEM)

The announcement will take place at the 8th congress of the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), before 600 trade union leaders.

Time: 09.00 Tuesday 9 June 2009

Venue: Main Hall Flagey Conference Centre, Place Flagey Bruxelles

The announcement will be made jointly by the European Hospital Partners as follows:

EPSU (trade Unions) – Karen Jennings (President EPSU health Committee)

HOSPEEM (hospital employers) – Godfrey Perera (General Secretary HOSPEEM)

Background:

The Social Partners (HOSPEEM and EPSU for hospital employees) met with Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Vladimir Spidla on 20 January 2009. Mr. Spidla expressed his support for the negotiations and stated that he was pleased that the European Social Dialogue process was being used to address such an important health and safety issue.
The aim of the negotiations (successfully concluded) was to reach a European-wide agreement on measures to tackle the issue of injuries from sharps (such as needlesticks) in hospitals. This issue has been estimated to cause up to one million injuries to healthcare staff per annum.
This is the first formal agreement between the European Hospital Social Partners.
Now that there has been a successful conclusion of the negotiations, over the summer this agreement will be converted into appropriate legal language with the cooperation of the European Commission.

There will then be a framework test for transposition into national legislation and collective bargaining agreements where appropriate.