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.
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.
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
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.
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!
I am Kiting from Indonesian Construction Workers Union (SBKI) and I am an informal worker
I hope for K3 (Occupational Safety and Health / OSH) to be the main issue because K3 is a human right and therefore can not create a safe workplace
BWI affiliates can make the K3 related issues their key issue
(Français)
Je suis Kiting du SBKI (syndicat des travailleurs de la construction en indonésie, membre du SERBUK) et je suis un travailleur informel.
Depending on the quotes, there are questions on the santé et la sécurité au travail (SST; également appélée K3 en Indonésie), the principal author of the mondial car il s’agit d’un droit humain, à même de garantir la sécurité du lieu de travail.
J’espère que tous les affiliés de l’IBB pourront faire de la K3 leur priorityité absolue.
Longue vie au SERBUK.
(Español)
Soy Kiting, del SBKI (Sindicato Indonesio de Trabajadores de la Construcción, miembro de SERBUK) y soy un trabajador informal.
Espero que el K3 (cuestiones sobre salud y seguridad ocupacional) sea el principal as well as el mundo entero porque el K3 es and Derecho Humano y, por lo tanto, el K3 puede lograr un lugar de trabajo seguro.
Misperanza es que to dos los afiliados de la ICM puedan hacer que las cuestiones en torno al K3 se conviertan en su tema clave.
¡Qué viva SERBUK!
(German)
I’m Kiting from the Indonesian Construction Union SBKI (a member of SERBUK) and I work in an informal employment relationship.
I hope that health and safety at work (health and safety at work, Keselamatan dan Kesehatan Kerja or K3) will become a major issue around the world, because health and safety is a human right and therefore K3 can contribute to a safe workplace.
My hope is that all BWI affiliates will prioritize K3-related topics.
BWI Kenya affiliates (KUPRIPUPA, KQMWU, UNRISK and KBCTFIEU) organized a workplace campaign at Inter label printing industry in Nairobi on 25th April to sensitize the workers on health and safety and strengthen the OHS committee.
In Jordan, the BWI affiliate GTUCW celebrated International Workers’ Memorial Day in Amman on the 26th April with a meeting of the union’s leadership on the safety and health issues concerning migrant workers.
BWI affiliate the Union of Construction Workers (SUNTRACS) of Panama carried out a series of occupational health and safety activities throughout the month of April culminating in today’s official activity to commemorate the International Workers’ Memorial Day and highlight the importance of safe workplaces.
The event, which drew eight hundred workers was held at the Pacific Center construction project, in the banking area of Panama City. Representatives from the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development, Ministry of Health, Panamanian Chamber of Construction, Social Security Fund, Construction Company Diaz – Guardia and Nilton Freitas, BWI Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean attended to the activity.
Throughout April, SUNTRACS organized meetings with workers at the workplace, distributed health and safety materials in the streets and ended their 2019 health and safety campaign with this event and a big mobilization through the streets of the banking zone of Panama City.
“We are holding events on safety and health at construction projects and in the streets. These are the places where workers are. We left the offices to train workers directly at their workplace on health and safety because workers themselves, are the first security ring at every construction project,” Gregorio Guerrel, Secretary of Occupational Health of SUNTRACS.
SUNTRACS reminded everyone about the death of 350 construction workers in the past 20 years due to work-related accidents and reminded everyone of the shared responsibility in occupational risk and accident prevention.
