In general there are two ways in which we (workers, trade unions, EWHN) can stimulate good working conditions through responsibilities :

1. by a clear division of responsibilities, accountabilities and authorities in advance. Employer and workers together and in co-operation create a safe and healthy workplace and employers work on improvement of health and safety after having consulted the workers or their representatives. We will call this the consultation model.
1. by holding responsible the employer when things have gone seriously wrong (lethal accidents or occupational diseases). Of course this has no preventive effect on the situations that led to these accidents or diseases, but it may have a preventive effect on the company, the branch of industry or employers in general. We will call this the juridical model.

In this workshop we have discussed the two models in more detail to see what use they can be for trade unions and for workers representatives or work councils in their endeavour for better working conditions.

Recommendations at local level:

Persuade employers to invest in better working environment (use the consultation model first). Their benefits in return: less waste production, fewer accidents, fewer fatalities, lower turnover of work force, greater satisfaction, flexibility and co-operation. In first instance counts what you can do in advance, not what the judge can do afterwards!

Recommendations at national level:

If this doesn’t succeed, then it’s time to use the juridical model. In Spain the CCOO concentrated on 25 fatal accident cases (on a total of 1700 per year). In the UK Unison (and other trade unions) supported workers successfully in trial court-cases (asbestos, repetitive strain injuries, back-injuries, stress). In the Netherlands the FNV has set up a foundation for juridical support in these cases. The foundation is founded with a percentage of all of the claims that are won.

Recommendations at international level:

The wave of mergers and take-overs of companies means that the financial management of the resulting trans national companies is less and less interested in the well-being of workers. We (the EWHN) should make a stronger effort to support European Work Councils in their struggle for better working conditions. Through the exchange of information we should prevent the transfer of risks to countries where the legislation on occupational health and safety is less stringently observed and enforced.

We (the EWHN) should put the notion "no (fatal) casualties are accepted anymore" on the political agenda.