267607 Towards an international consensus on work and the right to health

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Miriam Lara , Writer/Researcher, A Wokers' Guide to Health and Safety, Hesperian, Berkeley, CA
At the third People's Health Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa in July 2012, US-based delegates in the fields of occupational health and public health will meet with international activists to share experiences and struggles around work and the right to health. The meeting will be a forum for the development of international grassroots consensus regarding fair and healthy work. Some foundational assumptions of the fair and healthy work group are: (1) All work is work. Compensated or uncompensated, “blue-collar,” “white-collar,” or “no-collar,” unionized or non-unionized, documented or undocumented, legalized or criminalized – all workers have the right to fair and healthy work. (2) All health is related to work, and work is connected to the other social determinants of health. (3) Workers themselves are best positioned to be researchers, experts, and leaders in addressing the issues of health, safety, and justice that affect them. During this APHA panel, we will share the results of the meeting in Cape Town, including opportunities identified by international partners for ongoing solidarity and collaboration, and resources currently needed to support workers in advancing claims regarding health arguments in local, national, and international arenas. We will explain the progress made toward the creation of a shared framework about work and the right to health, and outline next steps for US allies and the People's Health Movement.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Discuss results of the Third People’s Health Assembly, including opportunities for ongoing solidarity and collaboration, and resources currently needed to support workers in advancing claims regarding health arguments in local, national, and international arenas; Explain the progress made toward the creation of a shared framework about work and the right to health, and outline next steps for US allies and the People’s Health Movement.

Keywords: Advocacy, Workplace Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I worked with the fair and healthy work group whose work was represented at PHA3, and will be presented on during APHA.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.