ETUCE Recommendation on EU Strategic Framework Education and OSH

The European Parliament is currently discussing the new EU Strategic Framework for Health and Safety at Work (2021-2027), released on 28 June 2021 by the European Commission. The EU Parliament’s report is indicatively expected to take place on 7 March 2022 in the Parliament plenary. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the occupational health and safety (OSH) of teachers, academics and other education personnel across Europe seriously deteriorated. On 16 November 2021, the ETUCE Committee adopted an ETUCE Statement that expresses the views of education personnel on the initiatives of the new EU OSH Strategic Framework.

The main topics that will be of interest for the education sector are: recognising COVID-19 as an occupational disease and the impact of long-COVID, addressing the disrupting impact of psychosocial risks in education, eliminating asbestos in education institutions, countering musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) for education workers and reinforcing the fight against (third-party) violence and harassment in education.

Now ETUCE invites its member organisations to engage in the upcoming ETUCE activities on OSH to achieve a framework that provides a real added value for the health and safety of the teaching profession. More information on the ETUCE website.