Unions, workers, families, community members, and political leaders will gather today to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD), a day of remembrance observed across the globe on the 28th of April each year.
Today’s service will take place at the Workers’ Commemorative Park in Invermay. After unveiling the significant works at the Park last year, this year’s service will see seven additional commemorative plaques laid to recognise Tasmanian workers who died because of their work. Each plaque represents a person who should have come home.
“IWMD is deeply important to unions because it is a day that reflects the heart of what we stand for: protecting workers so they can make it home safely. The day is a solemn reminder that for every safety campaign we run, there is a worker who did not make it home,” said Unions Tasmania Secretary, Jessica Munday.
The theme for IWMD in 2026 is ‘Fighting psychosocial hazards at work.’ Ms Munday says this is particularly relevant here in Tasmania.
“Psychological injuries are rising faster – and costing more – in Australia than any other type of workplace harm. The same is true here. Mental health related workers compensation claims have tripled from 5% in 2015/6 to 14.7% of all Tasmanian claims last year,” said Ms Munday.
“Because work doesn’t just break bodies anymore – it breaks minds. Workplace violence, work overload, burnout – they may not make the headlines but their impact on a worker can be catastrophic. Workplaces absolutely need to be doing more to support the mental health of their people.”
“A safe workplace is not just one where you survive the day – it’s one where you are not destroyed by it. Sometimes we hear a death at work called an ‘accident’. But most workplace deaths are predictable, preventable, and repeated. When the same hazards keep killing people, that’s not a coincidence – it’s a systemic failure to act and we all have a responsibility to prevent that harm,” Ms Munday said.
Ms Munday hopes that attendees, particularly political representatives, leave the service with a renewed commitment to act to making Tasmanian workplaces safer.