Closing Sweden's NIOSH A letter of protest

[Guest guest]

From: " V. " <jvjohnson@...>

Dear Friends,

A number of us ( Schnall, Landsbergis, and myself) have drafted

and have now sent the following letter to the Swedish Authorities who may

have some influence over the decision to close the Swedish National

Institute for Working Life (NIWL). Please consider sending this letter, or

one similar to it protesting this action. The decision is entirely

politically motivated, and comes only days after the election of a

center-right government. Please do what you can. If you would like more

information on this I am enclosing a copy of a recent letter from one of our

colleagues in Sweden that originally informed us of this decision.

Jeff

To whom it may concern,

We have recently learned of the planned closing of the Swedish National

Institute for Working Life (NIWL). This decision, we believe, will have

tragic consequences and is likely to adversely impact the health of millions

of working people -- both in Sweden and throughout the world. Closing NIWL

may inadvertently communicate to the Swedish people and to the rest of the

world that healthy work environments are no longer of concern in the nation

which has been the indisputable international leader in this area for the

past three decades! Any short run financial savings achieved by closing the

NIWL must be considered in light of this enormous loss to Sweden in

international scientific prestige. It is even more important to consider

the potential for long term increases in health care costs and in losses in

productivity brought about deteriorating working conditions that are very

likely to occur because of this decision.

The NIWL is an international resource. The Institute has been a world

leader in work environment research for many decades. The NIWL has been a

pioneer in research that has contributed to the world's growing

understanding of the how chemical, physical and psychosocial work stressors

affect health and illness. Many of the now widely accepted scientific

theories concerning work organization and stress originated in the research

work performed by scientists at the NIWL. The insights of NIWL scientists

have helped shape the work environment that Sweden has today. Due in

considerable degree to this research and its practical applications, the

average worker in Sweden is now likely to work in a cleaner, safer and

healthier environment, to be treated with respect and dignity, and to have

greater opportunities to participate in organizational decision making.

These positive changes have contributed to making Swedish workers some of

the most creative and productive employees in the world. The NIWL has helped

make this happen, not only through its research efforts, but by fostering

ongoing dialog between the social partners in industry, government and

labor. The intellectual contributions of the NIWL scientists and the style

of conducting research in partnership with industry and labor have had

significant worldwide impact on work environment research and policies.

We would also urge you to consider that we live in an era where many new

forces are changing the world of work. Globalization is having an enormous

impact on labor markets and on the very nature of work itself. Considering

these changes, we need to know more about the future directions of work and

health, not less. The NIWL has been on the forefront of assisting

developing countries in Africa and Asia to construct occupational health

infrastructure in their own countries. This has allowed a number of

developing countries to take important steps towards providing the kinds of

protective requirements to their work force which has become accepted

practice in Sweden and in other more developed countries. By providing

developing countries with this kind of expertise, the NIWL is helping to

level the global economic playing field, which, in the long run can only

benefit the work force and the economies of both the global north and south.

We urge you to consider that by abolishing the National Institute of Working

Life you are destroying a valuable national asset that has contributed

significantly to Sweden's economic prosperity, and which promises to do so

even more in the future.

We ask the government of Sweden to look past short term interests to the

broader issues of the health and well-being of working people which have

been so admirably served by the NIWL. We call on you to rescind your

decision to close this Institute which has contributed so much to both the

people of Sweden and to the people of the world.

Sincerely

L. Schnall MD, MPH

Chairperson, ICOH Scientific Committee Cardiology in Occupational Health

Professor of Medicine, U. of California at Irvine

PhD

Professor, University of land, Department of Family and Community Health

Landsbergis PhD, MPH

Associate Professor Departments of Community and Preventive Medicine and

Cardiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine,

Minister of Employment: Sven-Otto Littorin

**registrator@...

<mailto:registrator@...>**

The Secretary at the Ministry of Employment: Eva Udden Sonnegård

**registrator@...**

<mailto:registrator@...>

(via the senior registry clerk)

Chair of Committee on Labour Market: Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd

catharina.elmsater-svard@...

<mailto:catharina.elmsater-svard@...>

Member of Committee on Labour Market: Sven- Österberg

sven-erik.osterberg@... <mailto:sven-erik.osterberg@...>

Member of Committee on Labour Market: Lennart Levi lennart.levi@...

<mailto:lennart.levi@...>

Group leaders of:

The Moderate party Lars Lindblad lars.lindblad@...

<mailto:lars.lindblad@...>

The Center party Tiefensee roger.tiefensee@...

<mailto:roger.tiefensee@...>

The Liberal party: Johan Pehrson johan.pehrson@...

<mailto:johan.pehrson@...>

The Christian Democrats: Stefan Attefall stefan.attefall@...

<mailto:stefan.attefall@...>