Just last week, the European Parliament’s Employment Committee voted in favor of new legislation as part of the Christensen report on the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work. Commenting on many of the new elements of the EP vote, UEAPME Secretary General Peter Faross said
“UEAPME is very concerned about the EP’s calls for new EU legislation in occupational health and safety. Health and safety at work is one of the most regulated areas at EU level. Legal texts are sufficient as currently reported by COWI, a consultant hired by the EC for carrying out an evaluation report of OSH Directive The priority should not be to add on this existing legislative framework but to facilitate its full implementation and to further simplify some texts. This is exactly what small and micro companies are requesting. For SMEs, directives are too complicated, too burdensome and too costly. Small and micro companies do not have the necessary expertise and resources for full compliance without technical and financial support.”
He continued later to say,
“Even more problematic is the request of the European Parliament to work on a legal act concerning harassment and violence at work, a topic dealt with European social partners through the negotiation of a Framework agreement and on which further actions are foreseen in the EU Social Dialogue Work Programme 2015-2017. The lack of respect of the EU social partners’ role and autonomy is very disappointing and highly questionable. We now call on the EP Plenary vote to counteract and avoid creating additional burdens and new obligations on SMEs.”
