Europe’s biggest construction project signs declaration recognising OHS as a right
The signing of the declaration, which was held on 27 May, is part of the Building and Woodworkers’ International’s (BWI) and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers’ (EFBWW) continuing global campaign to persuade the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to declare OHS as a fundamental right of all workers.
Dubbed as the “Global Alliance of Healthy and Safe Workplaces Campaign, the effort seeks to gather hundreds of OHS declarations between trade unions and employers worldwide in time for the ILO’s International Labour Conference this June.
BWI and EFBWW said that through the declarations, they will demonstrate to the ILO that the call to recognise OHS as a right enjoys wide global support from unions and employers alike.
Unite National Health and Safety Advisor Rob Miguel and HPC Construction Director Rob Jordan represented their respective organisations and signed their names on the declaration to demonstrate their joint commitment to create an international consensus that will encourage the application of good occupational health and safety standards and discourage countries and companies from seeking competitive advantage based on substandard conditions and practices.
The joint declaration with HPC is very significant as UK’s nuclear new build project is the biggest construction project in Europe. It could hold up to 8,500 on-site workers once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.