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Organizational Profiles
Ministry
of Welfare
The main tasks of the Ministry of Welfare in the field of occupational
safety and health are as follows:
• to develop the national policy of labour protection and to facilitate
its implementation;
• to ensure elaboration of national labour protection legislation and its
compliance with the EU and international legal acts in this field;
•
to promote creation of safe and harmless working environment, protection
of the employees’ right to labour protection and social guarantees;
• to facilitate the process of development of labour protection administration
system;
• to promote informing of employers and employees on occupational safety
and health issues.
Co-operation with other institutions:
Under supervision and authority of the Ministry of Welfare, there is a
number of institutions involved in the operation of occupational safety
and health protection system. The structure of the Ministry of Welfare
is based on several departments. In total, the Ministry of Welfare comprises
11 departments, out of which one – Labour Department – is directly
responsible for the elaboration of labour protection policy and strategy
and implementation thereof in the country, and three other (Social Protection
Department (SPD), Environmental Health Department (EHD) and Health Department
(HD)) are indirectly involved in the occupational safety and health protection
system through the institutions under their supervision or authority.
The Ministry of Welfare mainly collaborates with all the institutions under
its supervision and authority, including the key institution for supervision
and control of the occupational safety and health protection system – State
Labour Inspectorate. On a yearly basis, the MoW evaluates the work of SLI,
and MoW has the right to recommend SLI to focus on a particular labour
protection issue.
MoW closely co-operates with the Latvian Employers’ Confederation
(LEC) and the Latvian Free Trade Union Confederation (LFTUC). In elaboration
of new legislative acts in the field of labour protection, representatives
of the social partners are involved in the process as from the initial
stages of drafting legislation, thus providing them with an opportunity
to voice their opinion and co-ordinate it as early as possible. Close co-operation
is also taking place as regards to exchange of information on occupational
safety and health issues. Labour Department, in collaboration with
State Labour Inspectorate, submits proposals on the preventive action plan
elaborated by the State Social
Insurance Agency (SSIA).
Contact
address:
Skolas
street 28, Riga, LV - 1331
Phone: + 371 7021600; Fax: +371 7276445
e-mail: lm@lm.gov.lv
http://www.lm.gov.lv
State Labour
Inspection
SLI is the key control and supervisory institution in the field of
labour protection operating under supervision of MoW.
Functions:
SLI operates in accordance with the Law on State Labour Inspectorate
and its main tasks and functions are as follows:
• To supervise and control implementation of the requirements of normative
acts on employment relations, labour protection and technical surveillance
of dangerous equipment;
• To control fulfilment of the mutual obligations of employers and
employees imposed by employment contracts and collective agreements;
• To promote co-operation of employers and employees and to carry out
measures to facilitate resolution of disputes between employer and
employees;
• To study the issues of employment legal relations, labour protection
and technical surveillance of dangerous equipment;
• To perform investigation and uniform registration of accidents at
work and to participate in investigation of the cases of occupational
diseases according to the procedure stipulated by normative acts;
• To register dangerous equipment, to issue permits for commencement
of utilisation of dangerous equipment and to investigate breakdowns
of dangerous equipment according to the procedure stipulated by normative
acts;
• To control equipment at workplaces, utilisation of personal and collective
protective equipment of the staff, utilisation of harmful and dangerous
substances, as well observance of technological processes according
to the requirements of normative acts;
• To perform market surveillance of equipment, work equipment and personal
and collective protective equipment of the staff;
• To provide free of charge consultations to employers, employees and
holders of dangerous equipment on the requirements of normative acts
in the field of employment legal relations, labour protection and
technical surveillance of dangerous equipment.
Contact address:
Kr. Valdemara str. 38, LV - 1010, Riga, Latvia
Phone: +371 7021704; Fax: +371 7021569
e-mail: vdi@vdi.lv
http://www.vdi.lv
Latvian
Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health
Riga Stradins University
(RSU), is a higher education and research institution autonomous
within the limits set by the Higher Educational Establishments
Law. The structure of RSU comprises faculties, academic schools,
institutes, chairs, centres, colleges, clinics, research and study
laboratories performing educational, methodological and research
activities in compliance with internal regulations approved by
RSU. RSU is under supervision of the Ministry of Welfare.
Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (IOEH) is an
academic, scientific and medical structural unit of RSU that was
established as a result of long standing collaboration between
the Laboratory of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Department
of Occupational and Environmental Medicine of RSU, as well as the
Occupational and Radiation Medicine Centre of P.Stradins Clinical
University Hospital.
Functions:
The Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (IOEH) performs
training, information activities, scientific research and expert
consulting services in the field of health protection and safety
at work.
The main functions:
- Scientific research
- Information activities
- Clinical and diagnostic activities
- Consultation activities (expert services, hygienic measurements etc)
- Training on occupational safety and health (undergraduate
and postgraduate)
Contact address:
Dzriciema str. 16, A 708, Riga, LV 1007
Phone: + 371 7409139, Fax: + 371 7471815
e-mail: Maija.Eglite@rsu.lv
http://www.rsu.lv/dvvi/ and
http://home.parks.lv/ioeh
Agency of
Public Health
Public Health Agency is under direct supervision of the Ministry
of Welfare (HD), and its aim is to promote public health by participating
in
implementation
of national policy in the field of hygienic and epidemiological safety,
to carry out surveillance of communicable and non-infectious diseases
in the country, to inform and educate the public about topical public
health issues.
Contact address:
Klijanu str. 7, Riga, LV-1012
Phone: + 371 7081510; Fax: +371 7374980
e-mail: sva@sva.lv
http://www.sva.lv
Latvian
Employers Confederation
LEC is an organisation of employers’ associations and employers
of Latvia established in accordance with the Law “On Employers’ Organisations
and Their Associations” and the Law “On Non-Governmental
Organisations and Their Associations”. Latvian employers’ organisations
and individual employers unite in the Confederation on voluntary
basis in order to represent and defend their economic, social and
professional interests, as well as other interests corresponding
to the objectives and functions of the Confederation, on the grounds
of Laws in force in the Republic of Latvia and the decisions of
the institutions of the Confederation.
The Members of LEC employ over one third of the whole labour force
in Latvia. Membership of LEC covers the large enterprises and professional
on industry associations uniting also small enterprises which are
not able to acquire direct membership of LEC due to the limitation
laid don in the Law “On Employers’ Organisations and
Their Associations” (i.e., that an enterprise should employ
at least 50 employees).
Functions:
The objective of LEC is to promote strengthening and development
of Latvian employers and their organisations as an important component
of the economy of Latvia. For this purpose, LEC performs the following
tasks and functions:
•
Represents the interests of employers’ organisations in their
relations with trade unions, state and municipal institutions,
at NTCC and its Subcouncils, as well as at international employers’ organisations;
•
Forms the policy of employers’ organisations;
• Elaborates proposals on improvement of social and labour relations,
on development of economic strategy, on organisation of vocational
training consistent with economic development and the demands of
the labour market, and submits them to state and municipal institutions;
as well as carries out training of the members of employers organisations;
• Collaborates with trade unions in preparation and conclusion of
collective agreements as well as in other issues of employment
relations;
• Informs its members about normative acts in the economic and social
area;
• Participates in labour dispute settlement, including strikes;
•
Collects and analyses information on employers’ organisations
and their associations, and informs general public about issues
of concern to employers.
LEC also participates in dissemination of information by regularly
informing the members of LEC about the news in the field of labour
protection and by providing training on these issues.
Contact address:
Vilandes iela 12-1, LV 1010, Riga, Latvija
Phone: +371 7225162; Fax: +371 7224469
e-mail: lddk@lddk.lv
http://www.lddk.lv
Latvian
Free Trade Unions Confederation
Independent industry trade unions and professional associations
of trade unions of the Republic of Latvia are united by LFTUC on
voluntary basis in order to defend the common interests and promote
common objectives.
Functions:
The basic operation principles of LFTUC include equality of member
organisations, implementation of common interests and democratic
representation in the institutions of the Confederation, collegiate
management, transparency, co-operation with those non-governmental
organisations and movements in Latvia and abroad whose aims and
actions facilitate implementation of trade union interests. The
Confederation bases its activities on examination and analysis
of the views of member organisations.
The objectives of LFTUC are to unite trade unions for fulfilment
of common tasks, to represent, defend and extend the employment,
economic and social rights of trade unionists; to extend the participation
of trade unions in development of legitimate state and democratic
society; to integrate into the world trade union movement.
The main tasks and functions of LFTUC are as follows:
• To develop and implement a joint trade union action programme at
national level, to co-ordinate and facilitate mutual co-operation
of member organisations;
•
To represent LFTUC and its member organisations at public administration
institutions, public prosecutor’s office, court, employers’ and
other organisations, NTCC and it subcouncils;
• To carry out expertise of laws, other normative acts and their
drafts and to elaborate proposals on issues of relevance to the
common rights and interests of member organisations and their members;
if necessary, to elaborate alternative drafts and to submit them
to legislative and executive public institutions;
• To provide legal counselling to member organisations on labour
law and other issues related to employment contract;
•
To conclude agreements with employers’ organisations at national
and inter-industry level on the terms of remuneration and guarantees
of employment, social and economic rights for the members of trade
unions;
• To organise training of the leaders and staff of member organisations
and regional trade union centres;
• To create a joint trade union information system;
• To promote establishment of social interest protection funds, to
participate in charity activities;
•
To submit proposals on increasing wages, pensions and social benefits
as well as on changes in tax system, etc. to the government and
employers’ organisations at national and inter-industry level;
to elaborate proposals on improvement of the system of remuneration
for work and to submit them to the government;
• To participate in elaboration of national economic development
and employment programmes in order to facilitate job placement,
vocational training and retraining of the population;
• To participate in the international trade union movement and to
facilitate development of international contacts of member organisations;
• To facilitate election of trade union representatives to state
and municipal institutions;
• To organise and lead joint actions accepted by member organisations
for achieving the aims of trade unions (meetings, demonstrations,
pickets, strikes, etc.);
• To promote solution of gender equality issues;
• To promote involvement of all employees, particularly youth, in
trade unions;
• To facilitate alignment of the fields of competence of member organisations
and mergers of related industry trade unions, to facilitate dispute
settlement among member organizations.
Contact address:
Bruninieku str.29/31, Riga, LV 1001
Phone: + 371 7 270351; Fax: +371 7 276649
e-mail: lbas@lbas.lv
http://www.lbas.lv
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