In Hong Kong the CSGWU and 職工盟(HKCTU) held an #IWMD2019 assembly in front of the Legislative Council, highlighting karoshi (death from overwork) fatalities; between 2013 and 2018 Hong Kong recorded 635 fatality cases where no accident occurred and therefore not considered work-related, meaning no compensation for the workers’ families.
#វីដេអូខ្លី : ស្តីពីទិវាពិភពលោកដើម្បីសុវត្ថិភាព និងសុខភាពការងារឆ្នាំ២០១៩ ក្រោមប្រធានបទ៖ ការលើកកំពស់សុវត្ថិភាព សុខភាព និងកិច្ចគាំពារសង្គមសម្រាប់កម្មករក្នុងវិស័យសំណង់។
ក្នុងគោលបំណង៖ ធ្វើការបង្ហាញដល់ សាធារណៈជន កម្មករនិយោជិត ក្រសួងស្ថាប័ន អង្គការសង្គមស៊ីវិល បានដឹងនូវ :
១/ លើកកម្ពស់ លក្ខខណ្ឌការងារ ប្រាក់ឈ្នួលសម្រាប់កម្មករក្នុងវិស័យសំណង់
២/ លើកកម្ពស់ សុខភាពសុវត្ថិភាពរបស់កម្មករសំណង់
៣/ ការអនុវត្តន៍គោលនយោបាយគាំពារសង្គម របស់បេឡាជាតិរបបសន្តិសុខសង្គម ឲ្យបានពេញលេញ សម្រាប់វិស័យសំណង់ (បសស) ។
២៨-មេសា-២០១៩
Short Video : At for International Health and Safety Day 2019 under theme “Promotion health, safety and social protection for workers in the construction sector.”
Demand to the government to address the key following issues;
1) Improve better working conditions and wages for construction workers
2) Improve labor policy on Occupational Health and Safety for construction workers;
3) Full implementation of National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for construction sector.
28-April-2019
MassCOSH has provided details of the multiple actions for International Workers’ Memorial Day activities held in Massachusetts.
To raise awareness on health and safety and workplace deaths BWI’s Belgian affiliate ACV-CSC held a demonstration in Brussels on 29 April 2019. The participants were dressed in white with a white mask to symbolize the number of deaths due to accidents at work each year in Belgium.
The union is also contacting members of Parliament who are members of the Social Affairs Committee to have their signature on a declaration of commitment. The purpose is to obtain their support for an amendment to the legislation to provide workplace accident victims with an immediate copy of the workplace accident report.
https://www.bwint.org/cms/news-72/union-members-in-belgium-take-action-to-stop-workplace-deaths-1384
(Video script English)
I am Gregorio Guerrel, Secretary of Occupational Health of SUNTRACS, Panama, affiliated to the BWI. I am sending a message to all the leaders and workers of Latin America to continue the fight and commemoration of April 28, International Workers’ Memorial Day hoping that this fight never ends. Specifically, we call for commemoration directly at construction projects, leaving the offices and going where the real protagonists are, construction workers.
(Français)
Je m’appelle Gregorio Guerrel, Secrétaire à la santé au travail de SUNTRACS (Panama), affilié à l’Internationale des travailleurs du bâtiment et du bois. J’envoie un message à tous les dirigeants et travailleurs d’Amérique latine pour qu’ils poursuivent la lutte et la commémoration du 28 avril, Journée internationale de commémoration des travailleurs et que cette lutte ne s’arrète jamais. Plus précisément, nous appelons à une commémoration directement sur les projets de construction, en quittant les bureaux et en se rendant là où se trouvent les vrais protagonistes, les travailleurs du bâtiment
(Español)
Soy Gregorio Guerrel, Secretario de Salud Ocupacional del SUNTRACS, Panamá, afiliado a la Internacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y la Madera. Les envío un mensaje a todos los dirigentes y obreros de América Latina para que sigan con la lucha de la conmemoración del 28 de Abril, Día Mundial de la Salud y Seguridad en el Trabajo y esta lucha nunca se termine. Específicamente, les pedimos que conmemoren en los proyectos de construcción, que salgamos de las oficinas y vayamos donde están los verdaderos protagonistas, que son los trabajadores.
https://www.bwint.org/cms/news-72/iwmd-suntracs-panama-1383
(Video script in English):
Hello, comrades from around the world. My name is Jucelino, I am 29 years old and I am a union leader of Sinticom Campinas in São Paulo – Brazil. I am the coordinator of the Department of Health and Safety at work and I am also part of the Training Department.
I wanted to say that we, the Civil Construction workers, know that we are one of the branches mostly affected by labour accidents in the world. On April 28, which was International Workers’ Memorial Day, union leaders must reinforce responsibilities and actions in order to keep our partners alive. We cannot allow capital to overlap life, so we need to reinforce our actions always preserving life and dignity at work. We remain firm.
(Français)
Bonjour, camarades du monde entier. Je m’appelle Jucelino, j’ai 29 ans et je suis un dirigeant syndical de Sinticom Campinas à São Paulo – Brésil. Je suis le coordonnateur du département de la santé et de la sécurité au travail et je fais également partie du département de la formation.
Je voulais dire que nous, les travailleurs de la construction civile, savons que nous sommes l’une des branches les plus touchées par les accidents du travail et que, le 28 avril, Journée internationale commémorative des travailleurs, les dirigeants syndicaux doivent renforcer leurs responsabilités et leurs actions afin de garder nos partenaires en vie. Nous ne pouvons pas laisser le capital passer avant la vie. Nous devons donc renforcer nos actions en préservant toujours la vie et la dignité au travail. Nous sommes fermes.
(Español)
Hola, compañeras y compañeros de todo el mundo. Me llamo Jucelino, tengo 29 años y soy Dirigente de Sinticom Campinas en San Pablo – Brasil. Soy coordinador del Departamento de Salud y Seguridad del trabajo y también formo parte del departamento de Formación.
Yo quería decir que nosotros, los trabajadores de la Construcción Civil, sabemos que somos una de las ramas más afectadas por los accidentes de trabajo en el mundo y que el próximo día 28 de abril, que es el Día Mundial en memoria las víctimas de accidentes del trabajo, los dirigentes sindicales debemos reforzar nuestras responsabilidades y nuestras acciones con el fin de mantener a nuestros compañeros vivos. No podemos permitir que el capital se superponga a la vida y que necesitamos reforzar nuestras acciones siempre preservando la vida y la dignidad en el trabajo. Seguimos firmes.
(Português)
Ola, companheiras e companheiros de todo o mundo. Eu me chamo Jucelino , tenho 29 anos e sou Dirigente do Sinticom Campinas em São Paulo – Brasil. Sou coordenador da pasta de Saúde e Segurança do trabalho e também atuo na pasta de Formação.
Eu queria dizer que nós da Construção Civil sabemos que somos um dos ramos mais
https://www.bwint.org/cms/news-72/iwmd-sinticom-brazil-1382
FENIBABCOM, BWI’s affiliate in Mali celebrated IWMD this Sunday 28th April, remembering the victims of safety and health accidents at work place. In addition, they also honored the hundreds of workers who died due to terrorist attacks that the country faces daily since 2012.
GSTU, the BWI affiliate in Lebanon celebrated IWMD this 28th April at LafargeHolcim plant with a focus on demanding better health and safety conditions for workers at the workplace.
To put the recent deaths in perspective, there have been a total of 145 in the past 20 years, and alarmingly 28 in the past 16 months.
The massive rise in fatalities says everything about the callousness of those running the shipping industry today. Companies that choose to save a dollar rather than train and equip workers to labour safely in confined spaces or invest in an onboard safety culture in which workers are free to take the time they need to vent cargo holds, ensure sufficient good air or question a risk they are facing.
We know that maritime workers are generally aware of the risks associated with entry into confined spaces, but they may not be aware of the details and extent of the varied dangers posed by forest products, coal, iron ore, grains, gases and other cargo.
It is not enough for a worker to rely on opening the hatches for 30 minutes and hoping for the best, or to do the best they can to protect themselves on their own. It is not enough for workers to take all available precautions but sometimes still be caught without sufficient protection by pockets of gases and lack of oxygen. And it is absolutely not enough that workers are left to cope with an inhumane industry by doing what humans have always done for one other: risk their own lives to save their fallen colleagues.
Last November, two dockers died while unloading logs from the hold of a bulker in Montevideo, likely after exposure to an unexpected fumigant they were not told about. A crew member saw them in distress and entered the hold wearing a face mask, determined to rescue them. During his efforts, his mask was reportedly removed, and he passed out, eventually landing in hospital in an induced coma. A third docker required medical help before the tragic incident was over.
Shipowners have a duty of care for their crew and dockers employed to carry out their cargo operations. Education and procedures are not optional. The negligence of shipowners who disregard standard procedures and cost workers their lives must be met with a punishment proportionate to the lives lost.
The International Maritime Solid Bulk (IMSB) Cargoes Code governs the carriage of bulk cargo worldwide. The IMSB code:
• Identifies and groups cargoes based on hazard
• Provides guidelines for safe handling
• Sets procedures for testing
The ITF Dockers’ and ITF Seafarers’ sections will be at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) working with shipowners to ensure that the regulations governing confined space stand up and are strong enough to protect all maritime workers.
The ITF Dockers’ Section deplores operators who routinely force workers to choose between risking their lives or their jobs. We continue the fight against them and demand accountability.
We join our sisters and brothers from Australia and Canada and echo their call for industrial manslaughter laws for employers deliberately undermine safety a risk workers’ lives.
Kill a worker, go to jail!
Our campaign demanding LafargeHolcim respect workers’ rights continues.
It’s time to send management a message on 28 April, International Workers Memorial Day: Health and safety is every worker’s right, and this is Trade Union Business!
More than 150 people were killed working in LafargeHolcim (LH) in 2015-2016. In 2017, there were 65 deaths. During this period LH had 135,000 employees, by 2018 the number of direct employees had been dramatically reduced to fewer than 80,000.
We note with growing frustration, that in 2018, preventable fatal injuries in LH have continued unabated. LH management continued to behave negligently, because they did not comply with safety laws or international standards in several cases that led to the deaths of workers. Victims were almost all contracted or third-party workers. Workers were killed on the job in Cameroon, Guinea, Morocco, Iraq, Nigeria, Uganda; Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico; India and the Philippines; France, Russia and the United Kingdom. Three were killed in Colombia and in the Philippines. Five were killed in Iraq and in Uganda, and nine were killed in India.
This horrific death toll is just a tip of the iceberg, since LH are exposing thousands of workers to substances that in the long run will cause ill health and even premature death.
Going to work at the beginning of the shift and returning home alive and healthy is the most fundamental right of workers. We have to tell LafargeHolcim: Enough is Enough! Respect workers’ rights on health and safety! Trade Unions mean safe work!
Join the Campaign on April 28 by conducting global actions. These include worksite meetings, workplace health and safety inspections and training meetings, as well as campaign press conferences, producing banners and leaflets, work stoppages, memorial services, or demonstrations.
This year, the 28th falls on a Sunday, so workplace activities can be any working day around that date. What’s most important is not HOW you participate, it’s that you DO participate. The more workers and unions that participate, the stronger the message we will send to LafargeHolcim management that workers want a say on health and safety!
NO MORE DEATHS IN LH WORK!
Campaign materials:
