Our regular human resources management news roundup from across Europe from the Federation of European Employers (FedEE). Includes France: Accord to reduce workplace stress, Norway: Employers could face costly workplace refits, UK: New discrimination and harassment rights.

France: Accord to reduce workplace stress
Employers' organisations and trade unions in France met earlier this week to discuss the transposition of an EU framework agreement on stress at work into a national collective accord.

Both parties accepted that amendments to the original text would be necessary to define stress more clearly and set out guidelines on how it can be detected. But a number of fundamental disagreements emerged at the meeting, with trade unions wanting to place the principal cause of stress onto the organisation of work in a company, whereas employers wanted to focus on the conflict between private life and the demands of work. One trade union asked for workplace stress to be categorised as an occupational disease, whilst another proposed that the accord also covers the concept of moral harassment (bullying).

Further negotiations are scheduled for May 5th and June 4th 2008 with the target for achieving a final consensus set for July 2nd 2008.

Norway: Employers could face costly workplace refits
Employers could face costly workplace refits Norway's minister for family and equality issues, Anniken Huitfeldt, has proposed a new disability discrimination law to improve accessibility to transportation and buildings - including company vehicles, shops, offices and other workplaces. 

A major problem in implementing such a law in Norway is that the Working Environment Act places a general prohibition on the collection of health information about employees or prospective employees. Although there is scope for claiming 'just cause' when a particular working environment is inherently dangerous for employees with certain individual conditions, such as the implantation of heart pacemakers, this data sensitivity restriction makes it difficult for employers to accommodate the majority of physical or mental health problems on a case-by-case basis.

The new law will circumvent the restrictions regarding employee privacy by requiring employers to introduce ramps and lifts of sufficient size to carry wheelchairs, and to optimise other workplace features (such as lighting and signage) even if they do not currently employ people with disabilities.

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