Misturão.
Extraído de “Risks: Union health and safety news - Number 1026 - 16 December 2021”
A maioria das postagens descrevem aspectos de caminhos das lutas de trabalhadores europeus em defesa de sua saúde. Inteligência artificial, pandemia covid, direito à desconexão são temas das pautas.
Union pressure will make workplaces safer
Union reps must be fully involved in decisions about how to deal with the omicron variant at work, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Shelly Asquith said employers will need to adjust safety plans to deal with the increased risk acknowledged by the UK government when it introduced Plan B. “The risk level has changed, and so too must workplace risk assessments. Employers are duty-bound to update risk assessments as the Covid situation changes, and to consult union reps and/or the wider workforce on those changes,” Asquith wrote in a TUC blog post. She said a multiple mitigations approach was the proper way to go, highlighting the need for effective ventilation assessments and control, suitable PPE, measures to protect vulnerable staff and measures to encourage vaccination of workers. But a critical role for unions is using its workplace organisation to make sure safety practices are introduced and maintained, the TUC safety specialist noted. “Employers must work with unions to address safety concerns, and where they fail to do so, unions can discuss any necessary action required, including reporting a breach to authorities, or collective action,” she wrote. “Throughout the pandemic, unions have successfully organised for safer work, from socially distanced walk-outs demanding proper PPE, to petitions securing higher rates of sick pay. Whether it be an open letter or downing of tools, your union will be able to advise you on the best way to take, and to escalate, action. Everyone has the right to safety at work.”
TUC blog. Napo news release. (https://www.napo.org.uk/news/further-advice-napo-following-announcement-pm-plan-b-covid-restrictions)
Scotland moves on ‘right to disconnect’
The Scottish government has become the first in the UK to announce support for a ‘right to disconnect’ for staff working for government departments and devolved agencies. Alongside its 9 December budget statement, the Scottish government announced that there is an expectation that bodies responsible to Scottish ministers will have meaningful discussions on a right to disconnect. Prospect said the decision was a victory for its campaign. It said as a leading public service union, it has been lobbying the Scottish government to make the move as part of its wider campaign across the union. Prospect added that it wants conversations between unions and employers to put in place the right rules for each workplace, rather than a one size fits all approach. Prospect national secretary Richard Hardy said: “This is an important step forward in our campaign to achieve a right to disconnect for public sector workers in Scotland. We are consistently hearing reports of an increase in burn out, stress and blurring of lines between home and work life. This is a trend that existed before the pandemic but has been accelerated because of it.” He added: “We will now seek to engage with employers and our members to progress this in each workplace.”
Prospect news release and research and guide on the right to disconnect.
Europe: Gig economy workers set to get employee rights
Gig economy companies operating in the European Union, such as Uber and Deliveroo, must ensure workers get the minimum wage, access to sick pay, holidays and other employment rights under plans for new laws to crack down on fake self-employment. Publishing long-awaited draft legislation on 9 December, the European Commission said the burden of proof on employment status would shift to companies, rather than the individuals that work for them. Until now, gig economy workers have had to go to court to prove they are employees, or risk being denied basic rights. Nicolas Schmit, EU commissioner for jobs and social rights, said internet platforms “have used grey zones in our legislation [and] all possible ambiguities” to develop their business models, resulting in a “misclassification” of millions of workers. Companies that did not allow people to work for other firms, or had rules about appearance and how to carry out tasks, could be classed as employers, under the proposals, under criteria used to determine employment status. The new rules would not apply to genuinely independent contractors. Under the directive, workers would also gain rights over algorithms, to stop situations where people are denied jobs, working hours or even fired as a result of the use of Artificial Intelligence. Instead, workers would have the right to receive explanations for and contest automated decisions, while companies would have to ensure access to a human contact for anything that would have a significant impact on the person. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said the UK government should follow the EU lead. “The government must keep the pace with the EU on new rights for gig workers. And ministers must bring forward the long-awaited employment bill to end exploitative work practices,” she said.
Draft EU directive on improving working conditions in platform work and related 9 December speech by Commissioner Schmit. The Guardian.
RESOURCES. When AI is the boss: An introduction for union reps, TUC, December 2021.
Seven ways platform workers are fighting back, TUC, 2021.
USA: Amazon again tells workers to stay in disaster’s path
Amazon has been accused of putting corporate profits above worker safety following the tornado-caused partial collapse of its Edwardsville, Illinois warehouse that left at least six people dead. “How many workers must die for Amazon to have a policy for extreme weather events? Time and time again Amazon puts its bottom line above the lives of its employees,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), in a statement. “Requiring workers to work through such a major tornado warning event as this was inexcusable.” Appelbaum's remarks came after an outbreak of over 20 devastating tornadoes late on Friday 10 December tore through multiple states and killed dozens of people. In addition to Illinois, affected states included Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Local officials said on 12 December that at least six people died from the Amazon warehouse collapse. Criticism of Amazon on social media said the world’s largest retailer had previously failed to close warehouses in the face of extreme weather events. In his statement, RWDSU’s Appelbaum called the event “another outrageous example of the company putting profits over the health and safety of their workers, and we cannot stand for this. Amazon cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hardworking people's lives at risk,” he said, vowing that his union would “not back down until Amazon is held accountable for these and so many more dangerous labour practices.” Amazon workers are banned from carrying mobile phones at work, so couldn’t call emergency services or concerned family.
RWDSU news release. Common Dreams. Bloomberg. NBC News. MSN News. The Verge. The Independent. BBC News Online. Confined Space blog.
OSHA Tornado preparedness and response webpages.
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