Climate change is posing a growing danger to the health and safety of workers, as deaths, workplace injuries, stress-related diseases and occupational illnesses caused by extreme weather events and higher temperatures have soared. In order to ensure there is no worker losing their life or health trying to earn a living, trade unions are mobilising around the world as part of the International Workers’ Memorial Day, to raise awareness on Climate risks for workers, and the importance of trade union rights to mitigate them.

Warmly inviting the climate movement to join trade unions in this mobilisation, Bert de Wel from the International trade Union Confederation, added “Working people are on the front line of the climate crisis. For them it’s not a distant threat, but a lived reality and a present danger. We believe that this is also a question of democracy, and how democracy can deliver the great changes we need to respond to the climate emergency. Democratic workplaces give workers a voice in adapting their jobs to be safer, transition to be environmentally sustainable and contribute positively to society. As the ITUC campaign For Democracy says, real democracies deliver for working people, and that includes delivering climate-friendly policies.”

“Workers and their communities are bearing the worst impacts of climate change, with higher temperatures and more extreme and unpredictable weather events. We need to secure workers’ rights, including the right to safe and healthy working environments. Workers and communities have to be at the forefront of Just Transitions to ensure a more just, safer, cleaner and peaceful future for all. Through deep solidarity between workers and climate justice activists we can grow stronger movements to address the root causes of the climate crisis. CAN members around the world will join events organised by the trade union movement for the International Workers Memorial Day as a demonstration of this solidarity” said Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of Climate Action Network International.

The International Labour Organisation estimates that worldwide in 2020 there were 22.85 million occupational injuries, 18,967 deaths and 2.09 million disability-adjusted life years lost to occupational injuries attributable to workplace heat exposure (ITUC “A Bad Climate” Report).

More resources and a map of the different events being organised are available on the 28April website.

CAN JOINS CALLS FROM TRADE UNIONS TO TACKLE CLIMATE RISKS FOR WORKERS