Brussels, 11/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - On 8 October European social partners signed a framework agreement on stress at work, in compliance with the national regulation of Member States of enlarged Europe. Through this agreement, the partners hope to better understand the complexities of stress, which are due to factors that arise within and without the workplace. This voluntary agreement proposes a method for identifying, preventing and managing work related stress. It was elaborated in the framework of the work programme for the social dialogue of 2003-05. It involves a second framework agreement (following that on teleworking), which will be implemented by employers and unions. So far, the framework agreement is due to be implemented in the three years following the signing date by the different parties.
Stress varies from one person to another but can also vary for the same person at different times of their lives. Two people in the same job can react differently to stress. The complexity of stress makes it a different kind of health risk, explained Liliane Volozinskis, Director of Social Affairs at UEAPME (European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). In most Member States of the enlarged EU, stress is not mentioned as such in national legislation. Belgium's law of 1996 on the well-being of workers and Denmark with its regulation on organisation of work mentioning psycho-social factors, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have produced recommendation from social partners on stress and regulating stress. Germany has a law on health and safety at work which is effectively the implementation of the EC framework directive of 1989, explained Ms Volozinskis, recalling that the question of stress had been pushed for by employees: 28% of them complain of stress at work every year. Employers therefore are obliged to prevent stress in the workplace and of protecting the health and safety of workers, an obligation that employers' organisation agree with. Nonetheless, Liliane Volozinskis points out that stress is a problem located in between the how work is organised and health and safety in the workplace. The unions consider that stress is only linked to the workplace.
If signs of stress are noticed in the workplace, there should be intervention and the framework agreement has put in place a gradual procedure. Firstly, it is necessary to detect the alarm signs of stress: high absenteeism, conflicts between workers etc. An analysis of the conditions and the working environment must then follow (noise, exposure to abusive behaviour, bad communication) and more subjective factors linked to the individual (for example, a workload that does not suit the worker's abilities). Measures should be taken to explain to the employees how to reduce stress, better communication with regard to the company's objectives, clear definition of the employee's job. This framework agreement sets out measures adapted to the kind of company and it is clear that a multination has more scope for putting in place measures than an SME, indicated Ms Volozinski, who also added that stress does not exist everywhere, "someone who is stressed because they do not have enough work to do may ask why his fellow worker has more than they do!".
The framework agreement was signed by President of Unice (European employers) Jürgen Strube, Paul Reckinger from the Ueapme, as well as Secretary General s of the CEEP (European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest) Rainer Plassmann John Monks from the European Confederation of Trade Unions (ETUC).