ETUI Workshop on OSH and Strategic Litigation

Dates: 30 and 31 May 2022
Venue: ITUH, Brussels, Belgium
Agenda: see attached

Building on our previous events, held in January 2020 & February 2021, the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) is organizing this third workshop on the theme of 'OSH Strategic Litigation at a legal crossroads'. The event will take place in Brussels on 30 and 31 May 2022. Please find the draft agenda attached.

January 2020 marked the beginning of the pluri-annual project: 'Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Litigation'. It started with a mapping of the situation at the national and European level (2020), followed by a better understanding of how to 'build a case' in different countries, while drawing some similarities amongst countries (2021). The latest event in this series will aim at pushing the boundaries of the strategic litigation scope and examining a potential overlap with other litigation fields.

We will focus on two topics: (1) AI and new technologies, (2) environmental law. The rationale is similar to last year’s: how can we learn from each other to better protect the workers? 

However, the innovative/distinctive aspect of this event is, that it will be interactive, and the presentations of the speakers will address a 'litigation scenario'. For each session, there will be two speakers: one will be specialized in OSH, and the other will be an expert in the 'overlapping' field (i.e. new technologies & environmental concerns). Both speakers will present some legal background and examples of strategic litigation in their field. They will then indicate how they would strategically approach the litigation case presented (20 min). A discussant with expertise in both fields will reflect on the presentations (10 min).

Afterwards, the floor will be open for Q&A in case the audience wants extra information or explanation. During the last part of the session, the participants of the workshop will be divided into groups. They will discuss the feasibility of the strategies presented in their respective countries (explaining why it could work and what the obstacles/challenges are). The session will end with each group reporting their key ideas.

The number of participants will be limited to 25. If you would like to take part in this workshop, please send us an expression of interest in English (stating  your current position and why you would like to participate) asap, by following the link below. Please note that this is not a registration, only an application. You will receive an e-mail to confirm or decline your participation soon, together with more practical information, after which you can start booking your travel. For eligible participants, travel expenses will be covered, which will be the case for most of you.

Interpretation will be provided in EN/FR/ES/NL/IT + according to need and participants will be divided into groups based on their linguistic preferences. Therefore, you do not need to master English to be able to participate in this workshop.