UN Leaders Urging Companies to Take Measures to Protect Seafarers’ Rights

The United Nations has issued a list of human rights to business enterprises that are engaged in the maritime industry to protect seafarers that may be stranded on ships due to new COVID-19 variants and government-imposed travel restrictions. The Human Rights Due Diligence Tool is a joint initiative by the UN Global Compact, UN Human Rights Office, International Labour Organization (ILO), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The tool provides guidance and a checklist for cargo owners, charterers, and logistics providers to conduct human rights due diligence across their supply chains to identify, prevent, mitigate and address adverse human rights impacts for seafarers. 

Amid concerns about the number of crew stranded working beyond their contacts at sea due to COVID-19 restrictions, UN agencies hope the new guidance will help ensure that the working conditions are respected and comply with international standards. The guidance aims to ensure that seafarers have rights safeguarded, such as physical and mental health, and access to family life, and freedom of movement. 

Although the maritime industry contributes more than 80% of global trade goods, there have been reports that seafarers are working way beyond the 11-month maximum limit of service on board. An estimated 200,000 crew are stuck on commercial vessels globally amid recent attempts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Unilever and other big retail brands are among consumer giants adopting a toolkit to audit their shipping supply chains to help bring seafarers stuck on commercial vessels back home and eliminate human rights risks. 

Any company that puts any cargo on ships will be encouraged to use the checklist, which includes asking ship owners and those who charter space on vessels to support crew changes and ensure clauses aren’t being added to contracts that prevent crew relief.

The EU Is Preparing to Launch Legal Proceedings Against Vaccine Producer AstraZeneca Over Vaccine Shortfalls

The European Union and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca have had a rough vaccine rollout, and many are complaining that regulators were too slow to approve the shots. AstraZeneca repeatedly slashed its delivery commitments, telling the public that they could not deliver as many vaccines as the bloc was counting on, which has led to delays in the COVID-19 vaccine in 27 EU nations. 

The European Commission raised the matter at a meeting of EU ambassadors Wednesday, during which the majority of EU countries said they would support suing the company on the grounds that it massively under-delivered pledged coronavirus vaccine doses to the bloc. However, five to six countries have raised concerns about launching a lawsuit against AstraZeneca, saying that the lawsuit wouldn’t guarantee that the EU got more doses. 

Some ambassadors also felt that launching a lawsuit would damage the image of AstraZeneca, diminishing citizens’ trust in the vaccine. In March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had expressed disappointment with AstraZeneca during a press conference, saying that “AstraZeneca has unfortunately under-produced and under-delivered. And this painfully, of course, reduced the speed of the vaccination campaign.” AstraZeneca’s CEO Pascal Soriot had told EU lawmakers in February that low yields at EU production plants were causing the delays. 

EU countries also discussed on Wednesday contracts for more EU vaccines, following the Commission’s announcement last week that the EU secured 1.8 billion BioNTech/Pfizer vaccines through 2023. According to a diplomat, some ambassadors worried that the EU essentially is giving Pfizer a “monopoly” and said the EU needs to have a broad portfolio of vaccines. 

A spokesman for AstraZeneca said the company was not aware of any legal proceedings "and continues to hold regular discussions on supply with the commission and member states.” The EU has also decided not to take up an option to buy 100 million extra doses of AstraZeneca under the contract, after safety concerns about very rare cases of blood clots linked to the vaccine as well as supply delays.

Trade Unions Calling on European Commission to Take More Action to Secure Workers’ Safety in Regards to COVID-19

Many companies are concerned that COVID-19 is not only a public-health issue but becoming an occupational health issue, as the workplace provides fertile ground for high transmission rates of the virus. If the European Union (EU) fails to guarantee workers’ health and safety, it will be more challenging to recover from the crisis. Trade unions are calling on the European Commission to formally recognize COVID-19 as an occupational disease. 

The European Trade Union Institute has provided evidence that the EU government is not doing enough to counter workplace risks from the pandemic, failing to provide adequate protective equipment for high-risk, front-line carers or implementing full safety measures for workers in healthcare, transport, retail, and other sectors. A survey on European Working Conditions found that people working from home are twice as likely to work 48 hours or more and six times more likely to work in their free time than others, which puts workers at a higher risk for anxiety to affect their mental health. About three in every five workers in the European Union report musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), based on data from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey.  This has led the EU-OSHA to launch a campaign to offer tools and resources to help employers tackle MSDs effectively at any workplace in Europe. The campaign highlights three priority areas focusing on MSDs prevention, facts and figures, and chronic conditions, which all cover a specific topic related to MSDs. 

The deputy general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation states that a new updated EU strategic framework should address many mobile and migrant workers’ living and working conditions in Europe. This will also ensure that employers fulfill their obligations to provide safe, hygienic workplaces and accommodations, with the EU-OSHA and the European Labour Authority. 

European OSHA Launches Free Online Risk Assessment Tool (OiRA) to Identify and Manage Risks

The European OSHA has updated their free online interactive risk assessment tool (OiRA) to help identify and manage risks that could contribute to safety and health hazard to workers in small and micro enterprises (SME) to protect their workers. The website lists several different tools for industries such as construction, butchers, bakeries, road transport, and tools for understanding and limiting the spread of COVID-19. 

Because manufacturing has a wide range of occupational safety and health risks, due to heavy machinery, exposure to substances, and ergonomic factors, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work along with the National Research and Safety Institute in France developed the OiRA tool to help businesses in the industry to follow health and safety guidelines required by legislation. The Belgian focal point held a successful introductory seminar on November 25th, 2020. The speakers discussed the risks present in the workspace and how to identify and manage them using OiRA. The Greek focal point, along with the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEA), will be hosting another seminar on December 8th in Athens to bring more awareness to OiRA and basic training about using the tools.