Category Archives: 2025 Europe

Italy: Safe Day – Giornata mondiale sicurezza lavoro: sindacati edili depongono corona all’Inail – FILCA CISL

In occasione della giornata mondiale per la salute e sicurezza sul lavoro, i rappresentanti di Feneal, Filca, Fillea, le categorie che tutelano il settore delle costruzioni di Cgil, Cisl e Uil, si sono recati presso la sede dell’Inail a Piazzale Pastore, per deporre una corona di fiori davanti al monumento in memoria degli operai che persero la vita durante lo scavo del traforo di San Gottardo. Prima della deposizione i rappresentanti hanno avuto un incontro con il direttore generale Marcello Fiori, un momento di confronto per analizzare e valutare le misure per la prevenzione degli infortuni e le malattie professionali e anche riguardanti i nuovi rischi connessi alla rivoluzione digitale e alla riorganizzazione del mondo del lavoro.
“Quello di oggi è un appuntamento di grande importanza – sottolinea Marcello Fiori – che rende omaggio alle vittime sul lavoro e testimonia la imprescindibile necessità di un impegno comune tra le parti sociali e le Istituzioni nell’azione di contrasto alla tragedia degli infortuni sul lavoro e delle malattie professionali. Restano fortissime le parole pronunciate da Papa Francesco in occasione dell’udienza dedicata all’Inail: senza tutele e sicurezza per i lavoratori prevale nella società, la cultura dello “scarto”. Rimettere al centro la persona significa “vedere, avere compassione, farsi vicini, fasciare le ferite, farsi carico” e considerare tutti gli infortunati, persone e non numeri. Missione fondamentale dell’Istituto deve essere quella della prevenzione che richiede un accordo, un impegno corale e il pieno coinvolgimento di tutte le Istituzioni e le parti sociali, come il Presidente della Repubblica ci esorta energicamente a realizzare, per mettere in campo tutti gli strumenti necessari: norme tecniche aggiornate e puntuali, informazione e formazione dei lavoratori e dei responsabili per la sicurezza, incentivi e finanziamenti al sistema delle imprese per innovazione tecnologica e sistemi di gestione per la salute e la sicurezza, un efficace e diffuso sistema di controlli”.
“I numeri – dichiarano i segretari di FenealUil, Filca Cisl e Fillea Cgil– continuano ad essere preoccupanti, con 1.090 vittime nel 2024, 49 in più rispetto al 2023, di cui 156 nelle costruzioni, che si riconferma tra i settori più a rischio. Gli infortuni in più rispetto all’anno precedente sono stati 4.215, e 15.745 le denunce di malattie professionali. Anche oggi c’è stato un incidente mortale sul lavoro nella cava di marmo di Miseglia costato la vita ad un uomo di 59 anni.
In questa giornata così importante le nostre categorie, che combattono ogni giorno per contrastare le irregolarità, tutelare i lavoratori e cambiare la cultura sulla sicurezza sul lavoro, avviano una fase collaborativa con Inail, attraverso un tavolo permanente sulla prevenzione in materia di salute e sicurezza che ci auguriamo porterà alla sottoscrizione di un protocollo operativo, in grado di generare effetti concreti quanto prima”.

 

Germany: Weltweites Gedenken an Arbeitsopfer – DGB Bezirk Sachsen

Heute ist #WorkersMemorialDay. Wir gedenken weltweit der Menschen, die bei der Arbeit erkrankt oder zu Tode gekommen sind. Die Beschäftigten müssen durch hohe Standards beim Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutz besser geschützt werden! Jeden Tag! #StarkMitUns #IWMD #IWMD25 #IWMD2025
Today is #WorkersMemorialDay. We commemorate people worldwide who have fallen ill or died at work. Employees must be better protected through high standards in occupational health and safety! Every day! #StarkMitUns #IWMD #IWMD25 #IWMD2025

Europe: Workers’ Memorial Day: ‘simplification’ is a threat to health and safety

(28 April, 2025) Today is Workers’ Memorial Day. We commemorate all those workers who have lost their lives at work. On this day, we cannot separate their memories from the legislative challenges facing workers in the European Union.

Workers’ lives are protected by national and European legislation. Health and safety laws are a achievement of the international labour movement – particularly in the EU, where there is a strong legal basis in the European Treaties to protect workers. However, these protections are in danger.

The current European Commission is leading an attack on its own rules and regulations in the name of ‘simplification’ – better known as deregulation – with the stated goal of making Europe more ‘competitive’. Numerous protections introduced to safeguard the environment, public health, working conditions, and other crucial aspects of our lives are now at risk. Prominent voices within the European Commission, including President von der Leyen, argue that these rules undermine Europe’s competitiveness. We are witnessing a dangerous pivot towards dismantling the European social model and all the protections it has developed for workers.

From chemical safety (the REACH Regulation) and data privacy (GDPR) to social and environmental corporate reportingeverything appears up for sacrifice to make businesses more competitive. For EPSU, true competitiveness begins with well-funded, quality public services: schools, hospitals, transport infrastructure, universities, and public administration. Prioritising corporate interests over human dignity must be stopped.

EPSU is proud to have negotiated with the employers European rules to protect healthcare workers from injuries from sharp objects. Equally important EU rules provide firefighters with standards for adequate Personal Protective Equipment and regular health checks and protect waste workers from exposure to hazardous substances, among so many other protections for so many workers.

Workers do not need health and safety regulations to be rolled back in the name of ‘competitiveness’ and ‘simplification’. On the contrary, the changing world of work – from teleworking and digitalisation to artificial intelligence and platform work – demands new protections to face new realities. A new ETUI study reveals that workplace stress is responsible for over 10,000 deaths in Europe each year. More than ever, workers need a dedicated directive addressing psychosocial risks.

EPSU will be at the forefront of the fight against the EU’s deregulation agenda. Workers deserve strong protections fit for the future – not weakened rules designed solely for corporate gain.

Slovenia: 28. april, mednarodni delavski dan spomina na umrle na delovnem mestu | ZSSS

Od leta 1996 sindikati po vsem svetu na 28. april obeležujejo Mednarodni spominski dan na umrle in poškodovane delavce (International Workers’ Memorial Day – International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers) z geslom: “Spominjaj se umrlih in bori se za žive!”  Namen je s kampanjami ozaveščanja počastiti spomin na žrtve poškodb pri delu in poklicnih bolezni. 28. aprila se po vsem svetu pregleda statistika umrlih zaradi nezgod pri delu in poklicnih bolezni. ZSSS od leta 2006 dalje na ta dan javnosti posreduje svoja sporočila o stanju varnosti in zdravja pri delu v Sloveniji. Glej spodaj sporočila po letih !

Več ITUC na tej povezavi in Organizacija 28. april na tej povezavi

Izhajajoč iz te tradicije Mednarodna organizacija dela (ILO / MOD) od leta 2003 vsako leto 28. aprila obeležuje Svetovni dan varnosti in zdravja pri delu (World Day for Safety and Health at Work) z namenom, da bi po vsem svetu spodbudila preprečevanje nezgod pri delu in poklicnih bolezni. Gre za kampanjo ozaveščanja, katere namen je usmeriti mednarodno pozornost na nove trende na področju varnosti in zdravja pri delu ter na obseg poškodb pri delu, bolezni in smrtnih žrtev po vsem svetu.

Več ILO na tej povezavi


28. april 2025:

 

 

Sporočila in pozivi ZSSS ob 28. aprilu 2025

Statistika varnosti in zdravja pri delu IRSD, MDDSZ, KIMPDŠ, ZZZS in ZPIZ za leto 2024

 

19/2025 e-novica ZSSS (22. 4. 2025): Revolucija varnosti in zdravja pri delu

20/2025 e-novica ZSSS (24. 4. 2025): Statistika IRSD ob svetovnem dnevu varnosti in zdravja pri delu

21/2025 e-novica ZSSS (25. 4. 2025): Hočemo novo direktivo EU za preprečevanje psihosocialnih tveganj pri delu!

22/2025 e-novica ZSSS (28. 4. 2025): 28. april 2025 – Spominjaj se mrtvih, nepopustljivo se bori za žive!

Poročilo o delu Inšpektorata Republike Slovenije za delo za leto 2024

Spain: Este #28Abril exigimos medidas urgentes y mayor protección para las víctimas | USO

Miles de trabajadores se enfrentan a violencia, agresiones y acoso en el trabajo.  Sara García, sec.

“Thousands of workers face violence, assaults, and harassment at work. Sara García, sec. This 28 April we demand urgent measures and greater protection for the victims.”

: Este #28Abril exigimos medidas urgentes y mayor protección para las víctimas. #StopViolenciaEnElTrabajo #IWMD25

Europe/Belgium: Workplace stress epidemic killing 10,000 people a year | ETUC

Europe’s workplace stress epidemic is killing around 10,000 people a year, according to a new analysis which shows the urgent need for an EU directive on psychosocial risks at work.

There are 6,190 deaths annually through coronary heart disease which are attributable to psychosocial risks at work across the EU 27 and the UK. Another 4,843 people lose their lives through suicide caused by work-related depression. That means psychosocial risks are a greater danger to workers than physical accidents, which killed 3,286 people in the EU in 2022.

Women workers are disproportionately affected by psychosocial risks, such as long working hours, job insecurity and workplace bullying. There is also a geographic imbalance, with deaths linked to workplace stress more prevalent in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

International Workers’ Memorial Day

The figures are based on research by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) being presented on International Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28) which emphasises that these deaths are preventable and tackling them would save companies and governments tens of billions a year.

That is why the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is today calling again on the European Commission to urgently bring forward a directive on psychosocial risks as part of a Quality Jobs Package. It should set binding obligations on employers to identify psychosocial risks through proper risk assessments, with the involvement of workers and trade unions.

EU data shows a legal obligation is the motivator of nine in ten European companies to take action on health and safety at work, but currently there is no EU legislation dedicated to psychosocial risks at work. The mission letter of Roxana Mînzatu, the Commissioner responsible for social rights, says she “should work on improving Europe’s approach to occupational health andsafety, ensuring healthier workplaces and mental health at work.”

Addressing the issue at a joint ETUC-ETUI conference in Brussels on Monday, ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch will say: 

“Today, is a call for decisive, transformative action. If the EU is truly committed to building a future of fair, inclusive, and sustainable employment, then the Quality Jobs Package must include a robust Directive on preventing work-related psychosocial risks.

“The world of work is changing—rapidly, profoundly, and permanently. Digitalisation, AI robotics, platform work, the green transition, are reshaping how we labour and live. But while these transformations offer new opportunities, they also bring new dangers. Chief among them are the increasing psychosocial risks faced by workers: stress, burnout, anxiety, harassment, isolation, and emotional exhaustion. These are not fringe issues. They are systemic, and they are escalating.

“The EU has long been a global standard-setter in workers’ rights. We led the way on physical safety. Now we must lead the way on mental safety.”

ETUC Confederal Secretary Giulio Romani said:

The world of work is changing rapidly and the laws protecting people’s health at work must keep pace. The huge rise in telework and digitalisation since the Covid-19 pandemic has further blurred the boundaries between work and personal life, leading to longer working hours and an always-on-call culture that has taken a severe toll on workers’  health.

“If over 10,000 people a year were killed at work because of physical risks, the Commission would rightly be taking urgent action to make workplaces safer. They cannot sit on their hands because people are losing their lives due to psychosocial risks.  

“On International Workers Memorial Day, trade unions remember the dead and fight for the living. Today that means ensuring we have laws which protects people’s mental and physical health.”

Full ETUI study on The costs of cardiovascular diseases and depression attributable to psychosocial work exposures in the European Union

Sources for ETUI estimates of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases and depression attributable to psychosocial work exposures in the European Union:

Coronary heart disease

Attributable to four psychosocial work exposures (PWE) for the year 2015 in 28 European countries. Annual number of deaths due to coronary heart diseases attributable to PWE in 2015: 6 190 deaths (5 092 men, 1 098 women). This means 201 359 years of life lost in 2015 (166 331 men, 35 028 women), based on the age at time of death and the average life expectancy. Four relevant PWE : job strain, effort-reward imbalance, job insecurity, long working hours. Source: Sultan-Taïeb H et al (2022) European journal of public health 2022;32:586-592

Depression

Attributable to 5 psychosocial work exposures (PWE) for the year 2015 in 28 European countries. Annual number of deaths due to depression (suicide cases related to depression) attributable to PWE in 2015 : 4 843 deaths (3 931 men, 912 women). This means 211 689 years of life lost in 2015 (172 885 men, 38 805 women), based on the age at time of death and the average life expectancy. Depression cases attributable to PWE are higher among women than men but there is a higher number of years of life lost because of a higher prevalence of suicide among men than women. Five relevant PWE : job strain, effort-reward imbalance, job insecurity, long working hours and workplace bullying. Source: Sultan-Taïeb H et al (2022). European journal of public health 2022;32:586-592.

https://www.etuc.org/en/pressrelease/workplace-stress-epidemic-killing-10000-people-year

UK: Unite members to remember the dead on April 28

Unite members are being urged to get involved with this year’s International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD), with plans well underway for country wide commemoration events to “remember the dead and fight for the living” later this month.

The annual event is held around the world every year on April 28 as workers gather to reflect on fellow workers lost or injured while just doing their jobs.

This year Unite members are organising memorials around the country, and joining in many others and the union has produced lots of resources and guides to help branches get involved.

For 2025 the International TUC theme is “Occupational health and safety: A fundamental right at work” including an explicit additional focus on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitisation on occupational health and safety.

Events will be happening across the country. In London construction workers will gather at the Building Workers memorial at Tower Hill, in Somerset workers from Hinkley Point C will mark the day at a memorial in Bridgwaters’ Blake Gardens and in Glasgow workers will gather at the memorial in the People’s Palace.

The central Birmingham event will highlight the safety-critical factor behind Unite’s local bins dispute, and remember David Carpenter, a binman for Coventry City Council, who died after being crushed in a bin lorry in 2023.

There are also events at the Unite Memorial in Liverpool, Lincoln Square in Manchester and many many more.

Global partners that Unite works with also have themes for the day of remembrance, for example BWI will highlight its “Too Hot to Work” campaign around the dangers of heat stress, as well as launching its “Stop Deadly Dust” campaign.

Read moreUnite 28 April resources

UK: Why we ‘remember the dead and fight for the living’ – Unison

On 28 April each year, International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) is a time to remember those who have died either because of a workplace accident, ill health or diseases as a result of work.

Why we ‘remember the dead and fight for the living’

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) annual statistics show on average that 135 workers are killed in work related accidents each year. They also estimate that there are around 13,000 deaths each year from occupational lung disease and cancer caused by past exposure at work to chemicals and dust (such as asbestos or silica).

However, safety campaigners estimate that the true figure for all work-related deaths is closer to 50,000 each year.

Although it is rare for a UNISON member to die in a workplace incident, unfortunately some do suffer serious injuries and work-related ill health, including musculoskeletal disorders, stress, anxiety and depression. This can significantly affect them, their family, friends and other work colleagues.

UNISON knows that the key to providing safe and healthy workplaces is effective risk management, eliminating or reducing the risk of  harm and having safe systems of work, including training and access to protective equipment.

Additionally, UNISON health safety representatives play a vital role in keeping workplaces safe and healthy by working with employers and raising members’ concerns about working condition, as well as undertaking inspections of workplaces to check all steps are being taking to keep workers safe.

read more

Resources

Global/UK: 28 April each year provides an opportunity to remember those who have died at work

The International Federation of Journalists recorded killings of 122 journalists in 2024, a figure highlighting the grave danger many journalists working globally continue to face.

At the NUJ’s Delegate Meeting, members heard from Anthony Bellanger, IFJ general secretary, who said “there was much to say about the situation of journalists around the world” and noted the killings of at least 171 journalists killed by the Israeli army since the start of war.

Read more on his address to delegates.

Delegates also stood in remembrance of journalists killed since 2023 globally.

https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/international-workers-memorial-day.html

France: Direct 28.04 – Journée mondiale de la sécurité et de la santé au travail – CFDT

A l’occasion de la journée mondiale de la sécurité et de la santé au travail, retrouvez-nous en live le 28 avril à 14h (vidéo ci-dessous) pour une rencontre avec les militantes et militants de la maroquinerie, du paysage et de l’hospitalisation privée.

Le 28 avril est un moment important pour des millions de travailleurs et travailleuses à travers le monde. C’est l’occasion de mettre en lumière la nécessité d’agir continuellement pour faire respecter le droit en matière de santé et sécurité au travail.

Cette journée sera l’occasion de valoriser le travail de terrain mené par les équipes CFDT, à travers plusieurs témoignages qui démontrent qu’il est possible, par l’action, de faire évoluer les organisations du travail et d’améliorer les conditions de travail pour agir sur le maintien en emploi en bonne santé.