As part of the Swedish Trade Union Support Project "Union to Union", a meeting of the Network of Trade Union Experts from the countries of Southeast Europe on Occupational Health and Safety (via the zoom platform) was held on October, 25. The meeting was attended by experts from the Trade Union UGS Nezavisnost and CATUS from Serbia; KSBiH / SSRS from BiH; CTUM and UFTUM from Montenegro; BSPSH and KSSH from Albania; KSS from N. Macedonia; BSPK from Kosovo, as well as UATUC and NHS from Croatia. The expert support was given by Mr. Owen Tudor and Bert De Wel from the ITUC, Viktor Kempa from ETUI, as well as colleague Cvetan Kovač from the NHS Trade Union from Croatia.

The ITUC policies and strategies on OSH, the new EU strategic framework on OSH, a case study from Croatia on Covid as an occupational disease and its application in practice were presented, as well as Mapping the Union’s stronger engagement on a Just Transition. Participants also briefly presented the situation regarding the legal regulation of OSH issues in their countries, the situation in practice, trade union actions and the requirements for the recognition of covid as an occupational disease. They pointed out that OSH is at the top of their organizations’ priorities and that the Swedish support program of the U2U Trade Union greatly helps them to implement their actions and activities in order to improve OSH - as a fundamental right at work, for all workers.

The special interest of the participants was about the process of conducting activities at the national level on the issue of Just Transition, renewable energy sources, green economy, cooperation with other actors, as well as a stronger presence and role of the Trade Union in these processes. Based on national presentations, discussions of participants, topics presented by the ITUC and ETUI experts, certain proposals were expressed for the next steps and activities of the OSH Network, which will be included in the next cycle of the Project to be proposed by PERC to Union to Union.