Workers’ unions are pressing their demand this International Workers’ Memorial Day #IWMD22 to finally make health and safety at work a fundamental principle and right.
The ITUC and its affiliates are calling on governments to take action by:
ratifying and implementing core ILO health and safety conventions;
ratifying and implementing all sectoral or hazard-specific conventions;
establishing national health and safety bodies bringing unions and employer representatives together;
requiring occupational health services for all, and proper compensation including making Covid-19 a recognised occupational disease.
Con ocasión de la Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración #IWMD22, sindicatos de todo el mundo presionan reclamando que por fin se considere la salud y seguridad como un derecho fundamental en el trabajo.
La CSI y sus afiliadas piden además a los Gobiernos que tomen medidas para:
ratificar e implementar los convenios básicos de la OIT sobre salud y seguridad;
ratificar e implementar todos los convenios sectoriales o sobre riesgos laborales específicos;
establecer organismos nacionales sobre salud y seguridad agrupando a representantes de sindicatos y patronal;
requerir servicios de salud laboral para todos y acordar la debida compensación, incluyendo el reconocimiento de la COVID-19 como enfermedad laboral.
AFLO-CIO is gearing up for International Workers’ Memorial Day with a comprehensive suite of resources including briefings, information, posters, stickers, graphics and events listings available in English and Spanish. The details below are from Safety and Health Director Rebecca L. Reindel.
Flyer [English]Flyer [español]
Colleagues,
Workers Memorial Day, April 28, is just around the corner. This year, the labor movement will commemorate those we have lost on the job and will organize to make the fundamental right of a safe job a reality for all workers. This year’s theme is “Organize! Safe Jobs Now.” Attached are AFL-CIO President Shuler’s letter, launching Workers Memorial Day planning this year and English and Spanish versions of this year’s flier.
Please join us this April 28 to honor the victims of workplace injury and illness and the call to organize for safe jobs for all workers. As we do every year, trade unionists around the country and globe will organize our communities and workplaces to observe Workers Memorial Day.
We will highlight the toll of job injuries and deaths; demand that elected officials put workers’ well-being above corporate interests; and demand safe jobs for all. This year, and every year, the labor movement will defend the right of every worker to a safe job and build collective power to make that right a reality.
Please use the resources below when planning for this year’s Workers Memorial Day and reach out to us with any questions, concerns, comments along the way.
Materials and Artwork:
Please scroll down our Workers Memorial Day home page to view and download this year’s materials and artwork: aflcio.org/workersmemorialday. These include posters, stickers, and fliers in English and Spanish. Stickers are available for “Organize! Safe Jobs Now” and for “Mourn for the Dead. Fight for the Living.”
We want to hear about your Workers Memorial Day plans! Please share your event with us so that we can include it on our map of events across the country.
Plan events, actions, activities and observances with suggestions in our flier. If gathering in person, especially indoors, please follow CDC’s guidelines on organizing large events and gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Toolkit Coming Soon: Soon, we will be distributing more materials to help you plan your commemorations and advocacy efforts. These include talking points, sample materials for media outreach, worker safety and health facts, state-by-state safety and health data, fact sheets, digital resources, infographics and other information.
How to reach out to us about Workers Memorial Day: oshmail@aflcio.org or 202-637-5341
Hashtags you can use to build solidarity online around Workers Memorial Day: #IWMD2022 #WorkersMemorialDay #1uSafety
Rebecca L. Reindel, MS, MPH (she/her)
Safety and Health Director, AFL-CIO
815 Black Lives Matter Plaza, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
The Montenegro union Saveza Sindikata Crne Gore (SSCG) has produced an excellent set of resources for International Workers’ Memorial Day 2021 (#iwmd21) including graphic s and videos. All are featured below. Further details:
Marked annually in Canada on April 28, the National Day of Mourning is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives, or suffered injury or illness on the job or due to a work-related tragedy.
#hashtagDayOfMourning
Observance
How to support
Beyond the statistics
History
In 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress, the Parliament of Canada passed the Workers Mourning Day Act making April 28 an official Day of Mourning. Today the Day of Mourning has since spread to more than 100 countries around the world and is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day, and as International Workers’ Memorial Day by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
It is the hope of CCOHS that the annual observance of this day will help strengthen the resolve to establish safe and healthy conditions in the workplace, and prevent further injuries, illnesses, and deaths. As much as this is a day to remember the dead, it is also a call to protect the living and make work a place where people can thrive.
Source: Fatalities, by Age and Jurisdiction 2019, Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC),National Work Injury/Disease Statistics Program (NWISP)
Source: Lost Time Claims, by Age and Jurisdiction, 2019, Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC),National Work Injury/Disease Statistics Program (NWISP)
For further statistical information visit the AWCBC National Work Injuries Statistics Program.
APR
28
Show your commitment on social media
Show your commitment by sharing the following messages on your social media channels.
Day of Mourning postcard with ducks
Pause. Reflect. Remember.
At 11 a.m., I will honour workers who have died, were injured, or became ill from their job.
Day of Mourning postcard with dandelions and seeds
Pause. Reflect. Remember. Renew.
At 11 a.m., we will honour workers who have died, were injured, or became ill from their job, and will renew our commitment to health and safety in the workplace.
Day of Mourning postcard with candles
We remember workers who have died, were injured, or became ill from their job. We commit to protecting workers and preventing further workplace tragedies.
Day of Mourning postcard with worker wearing a mask
We honour the workers who have risked their health and safety to serve others, especially during these uncertain times.
W przyszłym tygodniu – 28.kwietnia 2021 r. – zainaugurujemy obchody Światowego Dnia Bezpieczeństwa i Ochrony Zdrowia w Pracy, które w tym roku odbędą się pod hasłem:
Przewiduj, przygotuj się i reaguj na kryzysy POSTAW NA BHP
Międzynarodowa Organizacja Pracy (MOP), która koordynuje obchody Dnia na świecie, nawołuje do budowania rezylientnych (niezawodnych i odpornych) systemów bhp i zachęca, aby czerpiąc z doświadczeń związanych z pandemią COVID-19 i jej ogromnego wpływu na niemal każdy aspekt świata pracy, wdrażać w firmach działania, które pomogą lepiej zarządzać bezpieczeństwem pracy, efektywniej chronić zdrowie pracowników, a także skuteczniej i szybciej reagować na niespodziewane i trudne sytuacje w przyszłości.
Więcej informacji o tematyce Dnia i materiały promocyjne znajdą Państwo na stronie www.ciop.pl/28kwietnia.
MOP zaprasza do udziału w webinarium inaugurującym obchody, które odbędzie się 28 kwietnia w godz. 13.30-14.45. Link do rejestracji
Zachęcamy do akcentowania obchodów Dnia w miejscach pracy poprzez m.in.:
zapoznanie się z materiałami przygotowanymi z okazji Dnia oraz ich upowszechnianie w firmach i organizacjach;
organizowanie wewnętrznych webinariów/spotkań na temat możliwych usprawnień systemu bezpieczeństwa pracy;
tworzenie dla pracowników ścieżki/ platformy do zgłaszania swoich uwag i propozycji dotyczących poprawy warunków pracy zarówno teraz, w okresie pandemii, jak i w przyszłości.
Le 28 avril, à l’occasion du Jour de deuil national pour les travailleurs tués ou blessés au travail, nous nous recueillons à la mémoire de tous ceux et celles qui ont perdu la vie et nous nous engageons à poursuivre la lutte pour des lieux de travail sains et sécuritaires pour tous.
Visionnez le message vidéo des dirigeants nationaux du SCFP :
Chaque année au Canada, environ 1000 travailleurs perdent la vie au travail. Ces décès sont évitables et ils ne devraient pas survenir. Chacun de ces décès est une tragédie.
Depuis le dernier Jour de deuil national, le SCFP a perdu 14 membres dans des accidents de travail. Dix de ces décès sont attribuables la COVID-19.
« Nous transmettons notre amour et notre solidarité aux familles, aux amis et aux collègues de ceux que nous avons perdus. Chaque travailleur devrait avoir droit à un milieu de travail sain et sécuritaire, et nous luttons chaque jour en ce sens », a déclaré le président national du SCFP, Mark Hancock.
Cette journée est toujours très émotive. C’est encore plus vrai cette année à cause de la pandémie.
« Nous tenons à exprimer notre solidarité et notre soutien à tous les travailleurs et travailleuses qui continuent d’offrir des services publics essentiels, malgré les risques pour leur santé et celle de leur famille. Cette crise montre à quel point il est important de faire front commun pour exiger des conditions de travail sécuritaires », a souligné le secrétaire-trésorier national du SCFP, Charles Fleury.
Ce 28 avril et chaque jour de l’année, le SCFP continuera de lutter pour un meilleur cadre législatif, pour une meilleure sensibilisation et pour que ses membres aient accès à l’équipement de protection individuelle dont ils ont besoin.
A message from the National Officers on the Day of Mourning
On April 28, the National Day of Mourning for Workers Killed or Injured on the Job, we remember all the workers we have lost, and we vow to keep fighting for safe and healthy workplaces for everyone.
Watch a message from CUPE’s National Officers:
Every year in Canada, around 1,000 workers lose their lives on the job. Their deaths are preventable and should not happen. And each one is a tragedy.
Since the last Day of Mourning, CUPE has lost 14 members to workplace-related fatalities. 10 of these deaths were due to COVID-19.
“Our love and solidarity go out to the families, friends, and co-workers of those we have lost,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. “A healthy and safe workplace is the right of each and every worker under the sun, and this is why we fight for the living.”
This is never an easy day. It is especially difficult this year because of the pandemic.
“We want to express our solidarity and support for all workers who are continuing to offer essential public services, despite the risks to their health and to that of their families,” said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Fleury. “More than ever, this crisis highlights the need for us to stand together for safe working conditions.”
This April 28, and every day, CUPE will continue to fight – for better legislation, for better education, and for the vital personal protective equipment our members need.
Additional Workers’ Memorial Day materials and resources from US national union federation AFL-CIO, to use when planning events (statistics, sample press materials, sample proclamations/ resolutions, etc.).
