Health and Safety
Union signs stress agreement with ministry of finance
The ROTAL state and local government employees’ union has signed an agreement with the ministry of finance on recommended principles for maintaining mental health in the work environment. The agreement recognises that a large proportion of civil servants are exposed to intellectual and psychological challenges in their daily work, and that maintaining mental health in the work environment is therefore a key occupational safety issue. The agreement will allow for a range of measures to be taken to mitigate psycho-social risk factors such as making work organization and the workplace suitable
Strong support for COVID strike and victory for court staff
The PCS public and commercial services union reports strong support for its second round of strike action at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority in South Wales. Other unions and Labour MPs have backed the action which aims to secure improved health and safety provision at a workplace that has seen some of the highest rates of COVID infections anywhere in the country. Meanwhile the union is also celebrating a positive result from strike action taken by its members working in the court service but employed by the OCS multinational. They secured a new two-year agreement backdated to April
Momentum gathers for a #peoplesvaccine against COVID-19
Following the welcome announcement on 5 May by President Biden that the US Government will no longer oppose lifting IPR patent protection in the WTO TRIPS agreement for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, all eyes are now on the upcoming EU Trade Council meeting on 20 May.
EPSU organizes event to demand better working conditions for Care Workers
On Tuesday, 4th May, EPSU together with Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung (FES), the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, Kommunal and Arena Idé organized a conference to raise awareness of the extraordinary challenges care workers had to face during the COVID-19 pandemic.