For the first time in France, a gathering of trade unions denouncing the “ employers’ impunity » against occupational diseases and accidents was organized this Thursday in Paris, on the occasion of the international day for health and safety at work.
Mobilize on the occasion of this day of April 28, chosen by the ILO in 2003, ” is not a tradition in France “, recalled Louis-Marie Barnier, labor sociologist and trade unionist. But this year, several professional unions of the CGT or SUD Industries have mobilized before the Ministry of Labor against what they describe as “ carnage “.
“ Accidents are considered part of the job, whereas they often result from work organization choices made by companies adds Mr. Barnier. ” If an employer knows that there is a 1% risk, he will take it anyway, saying to himself “it is unlikely to happen” “.
France, the country where people die the most at work
France is also the European country where people die the most at work with 7,800 deaths in ten years, according to figures from the European Trade Union Confederation. Along with Spain, these are the only two countries where the trend is on the rise. Elsewhere, the number of deaths is lower and above all it is decreasing. In Germany, there are 3,100, much less in Romania or Portugal.
The unions call in particular for more prevention ” within companies, because the labor inspectorate ” generally controls only after the accident has taken place “, according to one of the members of SUD Industrie.
They are also calling for harsher legal penalties. ” We’re tired of dying “, declared Frédéric Mau, of the CGT of the building. Employed in the construction industry for 30 years, he says that the sector counts one death per day worked and 5,000 accidents with sequelae per year “, which lead to a ” appalling social loneliness in the victims, insufficiently repaired.
More than 1,000 fatal and commuting accidents every year
For the unions, the abolition of the Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committees (CHSCT) in 2017 had an effect disastrous » on occupational health and safety. ” These issues cannot be dealt with in collective frameworks that are not dedicated to health and devoid of powers other than advisory. “.
In France, ” more than 1,000 fatal workplace and commuting accidents occur every year, only in the private sector. A social security report, published last September, also estimated that half of work accidents were not recognized as such.
(With AFP)