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The European Commission launched a consultation of the European social partners (ETUC, UNICE, UEAPME and CEEP) on 12 November 2004, on how to protect workers from the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.
The Commission asked workers and employers representatives to say how they think gaps in the law at national and Community level should be plugged to prevent the spread of these work-related ailments.
European trade unions floated the idea of a Europe-wide awareness-building and action campaign on work-related musculoskeletal disorders as far back as 1996. The campaign, which was organized by the TUTB and ran throughout 1998 and 1999, helped to build an awareness among the European institutions of a disorder which ranks as the biggest work-related health problem in Europe.
The Commission had flagged up a Community initiative on preventing MSD in the health and safety strategy for 2002-2006, with plans to bring EU legislation in line with the growth in musculoskeletal disorders.
The European social partners have replied to the Commission's paper which asked whether they would like to see tougher Community legislation or whether they would prefer voluntary measures, or a combination of binding and non-binding measures, and what the main focus of the preventive measures should be (e.g. ergonomics, work organisation, psychosocial aspects). They could decide to draw up an agreement themselves to tackle the problem.
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