3Rd Report on the Revised Charter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
04/07/2017 RAP/RCha/LVA/3(2017) EUROPEAN SOCIAL CHARTER 3rd National Report on the implementation of the European Social Charter submitted by THE GOVERNMENT OF LATVIA Article 3, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 30 for the period 01/01/2012 - 31/12/2015 Complementary information on Article 8§2 (Conclusions 2015) __________ Report registered by the Secretariat on 4 July 2017 CYCLE 2017 MINISTRY OF WELFARE OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA 12th Report on the implementation of the European Social Charter (Revised) (Article 3, Article 11, Article 12§1, and §2, Article 13, Article 14 and Article 30) Riga 2016 2 TABLE OF CONTENT ARTICLE 3: THE RIGHT TO SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKING CONDITIONS.........3 ARTICLE 11: THE RIGHT TO PROTECTION OF HEALTH......................................16 ARTICLE 12: THE RIGHT TO SOCIAL SECURITY ..................................................44 ARTICLE 13: THE RIGHT TO SOCIAL AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE ....................92 ARTICLE 14: THE RIGHT TO BENEFIT FROM SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES ..121 ARTICLE 30: EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO PROTECTION AGAINST POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION ..............................................................................................144 3 ARTICLE 3: THE RIGHT TO SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKING CONDITIONS ARTICLE 3 PARA. 1 “With a view to ensuring the effective exercise of the right to safe and healthy working conditions, the Parties undertake, in consultation with employers’ and workers’ organisations: to formulate, implement and periodically review a coherent national policy on occupational safety, occupational health and the working environment. The primary aim of this policy shall be to improve occupational safety and health and to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, linked with or occurring in the course of work, particularly by minimising the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment;” 1. Please describe the national policy on occupational health and safety and the consultation with employers’ and workers’ organisations in formulating this policy. Please specify the nature of, reasons for and extent of any reforms. The leading government authority in the field of occupational health and safety at work is the Ministry of Welfare of the Republic of Latvia. The strategic framework of the policy of health and safety at work consists of Strategy for the Development of the Labour Protection Field 2016-2020 and Strategic Action Plan 2016-2018. The basic objective of the labour protection policy is to improve quality of workplaces and promote safe and healthy work environment. Consequently, it would contribute to a longer working life, as well as economic growth of the State and undertakings, which, in turn, would also increase the welfare level of the whole society. Objectives of the strategy are: • Raising public awareness about health and safety issues; • Promotion of effective implementation of health and safety requirements; • Health promotion of employees; • Supervision and control of Labour protection field; • Safe working environment for non-standard forms of employment, as well as self-employed work. The National Strategy is closely connected to some of the requirements of the EU Strategic Framework Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020, especially in terms of overall targets and matching the strategic direction of EU strategic developments. 4 The previous National Strategy 2008-2013 had been ex-post evaluated with the aim to assess the fulfillment of the targets and to set out next steps for improvement health and safety at work in the enterprises of Latvia. Social partners’ organization such as the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (hereinafter - LBAS) and the Employers` Confederation of Latvia (hereinafter - LDDK) participate in elaboration of policy planning documents regarding occupational safety and health policy issues as well as in drafting of legal acts. Social partners help to arrange and improve occupational safety and health policy. Involvement of social partners in policy making helps to reach the results/solutions that satisfy all interest groups, thereby also facilitating the implementation of legal acts in practice. In addition consultations between employees` organizations and employers` organizations take place within the National Tripartite Cooperation Council (hereinafter - NTCC) and sub-council of the Tripartite Cooperation in Labour Affairs. The Sub-council of the Tripartite Cooperation in Labour Affairs (hereinafter - STCLA) is created to ensure and facilitate a social dialogue - a participation and cooperation of the state, the employers' organizations and their unions and employees' trade unions - in the issues of labour protection, regulation of legal labour relationships and ensuring equal opportunities in legal labour relationships. 2. Please indicate the measures taken (administrative arrangements, programmes, action plans, projects, etc.) to implement the national policy in consultation with employers’ and workers’ organisations. The Strategic Action Plan 2016-2018 has been developed for implementation of the Strategy for the Development of the Labour Protection Field 2016-2020. The Plan consists of number of activities with the aim to promote safe and healthy work environment. The most representative social partners organizations such as the LBAS and the LDDK also participate in elaboration of The Strategic Action Plan 2016-2018. Furthermore, each year the Occupational Health and Safety Prevention Measure Plan is developed for 12 months period. The Plan is confirmed by Information Council, which includes representatives from Ministry of Welfare, State Labour Inspectorate, LBAS, LDDK and Institute for 5 Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, which decide and determine the necessary activities. The examples of measures can be – organization of the OSH conferences or lectures and seminars, elaboration of informative materials about health and safety at work and informative campaigns, development and promotion of the web-site (www.stradavesels.lv) etc. In compliance with the Paragraph 1 of the Article 3 of the State Labour Inspectorate Law the main function of the State Labour Inspectorate is the implementation of the State supervision and control in the field of employment legal relationships and labour protection. In order to ensure the implementation of the function referred to in the Paragraph 1 of this Article, the State Labour Inspectorate shall supervise and control observance of the requirements of the regulatory enactments regarding employment legal relationships and labour protection (Subparagraph 1, Paragraph 2, Article 3, State Labour Inspectorate Law). The State Labour Inspectorate Law, the Labour Protection Law, the Regulation of Cabinet of Ministers and the Latvian Administrative Violations Code regulate the procedures how it is done. 3. Please provide pertinent figures, statistics or any other relevant information, if appropriate. Strategy for the Development of the Labour Protection Field 2016-2020 sets out the following policy indicators: • The share of well-informed inhabitants of all inhabitants of Latvia about health and safety at work issues has decreased by 5% (comparing to 2013). • Decreased number of fatalities at work and number of workers suffered in serious accidents at work per 100 000 employees has decreased by 5% (comparing to 2013). The overall description of results of supervision of State Labour inspectorate, including the statistical data of number of accidents at work, first-time confirmed occupational disease patients is included in annual reports of State labor inspection. The Annual reports are available on http://www.vdi.gov.lv/en/About%20us/annual-reports/ . ARTICLE 3 PARA. 2 “With a view to ensuring the effective exercise of the right to safe and healthy working conditions, the Parties undertake, in consultation 6 with employers’ and workers’ organisations: to issue safety and health regulations;” 1. Please describe the general legal framework. Please specify the nature of, reasons for and extent of any reforms. The legal framework of the policy of health and safety at work in Latvia comprises Labour Protection Law and more than 25 regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers based on this law. The majority of laws and regulations on health and safety at work are in line with EU aquis communitare, all requirements of EU directives on health and safety at work are transposed into national legislation. In addition, these laws and regulations are constantly amended to reflect the results achieved over time, the results of research as well as to reduce the administrative burden. Labour Protection Law lays down the essential requirements for the protection of the safety and health of employees at work. Basically, the law requires that the employer has a duty to ensure the occupational safety and health of employees, safe working environment as well as the duty to lay down the measures to be taken. Existing national regulations relating to occupational safety and health in general are as follows: Labour Protection Law: http://www.vvc.gov.lv/export/sites/default/docs/LRTA/Likumi/Labour_Prot ection_Law.doc Labour Protection Law and Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers No.660 adopted on 2 October 2007 "Procedures for the Performance of Internal Supervision of the Working Environment" determines that the employer shall carry out the internal supervision of the working environment and assessment of risks, including chemical, biological, physical, psychosocial risks, etc. Risk assessment shall