April 28 is International Workers’ Memorial Day or Workers’ Mourning Day. This is the international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work. The focus this year is of course the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The organisation Union Support and Memorial for Workplace Fatalities (USMWF) has taken a creative approach to marking International Workers’ Memorial Day in the time of the Covid-19 outbreak.
On April 28, 2020 at 7pm cst USMWF will host a Facebook LIVE event that you can watch from the safety of your own home.
The event will mark the USMWF’s First National Workers’ Memorial Day Ceremony.
The global union confederation ITUC will soon be making available International Workers’ Memorial Day posters in English, French and Spanish. More details to follow. #iwmd20
On February 26 the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health ( National COSH) hosted an informative webinar outlining resources available to ensure an engaging and powerful Workers’ Memorial Week (WMW). WMW webinar and PPT slides
National COSH has also produced a very comprehensive WMW Resource page.
You can submit your own WMW event info via this link and National COSH will list your events and help you promote it.
National COSH Team
Jessica E. Martinez, MPH
Co-Executive Director
National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH)
www.coshnetwork.org
jessica@nationalcosh.org
The UK safety campaign group the Hazards Campaign has issued the following 28 April briefing which includes some valuable resources and information for safety reps, campaigners and organisers of International Workers’ Memorial Day activities:
International Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April 2020: ‘Fighting for hearts and minds’
Let’s make this the biggest and best yet, get planning and organising now! Tell everyone about it – our day to Remember the dead (how and why they died) and to Fight for the Living – demand the action that will stop preventable work deaths
Please circulate the theme to relevant networks in your union, officers, reps and activists, local councillors or your MP.
Use #IWMD20 in all social media communication for global solidarity
The global union confederation, ITUC, has announced the theme for 28 April 2020: ‘Tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’.
In UK we are using Fighting for hearts and minds
This year’s International Workers’ Memorial Day activities will highlight the harm caused by occupational stress and related conditions, including depression, anxiety, burnout, work-related alcohol and drug misuse and work-related suicides. The world’s largest health and safety event will draw together campaign targets including the harm resulting from low pay, high workloads an unacceptable working hours and work patterns. It will also highlight the real-life pressures that lead to work stress, including inadequate staffing, job insecurity, downsizing and precarious work. Bad management practices that contribute to the explosion in work-related psychosocial problems will also be highlighted, including punitive sickness absence policies and disciplinary procedures, oppressive performance management, targets and appraisal systems and a lack of control at work.
THEME in UK
Unions fighting for hearts and minds
RESOURCES – Please order resources early
Hazards Campaign resources ribbons, stickers, posters here : http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/blog/hazards-campaign-28-april-2020-resources-order-form
Hazards Magazine is designing a brilliant new poster to capture the theme – preview soon…
New resources and updates on the ‘union fight for hearts and minds’ will be made available on the dedicated ITUC/Hazards 28 April website. The dedicated ITUC/Hazards 28 April 2020 International Workers’ Memorial Day website will be updated soon. https://28april.org/
Briefing and more info ASAP.
EVENTS- tell the TUC !
Events are being organised and advertised across UK – tell the details : info@gmhazards.org.uk and TUC at: healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk and see TUC Workers’ Memorial Day pages. https://www.tuc.org.uk/WMD
MAPPING #IWMD20 – Tell us what you are doing info@hazardscampaign.org.uk
Please tell Hazards Campaign what you are doing to we can publicise and make a MAP!
With help from our friends in Scottish Hazards we hope to follow their and the Hazards Magazine ITUC idea of mapping events and deaths, so let us know the details of your event/activity
If you need ideas and support e-mail us.
Some TUC Resources for reps, activists and campaigners and more will be produced- watch out for Hazards Magazine #IWMD20 issue
See www.hazards.org for past posters and graphics and heartbroken poster in last Hazards magazine – get it on noticeboard to advertise #IWMD20 http://www.hazards.org/gallery/heartbroken.htm
TUC guide to responding to harmful work-related stress. https://www.tuc.org.uk/resource/responding-harmful-work-related-stress
Tackling workplace stress using the HSE Stress Management Standards, TUC and HSE guidance for health and safety representatives. https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/tacking%20workplace%20stress%20without%20edits.pdf
TUC workbook on mental health in the workplace. https://www.unionlearn.org.uk/publications/mental-health-and-workplace
TUC mental health awareness training. https://www.tuceducation.org.uk/findacourse/courses/52
TUC health, safety and wellbeing guide. https://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace-guidance/health-safety-and-wellbeing
Hazards magazine stress and mental health webpages http://www.hazards.org/stress/ and work-related suicide http://www.hazards.org/suicide/ webpages.
Hazards magazine’s ‘heartbroken’ poster (left) can be used on a workplace union noticeboard. http://www.hazards.org/gallery/heartbroken.htm
HSE ‘reporting a concern’ https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/reporting-concern.htm
HSE advice on How to report a work related stress concern, https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/concerns.htm
HSE ‘Tackling Stress Workbook’ that can be downloaded for free https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wbk01.htm
HSE stress management standards https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/
Other HSE workplace stress resources https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/resources.htm
New resources for International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April 2020, including stickers ribbons and posters, can now be ordered from the national Hazards Campaign. The 28 April 2020 campaign theme will be ‘tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’; tag lines for the union-led event, which has become the world’s biggest health and safety campaign day, include ‘Unions – Fighting for hearts and minds’.
Hazards Campaign blog and 28 April 2020 order resources.
Email the details of your 28 April 2020 plans to the TUC at: healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk
ITUC/Hazards 28 April 2020 International Workers’ Memorial Day website. TUC Workers’ Memorial Day pages.
‘Tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’
#iwmd20
28 de Abril Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración (JIC) de los Trabajadores Fallecidos y Heridos
28 Avril Journée Internationale de Commémoration (JIC) des travailleurs décédés et blessés
28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day
28 April International commemoration day for dead and injured workers 28 April International day of mourning
The 28 April 2020 campaign theme will be ‘tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’. We will seek to highlight the harm caused by occupational stress and related conditions, including depression, anxiety, burnout, and work-related alcohol and drug dependency, and work-related suicides.
The theme allows us to campaign for action to remedy the broad range of contributory factors and will also engage those in the union movement not primarily interested in occupational health and safety, including:
– low pay, payment by results, piecework
– workload, working hours and work patterns
– inadequate staffing
– job insecurity, downsizing
– precarious/informal/gig work
– punitive sickness absence policies
– punitive disciplinary procedures
– oppressive performance management/appraisal systems
– lean production, new management techniques/behavioural safety
– surveillance at work
– lack of control
Unions have also identified a gap in the ILO instruments – there are not dealing explicitly with psychosocial hazards, so we could use 28 April to press for an ILO convention on this area, and for an expansion of the ILO list of occupational diseases to include a more detailed entry on work-related psychosocial conditions and impacts, including an explicit reference to the need for action to prevent the growing problem of work-related suicide.
There is also scope to link to existing international union campaigns on precarious work, low pay, safe rates, safe staffing and other issues. And we can highlight best practice – laws, agreements, actions, union resources and campaigns.
ITUC will be providing further details on the 28 April 2020 campaign early in the new year.
In the coming weeks, we will be posting updates and signposting resources on the dedicated 28 April webpages at: www.28april.org
In the meantime if you have successful case histories you would like us to feature in our materials please email them to: editor@hazards.org
Some general background materials and link are available here:
www.hazards.org/mentalhealth
www.hazards.org/lowpay
www.hazards.org/insecure
‘Tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’
#iwmd20
28 de Abril Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración (JIC) de los Trabajadores Fallecidos y Heridos
28 Avril Journée Internationale de Commémoration (JIC) des travailleurs décédés et blessés
28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day
28 April International commemoration day for dead and injured workers 28 April International day of mourning
The 28 April 2020 campaign theme will be ‘tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’. We will seek to highlight the harm caused by occupational stress and related conditions, including depression, anxiety, burnout, and work-related alcohol and drug dependency, and work-related suicides.
The theme allows us to campaign for action to remedy the broad range of contributory factors and will also engage those in the union movement not primarily interested in occupational health and safety, including:
– low pay, payment by results, piecework
– workload, working hours and work patterns
– inadequate staffing
– job insecurity, downsizing
– precarious/informal/gig work
– punitive sickness absence policies
– punitive disciplinary procedures
– oppressive performance management/appraisal systems
– lean production, new management techniques/behavioural safety
– surveillance at work
– lack of control
Unions have also identified a gap in the ILO instruments – there are not dealing explicitly with psychosocial hazards, so we could use 28 April to press for an ILO convention on this area, and for an expansion of the ILO list of occupational diseases to include a more detailed entry on work-related psychosocial conditions and impacts, including an explicit reference to the need for action to prevent the growing problem of work-related suicide.
There is also scope to link to existing international union campaigns on precarious work, low pay, safe rates, safe staffing and other issues. And we can highlight best practice – laws, agreements, actions, union resources and campaigns.
ITUC will be providing further details on the 28 April 2020 campaign early in the new year.
In the coming weeks, we will be posting updates and signposting resources on the dedicated 28 April webpages at: www.28april.org
In the meantime if you have successful case histories you would like us to feature in our materials please email them to: editor@hazards.org
Some general background materials and link are available here:
www.hazards.org/mentalhealth
www.hazards.org/lowpay
www.hazards.org/insecure
‘Combatir los riesgos psico-sociales y eliminar el estrés en el trabajo’
#iwmd20
El tema para la campaña del 28 de abril en 2020 será ‘combatir los riesgos psico-sociales y eliminar el estrés en el trabajo’ Queremos poner de relieve el daño ocasionado por el estrés laboral y otras afecciones relacionadas, incluyendo depresión, ansiedad, desgaste profesional, alcoholismo y drogodependencia relacionados con el trabajo, y suicidios por problemas laborales.
El tema nos permite hacer campaña reclamando acciones para poner remedio a toda una serie de factores coadyuvantes, además de involucrar también a miembros del movimiento sindical que no se ocupan principalmente en la salud y seguridad en el trabajo, incluyendo:
– bajos salarios, pago en función de los resultados, trabajo a destajo
– carga de trabajo, jornadas laborales y pautas de trabajo
– carencias en materia de personal
– inseguridad del empleo, reducción de personal
– trabajo precario/informal/economía gig
– políticas punitivas en caso de ausencia por enfermedad
– procedimientos disciplinarios punitivos
– sistemas opresivos de gestión/evaluación de rendimiento
– producción ajustada, nuevas técnicas de gestión/seguridad conductual
– vigilancia en el trabajo
– falta de control
Los sindicatos han identificado además una laguna en los instrumentos de la OIT –no abordan específicamente los riesgos psico-sociales– de manera que podríamos aprovechar el 28 de Abril para incidir en la necesidad de contar con un convenio de la OIT al respecto, y para que se extienda la lista de enfermedades profesionales de la OIT incluyendo una mención más detallada de afecciones psico-sociales relacionadas con el trabajo y su impacto, así como una referencia explícita a la necesidad de actuar para prevenir la creciente problemática del suicidio relacionado con el trabajo.
También existe la posibilidad de vincular campañas sindicales internacionales existentes sobre trabajo precario, bajos salarios, ritmo de trabajo y dotación de personal adecuados, entre otras cuestiones. Pueden asimismo ponerse de relieve las mejores prácticas: leyes, acuerdos, acciones, recursos y campañas sindicales.
La CSI proporcionará detalles adicionales sobre la campaña del 28 de Abril a principios del año que viene.
En las próximas semanas, publicaremos información actualizada y apuntaremos a recursos disponibles en la página web sobre el 28 de Abril: www.28april.org
Entre tanto, si tienen historias de casos que quieran que incluyamos entre nuestro material, por favor remitirlas a la lista o directamente a editor@hazards.org
Pueden encontrar distinto material general de fondo (en inglés) en los siguientes enlaces:www.hazards.org/mentalhealth
www.hazards.org/lowpay
www.hazards.org/insecure
«Lutter contre les risques psychosociaux au travail: éliminer le stress au travail»
#iwmd20
Le 28 avril 2020, le thème de la campagne sera le suivant: «Lutter contre les risques psychosociaux au travail: éliminer le stress au travail». Nous chercherons à attirer l’attention sur le préjudice provoqué par le stress au travail et les troubles connexes, tels que la dépression, l’angoisse, le burnout, la dépendance à l’alcool et aux médicaments due au travail et le suicide lié au travail.
Ce thème nous invite à promouvoir les solutions permettant de faire face aux multiples facteurs à l’origine des risques psychosociaux, et d’en examiner d’autres qui ne sont pas fondamentalement associés à la santé et à la sécurité au travail, notamment:
– faible salaire, salaire au rendement, salaire aux pièces
– charge de travail, horaires et régime de travail
– effectifs insuffisants
– précarité de l’emploi, réduction des effectifs
– travail précaire/informel, «petits boulots»
– politiques punitives en cas d’absence pour maladie
– procédures disciplinaires punitives
– gestion des résultats et systèmes d’évaluation oppressifs
– production au plus juste, nouvelles techniques de gestion, sécurité comportementale
– surveillance au travail
– manque de contrôle
Les syndicats ont par ailleurs constaté une lacune dans les instruments de l’OIT qui, en effet, ne traitent pas explicitement des risques psychosociaux. C’est pourquoi, à l’occasion de la journée du 28 avril, nous pourrions solliciter une convention de l’OIT dans ce domaine, et demander l’allongement de la liste des maladies professionnelles répertoriées par l’OIT pour y inclure des données plus détaillées sur les troubles et les impacts psychosociaux dus au travail, en faisant explicitement référence à la nécessité d’agir pour enrayer le problème croissant des suicides liés au travail.
Il serait également possible d’établir un lien avec les campagnes syndicales internationales existantes sur le travail précaire, les faibles salaires, les niveaux suffisants de salaire et de personnel, et sur d’autres questions. Nous pourrions aussi mettre en avant les meilleures pratiques en termes de lois, d’accords, de mesures, de ressources syndicales et de campagnes.
La CSI donnera des informations plus détaillées sur la campagne du 28 avril 2020 au début de l’année prochaine.
Au cours des semaines à venir, nous publierons des mises à jour et nous indiquerons des ressources sur les pages web relatives au 28 avril à l’adresse www.28april.org
Entre-temps, si vous avez connu des expériences fructueuses sur cette question et que vous souhaitez les voir figurer dans nos matériels, veuillez les envoyer par courriel sur la liste, ou directement à mon adresse editor@hazards.org
Voici plusieurs liens et informations générales:
www.hazards.org/mentalhealth
www.hazards.org/lowpay
www.hazards.org/insecure
