Moldovan unionists join call for stronger occupational safety measures

Moldova's unionists have stressed the urgent need to develop and adopt a national strategy in the area of occupational health and safety. They also campaign for the signing of collective labor agreements, development of specific internal regulations and imposition of heavier sanctions for health and safety violations, Info-Prim Neo reports. Mihail Hincu, vice-president of the National Confederation of Labor Unions, stated at an event dedicated to the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28 that it gets increasingly difficult for the labor unions to defend employees' rights because of a lack of a national policy which would be inspired by EU directives in this area. In particular, Mihail Hincu deplored the failure to initiate the development and discussion of a National Convention on Occupational Safety and Health. At the same time, Hincu said that one quarter of the primary labor union organizations have already created committees to deal with security and health issues and many of them organize activities to train union members in this area. To celebrate the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the Moldovan labor unions also held an event to commemorate the victims who died in accidents at work. During the event, 22 families that had lost their primary breadwinners each received 3,000 lei in aid. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work was introduced by the International Labor Organization in 2003 and this year it was held under the theme “Occupational Safety & Health Management System: A Tool for Continual Improvement”. According to the Labor Inspection, there are over 500 accidents in the workplace registered each year in Moldova, and one in ten is deadly. Most accidents are reported in the processing industry, energy sector, agriculture, and constructions.