North sea pioneer divers have demanded higher compensation for physical and psychological damages incurred in the course of their work. In a conflict that has been taken to the European Court of Justice, north sea divers have demanded compensation from the state of Norway for failure to inform the divers of the possible health risks. The divers, involved in oil extraction operations, worked at a depth of 300 metres for extended periods of time. The divers say the work has had lasting physical and psychological effects, as many as 23 out of 400 divers having committed suicide after returning from their assignments. While the state of Norway initially said it could not be held liable for the occupational health and safety of workers that are not employed by the state, the divers and their representatives have argued the state incurred an obligation as it profited from the activities. In the end of 2013, the European Court of Justice ruled the divers were entitled to compensation payments of up to €8.000 per person. The divers have now announced they will be seeking higher compensation.
English: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-05/north-sea-divers ...
http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/aenergy/Government-wants-to-meet-North-Sea-Divers ...
http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/aenergy/article ...
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Mariya Nikolova mnikolova@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.