Behind the daily reality of work, millions of working people are facing relentless pressure: long hours, job insecurity, impossible targets and toxic workplace cultures.

These are not just bad jobs – they are dangerous jobs. Stress, anxiety and burnout are now causing more harm globally than traditional workplace hazards such as chemicals or dust.

The ITUC’s new report shows the scale of the crisis:

• Long working hours alone are responsible for around 745,000 deaths each year.
• There are at least 70,000 work-related suicides annually.
• 12 billion working days are lost every year due to depression and anxiety.
• Burnout affects around one in five workers globally.
• Psychosocial risks are linked to over 10 per cent of cases of heart disease, depression and suicides.

“Bad jobs can break anyone. When workers are pushed beyond their limits by job insecurity, excessive workloads and lack of control, the consequences can be fatal. This is not inevitable – it is a result of choices made in boardrooms and by governments.”ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle

Across the world, unions are proving that change is possible. Evidence shows that a strong, democratic trade union presence in the workplace is the most effective protection against psychosocial risks, improving workers’ health and economic outcomes.

The ITUC is calling for:

• Strong laws to prevent psychosocial risks at work.
• Full involvement of trade unions in workplace health and safety.
• Decent work, including secure jobs, fair pay, safe staffing levels and manageable workloads.
• Recognition of mental health conditions as occupational diseases.

Luc Triangle concluded: “The solutions to these problems start with democracy in the workplace, with a voice for workers through their trade unions. Employers can ignore the psychosocial health of workers and break them, lose valuable skills and face the financial cost, or they can work with unions to ensure that workers are valued. If employers are struggling to recognise which is the correct choice, unions are ready and available to remind them. The fight for democracy in the workplace is the fight for the wellbeing of all working people.”

This 28 April, we remember the dead – and fight for the living. Work should not cost lives. It must protect lives, dignity and mental health.

https://www.ituc-csi.org/International-Workers-Memorial-Day-2026