Hazards Press Release: International Workers’ Memorial Day 28 April 2026

PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release
28 April 2026

Workers’ Memorial Day 2026: Remember the Dead. Fight for the Living — Addressing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

On International Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April 2026, workers and trade unions around the world will come together to remember those who have died, been injured, or made ill because of work — and to demand action to prevent further harm.

In 2026, the global trade union movement, coordinated by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), is marking Workers’ Memorial Day with a focus on the urgent and growing crisis of psychosocial hazards at work, highlighted through its global campaign at: https://28april.org

Psychosocial hazards — including work-related stress, excessive workloads, long and unpredictable hours, job insecurity, bullying, harassment, workplace violence, and the misuse of technology and surveillance — are among the leading causes of work-related ill health worldwide. These risks contribute to mental ill health, cardiovascular disease, burnout, and suicide, yet are preventable. Despite this, they are still too often ignored or treated as individual resilience issues rather than recognised as health and safety failures rooted in how work is organised. The ITUC warns that deregulation, weak enforcement, insecure work, climate-related pressures, and technological intensification are driving a global rise in psychosocial harm.

The long-standing message of Workers’ Memorial Day — “Remember the Dead. Fight for the Living.” — reminds us that behind every statistic is a worker whose life has been permanently changed or cut short by unsafe work, including unsafe systems of work that damage mental health.

Manchester Event

Greater Manchester Hazards Centre will mark International Workers’ Memorial Day with a public event at Lincoln Square in central Manchester on 28 April from 11.30am:
https://gmhazards.org.uk/index.php/event/international-workers-memorial-day-28-april-2026

We will be remembering those we have lost and standing with workers currently experiencing harm caused by work-related stress, pressure, and insecurity. Other events will be held around the country, see:
https://www.megaphone.org.uk/events

Will at Greater Manchester Hazards Centre said:

“Psychosocial hazards are real workplace hazards. Stress, bullying, harassment, overwork, and insecure work are killing workers just as physical dangers are. This Workers’ Memorial Day, we honour those we have lost and recommit ourselves to changing the way work is organised so that it protects, rather than damages, people’s health.”

International Workers’ Memorial Day is also a call for action. In line with the ITUC’s 2026 campaign, Greater Manchester Hazards Centre calls on employers, regulators, and governments to:

• Explicitly recognise psychosocial hazards as workplace health and safety risks
• Conduct effective risk assessments addressing work-related stress and mental health
• Prevent bullying, harassment, violence, and discrimination at work
• Regulate excessive working hours and unsafe workloads
• Strengthen enforcement of health and safety legislation
• Ensure protection for all workers, including those in insecure and outsourced work

Psychosocial harm at work is not inevitable. Strong laws, strong enforcement, and strong unions save lives. On 28 April, we remember those who have died and recommit to fighting for safe, healthy and dignified work for all.

Ends

Notes to Editors

International Workers’ Memorial Day takes place annually on 28 April.

In 2026, the ITUC global theme focuses on psychosocial hazards at work, including stress, working hours, job insecurity, bullying, and the mental health impacts of work organisation.

Campaign resources and statements are available at:
https://28april.org
https://gmhazards.org.uk

Media Contact

Name: Will Starritt
Role: Coordinator
Organisation: Greater Manchester Hazards Centre
Email: William@GMHazards.org.uk
Phone: 0161 884 4229