Category Archives: 2016

USA: Reclaim labor, reclaim lives!

 

  WorkersMemorialDay_Flyer_Spanish   WorkersMemorialDay_Flyer

Join Worksafe, Street Level Health Project, and Centro Legal de la Raza for an evening of action and remembrance.

4:30 PM — Lake Merritt Amphitheater
Meet and march downtown
5:30-6:30 PM — City Hall
Rally & Memorial program

This year’s Worker’s Memorial Dayevent, Reclaim Labor! Reclaim Lives!is dedicated to honoring all the day laborers, immigrants, and low wage workers whose lives have been lost due to unsafe working conditions. We will come together in mourning and solidarity, and highlight the importance of the continuing fight for workers’ rights.

WorkersMemorialDay_simple4:30pm: Meet at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater (between 12th Street and 1st Ave. on Lake Merritt Blvd. in Downtown Oakland) and then march to City Hall (1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza).
5:30pm: Short memorial program featuring workers, labor, government agencies, and advocates.

A moment of silence will be observed to mourn workers who passed in the workplace in the prior year.

News release English • Spanish  • Website

 

Sweden: Allt åt alla Göteborg organise a rally for 28 April

Below is a message from Allt åt alla Göteborg. Further details are available  on their Facebook event page and website

“Come and honor the workers who have been killed, injured and worn out by their jobs, on our commemoration of Workers Memorial Day. A day when we commemorate the comrades who would still be among us, if their work had been safe. No one should die because of their job, no one should get sick from work. For workplace democracy and against the capitalists’ love of profits – come to our rally on 28 April.

“Background
The construction workers who build the houses we live in, people should really be rewarded – get exploited in cold blood, die or become seriously injured. In other industries such as health care, many people work under unreasonable pressure, and suffer premature wear due to the workload. Over 51 958 work accidents in Sweden were reported in 2013, and 55 workers are killed on average at their job every year. Our managers believe that our work must be more efficient. We do not think so. Every person is who murdered or injured in the workplace, is a person too many.

“We shall fight against downsizing, streamlining, increased workload and reduced influence and for workplace democracy. In the end, it is we who work who know how the work should be managed. The answer is economic democracy. That is to say that we who work should decide over the work. Democracy must not stop when one enters the workplace, that is where it should be practiced. It is we who are working who are affected by decisions taken at the workplace, which is why should we have control.

“Burned out, spent, exhausted…
It is difficult for someone who is already burned out to respond to these injustices as passivity, anxiety, fear and depression are already a fact. This, together with the learned helplessness and individualism which bourgeois society schools us into can only be defeated by a united struggle with our colleagues. These “accidents” and deaths are in fact calculated risks that the employer is willing to take for increased profits and maintaining power. We refuse to accept this. Remember the dead – fight with the living!

“There are many things we can do in the fight for better conditions and greater influence. Start a working association with colleagues, publish a workplace newspaper, or start a Facebook page. Whether it takes place inside or outside a union: find out what applies and make your demands openly with the attitude that we workers are always right in workplace conflicts, as it is we who essentially are the workplace.

“No one should die, be injured or become ill because of their job
Democratize our workplaces Increase penalties for – and – the managers responsible for the deaths and illnesses in the workplace
For workers’ power and solidarity.”

Spain: Unions challenge political parties with massive mobilisation on 28 April

Spanish national centers CCOO and UGT have started to visibilise their mobilisaton around 28th April with a round of meetings with political parties, expressing them the need to improve laws, enforcement and strengthening unions in order to secure occupational health and safety.

Actions are expected across Spain, with regions like Extremadura already planning a rally commemorating the 462 workers who have died since the adoption of the Spanish prevention law, highlighting the need to secure compliance and improvements to that framework.

You can read the joint CCOO-UGT Manifesto here

Another ITUC affiliate, USO will organise events under the slogan “No reps, no safety”, highlighting the importance of safety reps  and the need for workers’ participation in order to ensure healthy working conditions.

For more information on CCOO and UGT activities for this 28th April, please contact Mr Francisco Javier Torres Fernandez, jtorres@ccoo.es  and Emilio Gonzalez Vicente eigonzalez@cec.ugt.org

For USO activities, please contact Sara Garcia, s.saludlaboral@uso.es

 

Moldova: Meetings, services and victim support to mark 28 April

This April 28th, the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM) will be organising a series of events, including gathering with over 400 trade union representatives, State labour inspectors, social partners and representatives of dead and injured workers’ families, a memorial service and media reports. The union will also provide solidarity support for the victims’ families. More information will be released in the union’s website

New Zealand: NZCTU announces nationwide activities for 28 April

The New Zealand Congress of Trade Unions (CTU) has announced the organisation of memorial services, rallies and other actions in all the key cities of the country.

Details of the events can be found here

Put your ‪#‎ToolsDown for International Workers’ Memorial Day next week

Put your ‪#‎ToolsDown for International Workers’ Memorial Day next week.

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The kit gives you everything you need to organise a place, talk to your boss and ideas on how to get your message across.

‪#‎IWMD16 is an opportunity to remember the dead, fight for the living and talk to your coworkers about how to improve health & safety.

Download the kit or ask for one to be mailed to you!

We Are Union OHS Reps• Facebook

Canada: Widows of the workers video

The video below is called ‘Widows of the Workers: These Chemicals are Going to Kill Me’:

It is part of the ‘Giving Voices to Widows of Asbestos’ project. The General Electric plant they are referring to is in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The initiative is being supported by the union SEIU Canada.

The following video link is an overview of the project by the union researcher Natasha Luckhardt. Gofundme

Australia: Unions Tasmania is holding commemorative service in Hobart

Unions Tasmania has announced plans for 28 April:

“International Workers Memorial Day takes place annually around the world on April 28th, an international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.

Unions Tasmania is holding commemorative service in Hobart to remember the lives of workers who have been killed at work.

This is an opportunity for us to honour those workers who have lost their lives during their normal course of employment and stand alongside those family and friends who are left behind.

There ecumenical memorial service will be held at St Davids Cathedral in Hobart on Thursday 28th of April at 5.30pm.  (Coffee and tea will be available from 5pm)

You are most welcome to join with us in remembering your loved ones who have tragically lost their lives in a workplace accident.”

Unions Tasmania

UK unions join the international call for ‘Strong Laws – Strong Enforcement – Strong Unions’

 

On 28th April, the British Trades Union Congress is organising dozens of events across the country, including ceremonies, seminars, demos and rallies, with union activists’ reflecting on the dual purpose of the 28th April: Remember the dead, and fight for the living. The full and updated list of events can be found in a dedicated TUC page: https://www.tuc.org.uk/WMD2016

For more information on TUC activities for this 28th April, please contact Hugh Robertson hrobertson@tuc.org.uk

Globally, the 2016 theme for the day is ‘Strong Laws – Strong Enforcement – Strong Unions’

Download background materials here and posters here

Post your activities in Facebook, Twitter with #IWMD16 or send them to us by email to Anabella.rosemberg@ituc-csi.org

Listing for Ontario, Canada 28 April events

The Workers’ Health and Safety Centre  WHSC has published  a comprehensive listing of all of the Ontarian 28 April events.

whsclisting