Organised by the Charleroi branch of the Belgian trade union federation FGTB at Bois du Cazier, the symbolic site of the 1956 mining disaster, the event honoured workers affected by occupational accidents and illness while highlighting today’s workplace challenges, with a particular focus in 2026 on psychosocial risks at work.

Speaking at the commemorative event, Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary of industriAll Europe, stressed that “workplace accidents are not inevitable, but the result of structural choices in how work is organised. Among these, subcontracting has emerged as a central concern for trade unions across Europe”.

Subcontracting shifts risks onto workers

While often presented as a tool for efficiency and specialisation, subcontracting in practice is increasingly associated with fragmented responsibility, weakened protections and rising safety risks.

Across sectors such as industry, construction and mining, subcontracted workers do more dangerous tasks, work longer hours, have more precarious contracts, receive less training and are more afraid to speak out. “Health and safety cannot be subcontracted,” insisted Judith Kirton-Darling.

The problem lies not only in working conditions, but in accountability. In complex subcontracting chains, responsibility for OSH is frequently diluted. After serious accidents, it is often unclear who is ultimately liable: the main contractor, the first subcontractor or another entity further down the chain. This lack of clarity undermines prevention, complicates inspections and leaves victims without effective access to justice.

Evidence from the field shows that subcontracted workers are more likely to face precarious contracts and greater job insecurity, making them less likely to report unsafe conditions. Language barriers and migration status further compound these risks, creating a culture of silence where raising concerns can mean losing employment.

Judith Kirton-Darling warned that this fragmentation also weakens collective worker representation. Where subcontracting proliferates, workplace communities are divided and trade union presence is reduced. Without strong worker representation, risks go unchallenged and preventive measures are less effective.

The consequences are visible in accident statistics across Europe. High-risk sectors continue to record disproportionate numbers of injuries and fatalities, with subcontracted workers often among the most affected. For unions, this is not a coincidence but a direct outcome of cost-cutting strategies that prioritise flexibility over safety.

Unions call for binding EU rules

In response, industriAll Europe and its affiliates are calling for binding European legislation to address the impact of subcontracting on OSH. Key demands include full responsibility of the main contractor for health and safety across the entire subcontracting chain, effective joint liability mechanisms and clear limits on the number of subcontracting layers.

Such measures already exist in some Member States, demonstrating that stronger regulation is both feasible and effective. Extending these principles at EU level would help ensure equal protection for all workers, regardless of their contractual status.

IndustriAll Europe also stresses the need to strengthen inspections, which too often focus only on the main employer while neglecting the lower tiers of subcontracting chains where risks are highest. A more comprehensive approach is needed to ensure consistent enforcement of OSH standards.

Beyond physical safety, the issue of subcontracting is increasingly linked to psychosocial risks. Job insecurity, excessive pressure and lack of control over working conditions contribute to stress and burnout, further undermining workers’ health.

As the European Commission prepares new initiatives on quality jobs and fair mobility, industriAll Europe is calling for concrete action to address these challenges. This must include strong social conditionalities in the award of public contracts, ensuring that companies receiving public money respect workers’ rights and occupational safety and health standards throughout subcontracting chains. Voluntary approaches are no longer sufficient, they argue; binding rules are essential to ensure accountability and prevent avoidable accidents.

A call for action

At Bois du Cazier, where the memory of past industrial tragedy remains vivid, the message was clear: without decisive action on subcontracting, Europe will continue to fail its workers.

“If we are here today, it is not only to look back. It is to look at work as it is experienced today, in Europe. Because let us be clear: going to work remains dangerous.

“And it is our duty as trade unionists to do everything to change that by enforcing rights, setting out clear responsibilities and strong worker representation at every level of the economy,” concluded Judith Kirton-Darling.