6-10.6.2016
In the period from 6-10 June, 2016, the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia in cooperation with the Macedonian Occupational Safety and Health Association (MOSHA) conducted a 2-day training for capacity building of workers' OHS representatives, trade union representatives and representatives from the employers on the basic OHS standards, advocacy and lobbying skills and transfer of good practice and experience from the EU on the functioning of the EU bipartite dialogue.
Caption 1. Participants on the training
The trainings are part of the project "Strengthening of the partnership of civil society and state institutions in the creation and promotion of the right to safe and healthy working environment - Basic Human Right", financed by the European Union.
The purpose of the training is to promote the role of workers' OHS representatives, trade union representatives through defining the basic OHS concepts regarding the increase of the capacity and improvement of bipartite dialogue in the companies, and an introduction to the principles of effective systems for advocacy and the advancement of knowledge and skills of the OHS representatives on the concept of lobbying and advocacy. The participants had the opportunity to hear practical examples from both domestic and EU experts on the functioning of dialogue between the OHS representatives and the employers, as well as the role of the social dialogue to improve working conditions and to create a healthy and safe working environment.
The training was preceded by 10 informational meetings across the country in order to encourage cooperation and partnership between civil society and state institutions in the promotion of safe and healthy workplaces, to identify the problems of workers and employers on the workplace and to raise the awareness on OHS.
The trainings resulted in numerous recommendations to improve the dialogue between the representatives of the employees and employers and their submittion to the competent institutions in order to improve the working conditions of workers, reduction of the occupational diseases and work related injuries as well as promoting the OSH in our country.
Caption 2. The Training
According to the unofficial reports of MOSHA in 2015, 144 accidents at work occurred, out of which 39 were with fatal consequences; the rate of deaths in Macedonia is 5.44, per on each 100,000 employees, 5-6 employees with death consequences. This rate is in a slight decline if compared to 2014, but if you make a comparison with the UK, where the rate is only 0.5, we conclude that Macedonia has a fairly high rate of fatal accidents at work.
Next phase of the implementation of the Project implementation is a preparation and publication of a Study on the functioning of the bipartite OHS dialogue in the companies and the role of workers' OHS representatives in the country.
