Statement by AKEL MP Giorgos Koukoumas after the session of the Parliamentary Labour Affairs Committee

 

28 November 2023

• AKEL’s initiative on workers standing at work is in the final stretch
• It is imperative that it is adopted before Christmas

We are pleased to see that AKEL’s initiative on the prolonged standing of workers at workplaces has entered the final straight and, barring unforeseen circumstances, the relevant bill proposal will be passed before Parliament adjourns for Christmas.

As you will be aware, the legislative proposals tabled by AKEL were discussed in the Health and Safety Council and then in the Labour Affairs Advisory Council, where the spirit and objectives of our proposal were embraced by all and we now have before us a government bill which covers everything that was agreed in these chambers.

For us, it is very important that this bill is passed because thousands of workers in many workplaces, in shops, supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants, who work endless hours on their feet, are waiting for it. In addition to the daily physical strain, they accumulate long-term and more serious health problems – something that has been substantiated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, such as rheumatism and musculoskeletal disorders.

This Bill Proposal must be voted on and approved immediately, certainly before the upcoming Christmas holidays as during the Christmas period, work intensifies in many workplaces, and there will be thousands of retail workers working long hours to serve the rest of us.

The Bill Proposal – which is now a Government Bill,- incorporates within the basic Occupational Safety and Health Act the requirement for employers to provide seating for workers. And in the case where the nature of the work is such that the worker must be in prolonged standing posture, the employer should be obliged to take such measures for the organisation of the workplace and working time – such as, for example, more frequent breaks or rotation of posts in the workplace – so as to avoid prolonged standing of workers. This will also be checked on the basis of the Written Risk Assessment that every employer is obliged to carry out at his/her premises.

AKEL reiterates the importance of passing the bill immediately, because this is an issue that concerns the health and dignity of working people.