Category Archives: Resources
Ghana: GCMQWU mark 28 April in advance
Turkey: Unions mark IWMD and decry alarming number of work-related deaths
UK: Unions make work safe
Every year more people are killed at work than in wars.
Most don’t die of mystery ailments, or in tragic “accidents”. They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn’t that important a priority.
International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) 28 April commemorates those workers.
It’s a time for us to come together as a movement and as a community. To remember those who have lost their lives to work, and renew our commitment to fight for the living and make work safe.
We’re getting in touch because there’s an event happening in your area. Click on the map to find it and don’t forget to RSVP!
Workplace deaths are preventable deaths. Trade unions will continue to fight for a future where no worker must risk their health or life while doing their job.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown beyond doubt that working people suffer at the hands of unscrupulous employers.
We must remember those we have lost and organise for safer, healthier work in their memory.
Can’t make it to an event?
- Share the event map with your friends, family and colleagues.
- Take a look at the resources on the TUC website.
- Find out what your union is doing to commemorate International Workers Memorial Day.
Global: ITUC-Asia Pacific infographics for 28 April
Global: Watch Q&A with Manal Azzi – Implementing the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment
In June 2022, the International Labour Conference included “a safe and healthy working environment” as a fundamental principle and right at work. Continue reading Global: Watch Q&A with Manal Azzi – Implementing the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment
Lebanon: GFBCTU holds awareness campaign to put ILO right to safety into effect
GFBCTU, a BWI affiliate in Lebanon, held an OSH awareness campaign at Holcim on 25 April as part of this year’s observance of International Workers’ Memorial Day. Members of the union said that OSH is a fundamental right of workers that should be recognised and prioritised by Holcim. #IWMD2023 #MakeItHappen
USA: USW Memorial Scroll 2023
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At the recent United Steelworkers Health, Safety and Environment Conference there were very few dry eyes when they remembered those who never made it home from work since the last conference.
Watch the video memorial showing a list of bargaining unit members, supervisors, and contractors killed in USW workplaces from August 23, 2019 to April 11, 2023.
May they rest in peace, power, and solidarity.
Global: Union organisation is a life or death issue
No-one should die to make a living. After all, occupational health and safety is now a globally-binding ILO fundamental legal right at work.
But a new report warns bad jobs still kill someone somewhere every six seconds, every day, round the clock. It notes that last year the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) recognised occupational health and safety as a top rated ‘fundamental’ right at work.
“Politically, it’s a game changer,” it notes. “Practically, workers have continued to die, an estimated 3 million in the last year alone.”
The report, published in the union-backed Hazards magazine ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day, argues union organising can make the difference. “Whether you describe it as the ‘union dividend’, ‘union advantage’ or ‘union effect’, there is a long-established, well-tested proof of the life-saving impact of union organisation at work. It shows walking out or being walked all over can be a life or death decision.”
Organising for occupational health and safety is the theme this year for the 28 April event.
Full story: Everyday heroes: The lifesaving union effect. Hazards, number 161, 2023.
USA: AFL-CIO 28 April toolkit available: Organize! Safe Jobs Now.
AFL-CIO, the US national union federation, says its Workers’ Memorial Day toolkit is now available! You can find state by state safety and health facts, talking points, sample event advisories and press releases and some informational fliers on occupational heat exposure and workplace violence in HC/SS. Please feel free to send us feedback on how you’re using it and what else would be helpful in future years. Direct link is here.
aflcio.org/workersmemorialday.