A powerful moment at UNISON Health and Safety Seminar 2024, as delegates mark #IWMD24 by observing a minute of silence to remember all those who have lost their lives at work. #uHS24 pic.twitter.com/eawcg0lsnE
A powerful moment at UNISON Health and Safety Seminar 2024, as delegates mark #IWMD24 by observing a minute of silence to remember all those who have lost their lives at work. #uHS24 pic.twitter.com/eawcg0lsnE
— UNISON Health & Safety (@UNISON_HS) April 30, 2024
Members of the NUJ gathered on the steps of the Hugh Lane Galley in Dublin’s Parnell Square on Monday 29 April to remember the journalists killed in the war in Gaza.
The gallery steps overlook the capital city’s Garden of Remembrance and poignantly had previously been the venue for a vigil held to mark the killing of journalist Lyra McKee.
NUJ vice presidents Gerry Curran and Fran McNulty, Cearbhaill O’Siochain chair of the union’s Irish Executive Council (IEC), press ombudsman Susan McKay and Ian McGuinness, Irish organiser were among those who read from the list of the 109 journalists featured on the IFJ list of slain journalists.
A minute’s silence was observed following the reading of the list. In welcoming the attendance, which included a group of visiting Czech journalists and colleague trade unionists, Séamus Dooley renewed calls for a permanent ceasefire and said the NUJ remains gravely concerned at the treatment of journalists by the Israeli government.
The event marked International Workers’ Memorial Day and focussed on the killing of journalists in Gaza. Last year the EC hosted a similar event at the Garden of Remembrance to remember all journalists killed in the line of duty in the period since the last Irish Delegate Conference.
Séamus Dooley said the journalists killed were slain because of their profession. In remembering those who have died we should also remember those injured and all who had lost loved ones.
It is vital, he said, that journalists should be free to enter Gaza and to report on the war. The terrible horror which has unfolded in Gaza was a story which must be covered.
Irish representatives gather at Irish Congress of Trade Unions memorial
To mark International Workers Memorial Day, the NUJ has organised and attended a number of events remembering those who have died carrying out their work and acknowledging their loss.
At the weekend the union held a vigil in Dublin and representatives also took part in a memorial today at the city’s Garden of Remembrance.
Séamus Dooley, NUJ Irish Secretary and Ian McGuinness, NUJ Irish Organiser (and member of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Health and Safety committee) heard ICTU General Secretary Owen Reidy give a speech sending, “solidarity to workers internationally” and calling “for safe work at home and across the world.”
“Our event today is the National Commemoration for WMD; but it is not the only event, trade unions and workplaces will be organising events and observing a minute’s silence across the country and I know that the NUJ, among other unions, organised a vigil in Dublin yesterday.”
Reidy added that in Ireland, “tragically this year has seen a rise in workplace fatalities. When I was at this ceremony last year, 27 people lost their lives in 2022, the lowest on record. Even one death is one death too many but it is unacceptable that the number of people who lost their lives in 2023 stood at 43.
“No one should have to put their lives at risk to earn a living.”
Other NUJ events on Monday include London Freelance Branch organising a rally at 6.30pm on Whitehall opposite Downing Street with speakers to honour colleagues killed in Gaza and the NUJ holding an event in Dublin at 6pm remembering all the journalists killed in the line of duty in Isreal/Palestine and reading their names out on the steps of the Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square.
Marking IWMD, Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “No story is worth a person’s life, but all too often journalists find themselves literally in the line of fire when carrying out their work. They endure dangerous conditions to cover wars and conflicts, they shine a light into places political despots and criminal gangs prefer kept dark and expose wrongdoings and corruption across the globe.
“The death toll, now more than 100 in Gaza, is all the more shocking because we believe journalists are being directly targeted by the Israeli Defence Forces. That is why we are calling for an immediate investigation by the International Criminal Court to ensure all incidents of the targeting of journalists constituting war crimes under international law are properly investigated.
“On IWMD we will be mourning the deaths of our journalist colleagues in Palestine and extending sympathy to their families. We will continue to work with International Federation of Journalists and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate to provide protection and provisions for the press working in unimaginable situations and suffering enormous privations. That’s why we thank members, chapels and branches for their generosity so far, but ask for further donations to the IFJ safety fund.
“We again call for the release of all hostages and for both sides to agree to a permanent ceasefire to ensure attacks on journalists and all civilians comes to an end.
“As the IFJ’s list of media workers killed grows by the week, we continue to argue with the UN for an international, legally binding convention to protect the safety and independence of journalists and to recognise that media workers face greater risks when compared to other civilians.
“On the home front, workers in the UK and Ireland are sustaining fatal injuries while doing their jobs. That is why we are working with the Trade Union Congress and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to fight for workers’ rights and safety, and lobby for greater protections while supporting the vital role of unions’ health and safety reps on the ground.”
Others who have lost their lives while doing their jobs this year include: Pakistani journalist, Sagheer Ahmed Laar, was killed on 14 March after unidentified men opened fire on him outside a pharmacy in Punjab; Abdikarin Ahmed Bulhan, a reporter for Somali National Television (SNTV), was killed on 13 March in the Abudwak district of the Galguduud region in central Somalia when an armed security guard shot and fatally wounded him at his workplace; Western News journalist Myat Thu Tan was shot dead by military personnel on 31 January along with seven other political prisoners jailed by Myanmar’s ruling junta.
“On International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember every life lost to unsafe work and commit to fighting for the health and safety of every worker.”
On International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember every life lost to unsafe work and commit to fighting for the health and safety of every worker.#IWMD pic.twitter.com/JXZA2gUfZ1
— Trades Union Congress (@The_TUC) April 28, 2024
Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union (Kommunal) held a commemoration in Kristianstad, Sweden to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day.
28. April, World Day of Safety and Health at Work – Day of Remembrance for Workers who lost their lives on the workplace.I took the photo unplanned, a few years ago, while we were preparing an action to mark Remembrance Day. I don’t think I’ll ever make one that speaks louder and more picturiously about the importance of occupational safety and health. The silence is louder.
Chaque année, plus de trois millions de travailleurs et travailleuses meurent à cause de leur travail et des dizaines de millions d’autres sont blessés. La santé et la sécurité sur le lieu de travail sont un droit essentiel, trop souvent ignoré. C’est pourquoi IndustriALL a mis en lumière à la fois les échecs et les réussites dans ce domaine au cours du mois précédant le 28 avril, Journée internationale de commémoration des travailleurs.
L’essor de la révolution industrielle, il y a près de 250 ans, a entraîné de terribles conditions de travail dans des usines mal ventilées et dotées d’équipements dangereux. Les mauvaises conditions de travail ont poussé les salariés à former des syndicats et à exiger des conditions de travail sûres et saines. Le rôle des syndicats a été synonyme de cette évolution, la santé et la sécurité au travail étant le moteur des réponses à ces changements souvent perturbateurs.
La première législation sur la santé et la sécurité, la Health and Morals of Aprecentices Act, a été adoptée au Royaume-Uni en 1784 à la suite d’une épidémie de fièvre chez les ouvriers des filatures de coton.
En 1984, le Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (SCFP) a institué le 28 avril comme journée d’hommage aux travailleurs tués ou blessés au travail, une journée qui a ensuite été reconnue au niveau international. En 2003, l’OIT a officiellement fait du 28 avril la Journée mondiale de la sécurité et de la santé au travail afin de promouvoir des conditions de travail saines et de mettre l’accent sur la prévention des accidents du travail.
La date du 28 avril symbolise les luttes pour la santé et la sécurité sur le lieu de travail dans le monde entier et a fait de cette thématique un pivot stratégique autour duquel syndiquer et bâtir des syndicats forts.
La boucle a été bouclée en 2022 avec la reconnaissance par l’OIT de la santé et de la sécurité comme principe et droit fondamental au travail, s’ajoutant aux quatre autres principes et droits fondamentaux au travail de l’OIT : la liberté d’association et la reconnaissance effective du droit de négociation collective ; l’élimination de toutes les formes de travail forcé ou obligatoire ; l’abolition effective du travail des enfants ; l’élimination de la discrimination en matière d’emploi et de profession.
La Convention n° 155 sur la sécurité et la santé des travailleurs, de 1981, et la convention n° 187 sur le cadre promotionnel pour la sécurité et la santé au travail, de 2006, sont désormais considérées comme des conventions fondamentales qui entérinent la santé et à la sécurité en tant que principe et droit fondamentaux au travail.
Glen Mpufane, Directeur pour la santé et de la sécurité d’IndustriALL, a déclaré à ce sujet :
“La reconnaissance par l’OIT de la santé et de la sécurité comme principe fondamental et droit au travail est une victoire pour les travailleurs du monde entier découlant les luttes des travailleurs et travailleuses. C’est aussi un témoignage et un hommage à leurs longues années de leur lutte pour améliorer leurs conditions de santé et de sécurité sur le lieu de travail.
La santé et la sécurité au travail ne sont ni un avantage à négocier ni une faveur à demander. C’est un droit.”
Le plan d’action du Congrès 2021-2025 d’IndustriALL sur l’avancement des droits des travailleurs s’inscrit dans la lignée des luttes des travailleurs à travers le temps pour l’amélioration de leurs conditions de travail en mettant l’accent sur les droits fondamentaux à la liberté d’association et le droit à la négociation collective, ainsi qu’un salaire minimum adéquat, des limites maximales au temps de travail et la sécurité et la santé sur le lieu de travail.
IndustriALL fait campagne et promeut une approche de la santé et de la sécurité au travail fondée sur le droit, qui inclut :
https://www.industriall-union.org/fr/plus-le-syndicat-est-fort-plus-le-lieu-de-travail-est-sur
Electoral Conference BSPSH Shkodër! The President of BSPSH Mr. Gëzim Kalaja from Shkodra emphasized the importance of Safety and Health at Work in the framework of the April 28 World Day of Safety and Health at Work. Zero tolerance to accidents to the workplaces”. 
Delegates of BSPSH Shkodra Region held the Electoral Conference, electing as Chairman of the Shkodra Region Mr. Albert Tuka.
International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) is the day that the trade union movement unites to remember workers at home and
across the globe who have paid the ultimate price, those who left for work and never returned.
International Workers’ Memorial Day is on the 28th April 2024.
We “Remember the Dead, and Fight for the Living” by pledging to fight for healthier and safer workplaces. Scottish Hazards research indicates that, in Scotland, more than 10 people die each day as a result of work-related incidents and illness. Many of these deaths are caused by health & safety failures.
Events take place across Scotland to commemorate those who lost their lives at work:
Irvine: Memorial Garden, Kilwinning Road: 1pm
Aberdeen: Aberdeen City Council Trade Unions, Duthie Park: 10.30am
Aberdeen: Action on Asbestos, Johnstone Gardens: 12 noon
Alloa: Memorial Stone, Kilncraigs (adjacent to Clackmannanshire HQ): 10.30am
Bathgate: Bathgate Sports Centre, Torpichen Road: 11am
Greenock: Clyde Square, Greenock: 11am
Inverness: Workers’ Memorial, Friar’s Shot, Huntly Street (provisional): 12 noon
Kirkwall: Memorial Tree, Orkney Island Council Offices: 12 noon
South Ayrshire: Rozelle House, Monument Road, Ayr 10am
Stirling: Memorial Tree, Old Viewforth: 10.45am
Alexandria: Memorial Tree, Christie Park: 1pm
Clydebank: Truth and Justice Square, Hume Street: 1pm
Falkirk: Bandstand, Callendar Riggs, Falkirk: 11am
Glasgow: Workers Memorial, People’s Palace/ Winter Gardens, Glasgow Green: 12 noon
Kilmarnock: Memorial Tree, Dean Country Park: 11am
Kirkcaldy: Memorial Tree, Beveridge Park: 11am
Aberdeen: Persley Walled Garden, Bridge of Don: 1pm
Bonnyrigg: Michael McGahey Memorial, George V Park, Bonnyrigg: 12.30pm
Coatbridge: Summerlee Industrial Museum, Heritage Way, Coatbridge: 12 noon
Dundee: Memorial Tree, adjacent to Discovery Point, Riverside Drive: 12 noon
Edinburgh: Memorial and Tree, West Princes Street Gardens: 12.30pm
Forfar: Forfar Community Campus, Kirriemuir Road: 11.30am
Hamilton: Townhouse, Beckford Street: 11.45am
Paisley: Workers Memorial , Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street: 12 noon
Renfrew: Workers Memorial Cairn, Robertson Park, Paisley Road: 11am
https://www.stuc.org.uk/about-iwmd/