Cvetan Kovac, the expert of NHS Croatia presented the ILO framework for fundamental rights including Convention 155 on occupational health and safety and Convention 187 on promoting health and safety. He launched a discussion with participants on how this instrument can be used to promote OHS policies and prevention culture on their national level and workplaces.

Olga Nicolae, ITUC-PERC policy advisor presented the European campaign “Zero death at work”, encouraging participants to come up with further actions to raise awareness on the issue.

Karoly Gyorgy, ETUC expert on OHS, explained the changes in the world of work related to digitalization, platform economy and COVID-triggered remote work and their implications for OHS workplace policies and challenges for OHS workplace representatives. Also he highlighted priorities for unions to promote as part of EU framework of OHS, since the unions of the both sub-regions are interested in EU agenda on labour issues.

During the group work exchange participants have come out with key problems and some potential solutions to overcome them as well as further ideas for the network. Among others they named strengthening and institutionalizing social dialogue, organizing in new sectors where there are less OHS guarantees, strengthening labour inspections as well as training of inspectors, clear articulation of OHS norms and regulations and close monitoring of compliance, need for awareness raising campaigns on prevention, zero deaths etc.

The meeting was supported by the Union-to-Union project.