Turkey: Safety and health building for forest workers – TARIM ORMAN-IS

Porto

BWI affiliate TARIM ORMAN-IS will hold a capacity building national training session to train union workers and representatives as occupational safety and health reporters/auditors at forest workplaces.

Global: Working in a bad climate – detailed ITUC briefing

The ITUC has produced a detailed briefing about the health and safety impacts of the climate crisis that is available here.

Pakistan: BWI affiliate activities for 28 April

A number of Pakistani affiliates of Building and Wood Workers International – the federation that groups unions from the building, building materials, wood, forestry and allied sectors – are holding a range of activities to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day.  Below are details of the various activities in a listing that will be continually updated as we hear of more:

ACE Employees Union (ACEEU) is organising a plant-level meeting with employees.

Pakistan Federation of Building and Wood Workers (PFBWW) is organising a meeting at Tarbela Dam to mark 28 April. The PFBWW will also  convene a bigger event on May Day that will involve messaging on International Workers’ Memorial Day.

Nepal: BWI-NAC – 28 April meetings and rally

The BWI-NAC (Nepal Affiliates Committee) will participate in a rally organised by CTUs. Following the rally BWI-NAC will convene worksite interactions with the distribution of safety equipment to workers.

India: BWI affiliates to host multiple 28 April activities countrywide

A large number of Indian affiliates of Building and Wood Workers International – the federation that groups unions from the building, building materials, wood, forestry and allied sectors – are holding a very wide range of activities to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day.  Below are details of the various activities in a listing that will be continually updated as we hear of more:

Bandhkam Mazdoor Sangathan (BMS) – Safety awareness meeting  – Awareness generation followed by a seminar on OHS on 1 May in cooperation with employers.

Rajasthan Patthar Khan evam Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan (RPKNMS) – OHS awareness campaign and stone quarry workers meeting.

Gujarat Forest Produce Gatherers and Forest Workers Union (GFPGFWU) – OHS awareness meeting, minor forestry workers meeting.

Akila India Kattida Thozhilalargal Madhya Sangam (AIKTMS) – Union executive committee meeting including OHS discussions

Thamizhaga Kattida Thozhilalargal Mathiya Sangam (TKTMS) – Mass meeting on occupational health and safety and a trade union awareness program.

Delhi Asangathit Nirman Mazdoor Union (DANMU) – Two worksite meetings on occupational health and safety awareness  for construction workers.

Delhi Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan (DNMS) – Consultation on work safety  awareness and a consultation meeting with workers and key stakeholders.

Mahanagar Asangathit Mazdoor Union (MAMU) will hold a meeting to promote occupational health and safety awareness for workers.

Indian National Cement Workers Federation (INCWF) – will hold a plant level activity raising worker safety awareness  at ACC Adani,  Amethi District, Uttar Pradesh.

All India Cement Employees Federation (AICEF) – will will hold a plant level activity raising worker safety awareness.

Azad Hind Building Workers Union (AHBWU) is holding a workers safety  awareness meeting for construction and stone quarry workers.

UK: Hundreds of union reps will inspect workplace buildings for safety this week

Wednesday 24 April 2024

Hundreds of union reps will inspect workplace buildings for safety this week

  • More than 600 union reps are taking part in a TUC organised action to inspect their workplace buildings
  • Reps are checking for life-threatening problems like RAAC, asbestos and fire-hazards
  • The action is timed for the run-up to Workers’ Memorial Day on Sunday 28 April
  • Unions give workers the power to protect themselves, says the TUC

The TUC has organised a nationwide inspection of workplace buildings this week, with more than 600 trade union health and safety reps taking part.

Building safety has come to the fore in recent years for several reasons, including:

  • RAAC concrete: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was used mainly in public buildings from the 1950s to the 1990s – especially in roofs. It can be present in commercial buildings too. Its safe lifespan is only 30 years. Many buildings that contain RAAC, including lots of schools and hospitals, are now at risk of collapse.
  • Asbestos: Asbestos was widely used in building up to the year 2000. It is very widespread in workplaces across both the public and private sector built before 2000. More than 5,000 people die in Britain each year from diseases linked to asbestos exposure.
  • Workplace ventilation: The Covid pandemic revealed the importance of adequate ventilation in workplaces to prevent infections from spreading. Regulations on workplace ventilation have been permanently strengthened following the pandemic.
  • Fire safety: The cladding associated with the Grenfell Tower tragedy is still present on some office blocks, schools, and hospitals.

The TUC is calling on the government and employers to make workplace buildings safer by:

  • Publishing a national risk register, with public transparency about where hazardous building materials are located.
  • Establishing a ‘remove and improve’ plan for RAAC in public buildings and for other materials causing structural deficiencies.
  • Committing to a 40-year deadline for removing asbestos from public buildings – starting with schools – as called for by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

The week of action on building safety is part of TUC and trade union activity for Workers’ Memorial Day on Sunday 28 April, when we remember those who lost their lives due to work-related illness or injury and commit to making all workplaces safe.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“Everyone should be safe at work. But when some people step through the door of their workplace, they step into danger.

“This week trade unions are taking action by inspecting the safety of hundreds of workplace buildings. And we are calling on government ministers to speed up the removal of RAAC and asbestos from schools, hospitals and other public buildings.

“If you’re worried about safety at work, get together with colleagues to join a union. Unions give workers the power to protect themselves. And the health and safety reps that we train can be life-savers.”

Notes 

– Extent of RAAC and asbestos in workplace buildings: The full extent of buildings containing RAAC is not yet known. However, it has already been identified in thousands of public buildings, including hundreds of schools and hospitals.

Surveys have so far found RAAC in 234 education settings, and the government says that in 119 schools one or more buildings will have to be rebuilt or refurbished. More information is here. A list of the schools where RAAC has been identified is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information

An estimated 1.5 million buildings in Britain contain asbestos. Research by the TUC and Labour Research Department has uncovered the extent of asbestos in parts of the public estate, including NHS premises in London and Scotland and English local authority buildings.

– Work and Pensions Committee recommendation on asbestos: The Committee’s report ‘The Health and Safety Executive’s approach to asbestos management’ (Sixth Report of Session 2021–22) states: “We recommend that a deadline now be set for the removal of asbestos from nondomestic buildings, within 40 years. The Government and HSE should develop and publish a strategic plan to achieve this, focusing on removing the highest risk asbestos first, and the early removal from the highest risk settings including schools.” (para 52)

– About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.

USA: Dollar Store Workers Rising: Health, Safety and Solidarity Panel

Dollar Store Workers Rising: Health, Safety & Solidarity Panel organized by CPD Action

Dollar Store workers are rising up to organize for our right to work in safe and dignified conditions!

Join us for an interactive panel of workers, organizers and experts as we unveil the findings of a brand-new Dollar Store health & safety survey, our list of demands and how you can take action in solidarity with us.

Panel speakers include:

  • Kenya Slaughter, Step Up Louisiana Organizer (Host)
  • McKenzie Midgette and Tony Barton, Dollar Store Workers
  • Karen Escobedo, Center for Popular Democracy
  • Christina LeBlanc, Invest in Louisiana
  • Debbie Berkowitz, Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University

Event co-sponsors: Step Up Louisiana, Center for Popular Democracy, Invest in Louisiana and COSH.

https://www.mobilize.us/cpda/event/619488/

USA: Mourning and Fighting: Workers Memorial Day 2024

On March 26, 2024 we woke to some grim news.  A cargo ship had hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the gigantic bridge to collapse in seconds.

We watched video footage of the collapse with shock, awe, and horror.  And then we learned that eight construction workers were on that bridge, filling potholes in the middle of the night. Backbreaking work at any hour.  Upon the collision, they plummeted into the Petapsco River below. Two were rescued; six died.  To date, 4 bodies have been recovered. Read more at Confined Space

28 April news and updates from Tashkent, Uzbekistan

28 апрель – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDY45VGj4ys&t=1s) “Бутунжаҳон меҳнатни муҳофаза қилиш куни” (https://www.ilo.org/…/safeday2024/lang–en/index.htm)
✅ Тадбирлар доирасида фойдаланиш учун айрим тавсиялар (https://t.me/nodira2007/2644)

Australia: ACTU posts a listing of 28 April activities and free to use social media assets

ACTU reminds us that International Workers’ Memorial Day takes place annually around the world on 28 April – it is the international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.

This year, IWMD falls on a Sunday, but many (although not all)  events being held around the Australia will take place on Monday 29 April.

You can find details of the various TLC events around the country here, and ACTU encourages all to attend.

The ACTU has also prepared freely available social media assets

Remember the dead, fight like hell for the living