HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK : STRESS: "UNEVEN PROGRESS" FOLLOWING FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT.

The implementation by the member states of a framework agreement on work-related stress, which was concluded in 2004 by the EU's social partners, remains uneven, according to a report published by the European Commission, on 24 February. The agreement requires employers to identify stress factors at the workplace; to try to ensure a better match between responsibilities and skills; to consult workers on restructurings and new technologies; and to provide support to individuals and teams.

The agreement has led to the adoption by 12 member states (Belgium, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Italy, Denmark, Greece, France, Italy and Romania) of legislation and collective agreements concerning stress and other psychological risks related to work. In total, 19 member states now operate a binding framework concerning psychosocial risks. However, in spite of these good results, the report indicates the relatively uneven levels of implementation among business sectors and member states. In spite of Article 155(2) TFEU, which envisaged the follow-up and reporting of autonomous agreements, the Maltese, Cypriot, Polish and Slovenian social partners have not yet provided reports on how they have concretised their commitments, while the Bulgarian, Estonian, Greek, Italian and Lithuanian social partners have simply not yet responded.

The results in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Estonia have fallen short of expectations with, for example, none of the actions implemented in Germany following the agreement having been made law and Bulgaria only at the stage of...