Given that this activity is very important for us in trade unions, but also to all other workers, we have decided to promote OHS in six cities in Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kraljevo, Kruševac, Zrenjanin, and Kragujevac). Councils (of territories) and Section of youth and women also confirmed their participation in the project. This form of engagement and participation of Councils in the project makes this project even more successful.
This first city in which we promoted OHS was Belgrade on 15 April 2021. The gathering was organised at Trg Nikole Pašića. Representatives of the Council of Belgrade, Section of youth for Belgrade and members of the CATUS project team participated in this event. The activity consisted of distribution of flyers, placards, caps, pens, notebooks, professional training on use of PPE, interviews for media outlets, as well as testing of how much citizens know about OHS. The analysis of tests, containing 10 questions and the same number of points (key: 8-10 familiar with OHS; 5-7 partly informed about OHS; 0-4 do not know) answered by residents of Belgrade provided following findings: total number of answered tests is 102, of which 34 respondents were familiar with OHS, 43 partly informed, and 25 did not know about OHS. This information suggests that it is necessary to additionally promote OHS, inform public about the relevance of this area, and organise additional training on the topic.
The second city, which we visited, was Novi Sad (19 April). President of the Council for the city of Novi Sad and trade union member welcomed us there. Activities (interviews for media outlets, flyers, tests, etc.) organised in the streets attracted a huge attention of the public. Majority of them were positively surprised to hear our information. It is an interesting fact that only a few citizens knew that 28 April is the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. There were 79 tests answered in this city, of which 27 respondents were familiar with OHS, 23 partly familiar, and 29 did not know about OHS.
The third city was Kraljevo. A stand was placed at Trg srpskih ratnika near Milutin. Media and representatives of Council for Kraljevo waited for us at Trg. We have distributed flyers, tests, organised training for proper use of working equipment. The youngest participants, those of 7 and 8 years of age, were with us during this event, and they were delighted to share their knowledge about OHS with us. In this city, 75 tests were answered, of which 25 respondents were familiar with OHS, 20 partly familiar, and 30 did not know about OHS.
https://fb.watch/57uUy4HgdU/
https://fb.watch/57uVuOeKiH/
The fourth city was Kruševac. The campaign in Kruševac was organised at Trg glumaca. In the eve of 28 April, the World Day of Safety and Health at Work, this day is as of 2010 also a national holiday. In this city, 77 tests were answered, of which 22 respondents were familiar with OHS, 26 partly familiar, and 29 did not know about OHS.
http://tvplus.rs/vest.php?id=516
https://jefimija.tv/svetski-dan-bezbednosti-i-zdravlja-na-radu/?fbclid=IwAR3-TwUNA1w2P-QeWPxpIA2tgdR1Z21xRE5OYWmveCTGpsTnBKFp_iQtTqw
https://krusevacgrad.rs/akcija-sindikata-u-susret-danu-bezbednosti-i-zdravlja-na-radu/?fbclid=IwAR3atx_u1g1JFvGrwCuyXFDdQbjh4lv2Qz6uOkSRcgIJ2a74TXRfKnvU4yE
The fifth city was Zrenjanin. The action in Zrenjanin was organised near the Water Tower, in cooperation with the President and members of the Council. In this city, 77 tests were answered, of which 22 respondents were familiar with OHS, 26 partly familiar, and 29 did not know about OHS.
https://listzrenjanin.com/promocija-bezbednosti-i-zdravlja-na-radu-vazne-su-edukacije-i-preventiva/?fbclid=IwAR0Fr5-oxkuZYK2Df7ZqIysoldjJXCCXJQPzNNcoqidPqZRFi2kt9rhriXU
https://youtu.be/YWjfv_qewi4 (16’)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=6mutInyQ3S8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3kZr9soFmuJ6NjeT2Q5teggARiOEcxfMeYP6DjpL_KfAyVfFEzqiaZojs
https://gradski.info/sindikalna-kampanja-u-zrenjaninu/?fbclid=IwAR1SEThDn7Ws57XQ-0jphLiRa0MiW7rrkhBbE_1LvKBqU4iYzeuK4qBhryI
Within the framework of the OHS campaign, organised in several cities in Serbia, CATUS representatives have also visited Kragujevac, where on average there are about 50 serious injuries at work on annual basis. CATUS is of the opinion that the Covid pandemics only emphasised the relevance of OHS. They will continue advocating for Covid-19 to be declared an occupational disease, considering the fact that the healthcare sector sustained a huge number of casualties in terms of number of infected and deceased. In this city, there were 71 tests answered, of which 26 respondents were familiar with OHS, 28 partly familiar, and 17 did not know about OHS.
https://rtk.co.rs/zbog-povreda-na-radu-godisnje-nastrada-oko-50-ljudi/?fbclid=IwAR0rxIzLiRZMbZ6Xf45rxTNFV1eDGVQG00FJhZxX0xt3ECCu6dPF3_OR8bg
https://fb.watch/57ukYsb-AF/
https://fb.watch/57umsFClqF/
Based on the results obtained, we may conclude that it is definitely necessary to invest more in OHS. It is necessary that both employers and employees receive relevant information and training in line with the needs of their economic activities.
This is the reason why we do not want 28 April to be only one day in a year, when we talk about OHS. We want this to take place every day and in every place!
We would like to extend huge gratitude to ITUC PERC SEE Office Sarajevo and Swedish “Union to Union” for their support in organising this campaign, thus allowing us to be successful in contributing to raising awareness about this extremely relevant topic.
You may find information about the campaign on social media networks:
https://www.facebook.com/savezsamostalnihsindikatasrbije (FB)
https://twitter.com/samostalnih (TW)
https://www.instagram.com/sindikatsrbije/ (IG)
