Creation of new health, safety, research and education institute 

A new European health and safety, research and education institute, ETUI-REHS, was created on 1 April 2005, following a merger of three European trade union institutions. It is hoped that the new organisation will become the centre for expertise in these fields.

On 1 April 2005, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) announced that three of its institutes - the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), the European Trade Union Technical Bureau for Health and Safety (TUTB) and the European Trade Union College (ETUCO) - had merged into one organisation, entitled the European Trade Union Institute for Research, Education and Health and Safety, ETUI-REHS.

The new organisation is headed by Marc Sapir, who is appointed as managing director. It has three departments: health and safety; research; and education. Marc Sapir is the director for health and safety; Henning Jørgensen is the ETUI-REHS director for research; and Jeff Bridgford is ETUI-REHS director for education. The website of the new organisation, which will have 60 staff members, is situated at http://www.etui-rehs.org.

The ETUI-REHS’s activities will be based on three main areas:

• multidisciplinary work, carried out in teams of people with different professional backgrounds and experiences;

• networks of national experts and trade union representatives to help the ETUI-REHS research department in ways prescribed by the institute and its staff; and

• activities organised by ETUI-REHS staff, such as conferences, workshops and trade union meetings.

The institute lists its main areas of activity as:

• monitoring major European developments of importance to workers and the European trade union movement;

• collecting, storing and providing data and information on policy areas of relevance to the European trade union movement;

• conducting multidisciplinary and intellectually independent research on topics of importance to the European trade union movement and publishing the results of this research in books, reviews, reports and recommendations;

• disseminating the results of this work at conferences and seminars;

• establishing European networks of researchers, research bodies and universities in the field of industrial relations; and

• improving cooperation between the European trade union movement and academic institutions and research institutes.

Marc Sapir, welcomed the creation of the new institute, stating that it: 'will provide the kind of research, expertise and support needed by decision-makers to maintain the impetus for Social Europe. It will promote international solidarity, justice, prosperity and welfare, including, crucially, giving protection to workers both in the EU Member States and in the countries preparing to join.'

John Monks, General Secretary of the ETUC, added: 'Our vision is for the newly created ETUI-REHS to become the single best and most respected European knowledge and competence centre in relation to the world of labour. The European Commission recognises this potential, in providing such strong support for the centre.'

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