Agency welcomes social partner agreement on work-related stress
News release -
13.10.2004
Work-related stress is Europe’s second biggest occupational health problem, after back pain, accounting for more than half of all staff absenteeism. It is against this serious background and in response to the consultation under article 138 of the Treaty launched by the European Commission, that Europe’s social partners (UNICE, ETUC, UEAPME, CEEP) have signed an agreement that provides a framework for employers and workers to identify and prevent or manage problems of work-related stress. At the same time the social partners have announced their intention to explore the possibilities of reaching a specific agreement on the equally important issues of harassment and violence at work.
Work-related stress is Europe’s second biggest occupational health problem, after back pain, accounting for more than half of all staff absenteeism. It is against this serious background and in response to the consultation under article 138 of the Treaty launched by the European Commission, that Europe’s social partners (UNICE, ETUC, UEAPME, CEEP) have signed an agreement that provides a framework for employers and workers to identify and prevent or manage problems of work-related stress. At the same time the social partners have announced their intention to explore the possibilities of reaching a specific agreement on the equally important issues of harassment and violence at work.
The director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, commented: “Work-related stress is a growing problem affecting the lives of millions of Europeans. If we are to reverse this trend, workers and employers have to join forces to tackle the problem. The agreement signed by Europe’s social partners is indeed a historic step forward as it recognises the need for a systematic preventive effort and the Agency warmly welcomes it.”
Ends
Further information
Press contacts:
Bilbao:
Andrew Smith, email: smith@osha.europa.eu European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Tel: +34 94 479 57 33
Other enquiries: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain, email: information@osha.europa.eu, fax: +34 94 479 4383.
3. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was set up by the European Union to help meet the information needs in the field of occupational safety and health. Based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency aims to improve the lives of people at work by stimulating the flow of technical, scientific and economic information between all those involved in occupational safety and health issues.
