To mark International Workers’ Memorial Day BWI affiliate NUBEGW will run an occupational health and safety awareness campaign aimed at unions, leaders, OHS committee members and workers.
Zimbabwe: Construction unions targeting actions for International Workers’ Memorial Day
Global union federation Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) affiliates in Zimbabwe are conducting on occupational safety and heath Awareness Campaign 29 April Harare, Zimbabwe. CLAWUZ, GAPWUZ, ZCATWU and ZEWU are targeting actions at unions leaders, OHS committee members, company management and the workers to identify all occupational hazards accidents investigating procedures and check on compliance.
Namibia: For 28 April MANWU pressures the Namibian government for more action on safety
Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) affiliate in Namibia MANWU will conduct a workplace campaign to mark 28 April.
The campaign is three pronged: 1. To strengthen occupational safety and health programmes between MANWU and all stakeholders, 2. To insist the Ministry of Labour develops National Employee Wellness Policy, and 3. To campaign for the Ministry of Labour to finalise occupational health and safety policy.
MANWU will develop campaign materials to emphasise the importance of Employee Wellness Policy and the finalisation of the OHS Policy.
Mauritius: CMWEU will hold meetings and conduct week long campaigning activities for 28 April
CMWEU, a Mauritius affiliate of the global union federation Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), will hold a series of actions between 23 and 30 April to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day. These activities are intended to awareness of the importance of work related medical check ups, occupational disease prevention and legal protections for workers. CMWEU will also spread the message that ‘Unions make safe work’.
Philippines: Forum and demonstrations to mark 28 April and demand reforms- #iwmd19
In the Philippines global construction union federation Building and Wood Worker’s International (BWI) affiliate NUBCW will hold a one-day forum for new members (construction workers) covering safety standards and OHS rights at work.
Another BWI affiliate BWFM will organise an action involving 300 construction worker members in the Thainlyin township (this is in Yangon, and much of the construction activity there is within a special economic zone) to demand meaningful OHS legal reforms.
Hong Kong: Construction union CSGWU demands government recognises death from overwork
To mark International Workers’ Memorial Day, Hong Kong Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) affiliate CSGWU will hold a public memorial event near the Central Government’s building, with one of their key demands to be for the Government to recognise karoshi (death by overwork) fatalities as workplace accidents.
Malaysia: 28 April activities include protest, conference and reports
All of the global federation Building and Wood Workers International BWI Peninsula-Malaysia affiliates will collaborate in a press conference/protest that will be held at a Kuala Lumpur construction site demanding justice for Nepali migrant workers who have died in Malaysia. BWI will publish a report on 28 April documenting eight fatalities and a further 20 injuries where no compensation has been paid whatsoever.
In Sabah Malaysia BWI affiliate STIEU is planning further activities to be announced shortly.
Cambodia: BWTUC demands stronger protection for construction workers
On 28 April global construction union federation Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) affiliate BWTUC (Cambodia) will hold a meeting at their head office with around 200 participants. They will then march together to the Ministry of Labor and deliver a letter demanding stronger protections for construction workers.
Indonesia: SERBUK-Indonesia plans for 28 April activity
On Friday 26 April 3-6pm the global construction union federation Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) affiliate SERBUK-Indonesia will hold a public discussion in collaboration with the University of Southern Jakarta on health and safety. See the poster below.
Turkey: Work is war, warn union and safety campaigners
Turkish workers have a slogan to describe life under the current regime, says health and safety campaigner Asli Odman, “We don’t go to work, we go to war.” In a report issued ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April, the Health and Safety Labour Watch (HSLW) expert notes the three sectors with the highest number of deaths in 2018 were agriculture and forestry (457), construction (438) and transport (233). There were also high numbers of deaths in the metal (116), mining (66) and energy sectors (63).
HSLW says one of the reasons for the increase in deaths in these sectors in the previous year (2017) is the state of emergency and statutory decrees which made it impossible for workers, even organised workers, to defend their rights. Union density in Turkey dropped from 24 per cent in 1988 to just 4 per cent in 2013 according to the comparative OECD union density data. Global Industriall union figures show union density in the private sector had fallen to just 3 per cent by 2016.
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