Press Release: Millions of workers’ health to be protected by Europe’s first multisector agreement

More than 2 million workers in many different sectors across Europe were to be covered by the first European multisector agreement to be signed on 25 April 2006. The agreement was to protect workers exposed to crystalline silica dust, which can lead to silicosis, a potentially fatal lung condition. Silicosis is also linked to other dangerous lung conditions, such as emphysema and lung cancer. It was to be signed by the social partners (trades unions and employers' representatives) in the presence of EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimír Spidla.