Tag Archives: 28 april

Canada: Find a 28 April event near you – CLC

Day of Mourning Ceremonies 2025

April 28 is the labour movement’s most solemn day, but also one to refocus our commitment to preventing future workplace injuries and deaths. Every year, thousands of workers, friends and families of fallen workers gather at ceremonies across Canada to recognize the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job.

This year, we will gather in communities across the country. As we mourn for the dead, the Canadian Labour Congress continues to fight for the living.

Find an event near you – CLC listing

UK: “Far too little” – FACK Statement – International Workers’ Memorial Day

FACK Statement
International Workers’ Memorial Day 28 April 2025

Far too little

That is what we FACK families encounter all too often when it comes to achieving justice – or should we say, what passes for justice – when a loved one dies because of a work-related incident.  We say “what passes for justice” because, over a 12 year period, in England and Wales there were 40 cases brought under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act.

Only 29 of which resulted in conviction. And we are unaware of any cases having ever been brought in Scotland.

Yet, when the new legislation was being considered, the Government’s Regulatory Impact Assessment estimated that there would be between 10 and 13 cases per year.  So, by now, we should have expected the number of prosecutions to be in three figures.  If only it were a reduction in the number of fatalities that had resulted in the much lower figure.  It is not.  The number of people who lose their lives because of work remains stubbornly, heart wrenchingly, high. So, it is the inadequacy of our laws and their enforcement which  is to blame.

Companies do not make decisions that result in deaths. Individuals within companies and organisations do, So if a law is to serve as a deterrent, that can only be achieved by framing offences in such a way that those responsible are held accountable, that prosecutions will be brought, prosecutions will succeed and punishment then fits the crime.

As things stand, what passes for justice is far too little, and comes far too late.

We’re sure Natalie Woods McKeown would add to that “if at all”. She posted on Facebook less than 2 weeks ago about the 23rd anniversary of her dad’s death on a site where he became entangled in faulty machinery, making the heartbreaking point that she and her sister still have no answers to fundamentally important

questions.  They feel they have had more than 2 decades of being let down, by the Police, prosecution authorities and the HSE. She heartbreakingly ends her post saying:

Dad, not having you in our lives does not get any easier…23 years of injustice just adds to the pain.”

Ken Cresswell, John Shaw, Michael Collings and Christopher Huxtable left home to go to work on the demolition of Didcot Power Station.  On the 9th anniversary of their deaths, Thames Valley Police issued a press release stating: “…we are confident that we are moving towards the latter stages of our enquiries.”

“Moving towards the latter stages”??  What exactly does that mean in an investigation which has already taken nearly a decade?  These families have, absolutely understandably, lost all confidence in the authorities and their ability to deliver justice.

As have the wife and sister of John Mackay, who died in 2019, alongside Tommy Williams, during demolition works at a former steelworks in Teeside. When the case was handed from the police to the HSE more than 3 years on, the HSE pledged that: “our investigation will be a thorough one, while also recognising the desire for a speedy conclusion.”

Now a further 18 months down the line and Ann and Magi remain in a state of not knowing why John and Tommy died, or whether any individual or company will face criminal charges. So much for recognition of the desire for a speedy conclusion.  We have said it before, and we will continue to say it until someone with the power bring about change listens and takes action:  this interminable wait for answers leads to justice being delayed and denied; and the trauma of loved ones being extended and compounded.

Far too little. Far too late.  Causing far too much pain.

Please let it not be thought that these injustices are faced only by the families of those who worked in high hazard environments.

85 year old June Harvey was at home in the summer of 2020, when a tower crane from a nearby construction site collapsed and devastatingly crashed through the roof and beyond, killing her. Her family still waits for answers as to why.

Simon Midgley and Richard Dyson were enjoying a weekend at Cameron House Hotel in 2017 the week before Christmas, when a fire tore through the building and tore them from their families.  Recommendations for improvements to fire and hotel safety were finally made more than 5 years after their deaths.  Now, a further 2 years later, Simon’s mum and sister have yet to see these recommendations turned to positive preventative action for others, only serving to deepen their distress.

0n a spring morning in 2018 Michaela Boor was walking her young son to nursery when masonry fell five storeys. The next day was her 29th birthday. The day after that, her family had to make the decision to turn off her life support machine.  Michaela’s mum now walks her grandson to school, past the very sport where his mum’s, her daughter’s, life ended. He asks: “why can’t we walk past the building, nanny?” Because she always tells him to cross the road.  Seven years on, no answers, and no justice, for that wee boy.

Far too little. Far too late. Causing far too much pain, that could and should have been avoided.

It could and would have been avoided if all employers cared enough about their health and safety responsibilities, preventing these “accidents waiting to happen”, which are not “accidents”.

It could and would have been avoided had our enforcement authorities – police, the HSE and local authorities – been provided sufficient resources to investigate with the necessary expediency, and wherever possible, undertake proactive preventative work to avoid incidents occurring in the first place.

It could and would have been avoided had our laws served as effective deterrents in the first place, and our justice systems been able to provide meaningful justice, swiftly.

Instead, far too many loved ones continue to lose their lives in incidents which could, should and would be prevented if only everyone cared as much as we FACKers do. We cannot and should not need to keep repeating ourselves.  We are exhausted by the need to say the same thing in a different way every year. For every FACK family that comes after us, we feel we have failed them, because, despite all that we do, all that we say, history continues to repeat itself.

We need you to add your voices to ours, to influence those who can effect change, to turn platitudes into action, and to ensure that no other family ever has to go through what our families already have gone through, and what we are forever going to continue to go through.

So, as we remember the dead, we pledge to continue fighting like hell for the living.

FACK was established in July 2006, by and for families of people killed by the gross negligence of business employers, see https://gmhazards.org.uk/index.php/fack/

Founder Members of FACK:  

Dawn and Paul Adams – our son Samuel Adams aged 6 killed at Trafford Centre,10th October 1998

Linzi Herbertsonmy husband Andrew Herbertson 29, killed at work on 30th January 1998

Mike and Lynne Hutin our son Andrew Hutin 20, killed at work on 8th Nov 2001

Mick & Bet Murphy our son Lewis Murphy 18, killed at work on 21st February 2004

Louise Adamson my brother Michael Adamson 26, killed at work on 4th August 2005

Linda Whelan my son Craig Whelan 23, (and Paul Wakefield) killed at work on 23rd May 2004

Dorothy & Douglas Wrightour son Mark Wright 37, killed at work on 13th April 2005

For more information and to support FACK, contact Greater Manchester Hazards Centre: Unit 2, The Wesley Centre, Royce Rd, Manchester M15 5BP (UK)Telephone: 0161 884 4229  Email: mail@gmhazards.org.uk

Web: https://gmhazards.org.uk/index.php/fack/

Or the Scottish Hazards Centre: 0800 0015 022.

UK: 28 April UK events listing – Megaphone

Every year on April 28th, all around the world, the trade union movement unites to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day.

It’s a moment to honour workers who lost their lives from work-related illness or injury.

Trade unions fight for a future where no worker must risk their health or life while doing their job.

That’s why unions and trades councils across the country are hosting events this weekend: to commemorate those who lost their lives, and commit to fight for a world that is safer to live and work in.

There are dozens of events planned to take place this month. 

In Britain, the most common cause of work-related fatalty is asbestos exposure.

And you are more likely to be diagnosed with asbestos cancer in Britain than in anywhere else in the world.

The TUC is holding an event in London, bringing trade unionists together to hear from experts on asbestos, and to make a plan to tackle it in our schools and hospitals. RSVP to attend on Monday 28th April.

Can’t make it to an event?

Megaphone, UK

28 April: The Hazards Campaign calls on the Government to increase HSE funding

News release, 23 April 2025 [No embargo]

Every year globally, on 28 April, trade unions, workers, and families hold remembrance events marking International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) because each year work continues to kill millions. In the UK alone the Hazards Campaign calculates 50,000 deaths a year, that’s 137 daily. (1)

IWMD is our opportunity to ‘Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living.’  This year’s theme is AI and digital platforms and their impact on workers health and safety.

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be used to mitigate monotonous work, AI at work is increasing work intensification, monitoring and surveillance, generating negative impacts on mental and physical wellbeing, as workers experience the extreme pressure of constant, real-time micromanagement and automated assessment.’ (ITUC)(2)

 

AI is already prolific in our working lives, it is used to allocate tasks and track workers but also has been used to negate workers’ rights, for example restricting appropriate breaks leading to work related stress and mental ill health. AI in many circumstances, is leading to unacceptable pressures through pervasive monitoring and target-setting technologies, serious injuries and ill health.(3)

Workers need more than strong words to ensure AI doesn’t increase the pressure on workers.  Workers need robust Government policies and also health and safety enforcement authorities with the teeth to control the risks to workers.

Decades of underfunding and under resourcing with increased responsibilities means HSE is running on empty.

The HSE’s own data shows enforcement is stagnating, it is not making impact on fatal and major injuries at work and is conducting far fewer inspections.  Work related ill-health is stuck at an all-time high of 1.7-1.8 million workers, an increase of almost 40 per cent since 2010. With working time losses of 34 million working days in 2023/2024, an increase from 22 million in 2010.  (4)

If Stephen Timms, the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability responsible for the HSE, and the Government are serious about keeping people in work, they must also be serious about making sure that work is of a decent standard. Jobs should not harm workers or push disabled and ill people out of the workplace—or into an even worse situation.

There is both a moral and economic case for holding employers accountable for managing occupational risks faced by workers. Enforcement authorities must ensure that employers are meeting their legal duties. The Government must guarantee transparency from regulators and provide them with the resources they need to do their job properly.

The Hazards Campaign challenges the Government to invest in the health and safety of workers by resourcing the enforcement authorities and that only then, will work pay and not by workers lives.

For more information please see:

  1. Hazards Campaign The Whole Story – https://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-Whole-story-2024.pdf
  2. ITUC – https://28april.org/?p=7125
  3. Hazards, number 168/169 double issue, 2025 – CODE RED| AI and digitalisation – technology shouldn’t be the boss of you  https://www.hazards.org/AI/codered.htm
  4. Hazards, number 168/169 double issue, 2025 – FLATLINING | Work hurts more, but bosses have never been less accountable – https://www.hazards.org/deadlybusiness/flatlining.htm
  5. https://gmhazards.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/International-Workers-Memorial-Day-general-circular-2025.pdf
For more information, press only:
Contact: Janet Newsham
Tel: 07734317158

The Hazards Campaign is a UK-wide network of resource centres and campaigners. The Hazards Campaign supports those organising and campaigning for justice and safety at work.

Contact details:
The Hazards Campaign
c/o Greater Manchester Hazards Centre
Windrush Millennium Centre
70 Alexandra Road
Manchester, M16 7WD
ENGLAND
twitter @hazardscampaign

Cambodia: Kampot meeting to commemorate fallen workers – BWTUC

BWI affiliate, Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia (BWTUC) is planning BWTUC will conduct an International Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration/mobilisation in Kampot, Cambodia. Over 50 delegates are expected.

 

USA: New AFL-CIO report finds worker deaths on the job continue, will worsen under Trump administration policies

The AFL-CIO’s 34th annual ‘Death on the Job’ report provides a state-by-state analysis of threats to worker health and safety and policy recommendations for how the government can better protect workers

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Workers are dying and being injured on the job, and the Trump administration and DOGE are putting them at greater risk by enacting policies that will create deplorable working conditions, according to a new report released today by the AFL-CIO.

Ahead of Workers Memorial Day, the AFL-CIO released its 34th annual “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect” report, a comprehensive analysis of the state of workers’ health and safety at the national and state levels. Findings include:

  • Inadequate workplace safety laws and policies resulted in the deaths of 5,283 workers on the job in 2023, the latest year of data available, and an estimated 135,304 workers from occupational diseases.
  • Black and Latino workers are still disproportionately dying on the job, both at rates higher than the national job fatality rate.
  • The report shows 659 Black worker deaths, the second-highest number in more than two decades.
  • The report also shows 1,250 Latino worker deaths, making Latino workers the group at the greatest risk of dying on the job among all demographics.

The national job fatality rate was slightly lower in 2023 than in 2022, thanks to strong, pro-worker policies. But the Trump administration’s substantial cuts to—and in some cases, effective elimination of—federal agencies that protect the health and safety of 161 million American workers will likely increase mortality. These cuts include gutting the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the agency that delivers critical health and safety expertise for both workers and employers; eliminating 11 offices of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in states with the highest workplace fatality rates; eliminating 34 offices of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which protects coal miners from hazards like black lung disease, in 19 states, while simultaneously pausing a new silica rule that would prevent coal miners from acquiring silicosis; and allowing Elon Musk, whose companies are being investigated for dozens of workplace safety and health violations, to pursue access to sensitive OSHA data through his inquisition into the Department of Labor.

“Every worker has the fundamental right to come home safe at the end of their workday. But for too many workers, that basic right is under attack,” said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. “Workers fought and died for generations for the health and safety laws and protections we have today, and this year’s report shows we need to do even more. The Trump administration and DOGE are gutting the federal agencies that hold bosses accountable for endangering workers, firing the federal workers who monitor and research health hazards, indicating that they will repeal crucial worker safety regulations, and giving billionaires like Elon Musk the power to access and even manipulate OSHA whistleblower records. We can’t bring back the thousands of workers lost each year, but we can fight to prevent more devastation to working families across this country and demand that the Trump administration reverse course.”

“This year’s ‘Death on the Job’ report once again shows that, as in every crisis, the crisis of worker mortality is hitting Black and Latino workers the hardest,” said Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. “It is unacceptable that employers are continuing to fail all workers, and especially Black and Latino workers, by not providing them the safety measures and resources they need to stay safe on the job. Enough is enough. The AFL-CIO is fighting the scourge of workplace mortality, and we will not rest until the number of workers who die on the job is zero.”

The 2025 “Death on the Job” report comes just before Workers Memorial Day, the annual commemoration of workers who have died on the job and our fight to prevent these tragedies. The AFL-CIO, its state and local labor federations, and affiliated unions are raising awareness of the Trump administration’s threats to worker health and safety with events across the country this week and next, including a hearing about cuts to worker health and safety programs that took place on Monday, April 21. At the hearings, federal workers, union leaders and community members shared their stories about the impacts of the Trump administration’s actions.

Read the full report here.

AFL-CIO News release

 

Global: Too hot to work – Action Call – BWI

Too Hot To Work – Action Call

As the planet heats up and deadly heatwaves become more frequent and deadly, protecting frontline outdoor workers is critical. Under the call “Too Hot To Work,” BWI is fighting for a greener, cleaner and safer future, demanding that all workers have the right to:

  • STOP WORK when it’s too hot
  • PROTECTION from heat stress
  • COMPENSATION for work stoppages

Outdoor workers are already bearing the brunt of extreme heat, with 2.4 billion workers exposed to dangerous temperatures, causing 22.85 million injuries and nearly 19,000 deaths (ILO, 2024). Without urgent action, heat-related deaths could rise by an additional 250,000 per year by 2050 (WHO, 2023).

In response, BWI affiliates worldwide push year-round for safer workplaces, guaranteed worker protections, and fair compensations for heat-related work stoppages. Under the “Too Hot To Work” Campaign, BWI insists:

  • Everyone deserves protection from heat stress, at the workplace and in our communities, regardless of background, gender, migration or employment status.
  • We all need regulations and collective agreements in place to protect jobs, conditions, lives and livelihoods.
  • Governments must recognise the dangers of extreme heat for millions of workers and implement workplace heat adaptation and social protections.
  • Employers must take responsibility for heat-related hazards and risks at work, providing proper compensation, remedies and protective measures.

It is time for accountability against extreme heat. It is time to act!

Take action on International Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28th) and throughout the year:

1. Mobilise workers and communities:

  • Organise discussions about heat stress with members and workplace representatives
  • Launch public on social media campaigns to amplify worker voices. Download our campaign materials here!
  • Build alliances across sectors to strengthen the fight against extreme heat.
  • Promote a global petition demanding the right to stop work during extreme heat.

2. Negotiate agreements with employers to:

  • Set maximum temperature limits that account for weather conditions and humidity levels.
  • Adapt working conditions and arrangements, including scheduled workdays, during extreme heat.
  • Introduce heat-related health initiatives and regular heat-risk assessments.
  • Ensure additional protections, compensation and remedies for works.

3. Engage local, regional, and national authorities to:

    • Include heat protection provisions in procurement c covering protections against extreme heat and the health risks from heat stress in bidding processes and procurement contracts.
    • Ensure social protection provisions that cover workers’ income in periods of work stoppage.
    • Raise ambitions on climate mitigation measures and on extreme heat adaptations and worker compensation

Share your actions and inspire others!

Share your actions with your regional climate and campaign coordinator and/or with paola.cammilli@bwint.org

Don’t forget to:

 

Peru: 28 de abril de 2025 – ICM honra a los caídos y defiende a los trabajadores activos

APRIL 28, 2025: ICM HONORS THE FALLEN AND DEFENDS THE ACTIVE WORKERS

As part of the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Accidents and Occupational Diseases, the International Construction and Wood Workers (ICM) BWI Global Union raises its voice again this April 28, 2025. Through a powerful global campaign, he denounces the dangerous and often invisible conditions that those who build the world with their hands face: exposure to toxic dust, extreme heat and unsafe workspaces.
The ICM BWI Global Union warns that the physical and mental impacts of these conditions are not only immediate, but can also manifest years later, leaving consequences even when working life is over.
PERU: TRIPARTY AGREEMENT FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK
In Peru, an important step has been taken thanks to the agreement signed between the (FTCCP) Federación de Trabajadores en Construcción Civil del Perú the Peruvian Chamber of Construction CAPECO and the Ministerio de Trabajo y Promoción del Empleo del Perú MTPE. This agreement will allow joint actions at the national level to: promote a culture of prevention; promote safe and healthy workspaces; and, increase compliance with current regulations.
“… The agreement is a demonstration that honoring fallen workers means protecting those who continue to work today.. ” , affirmed Jhon Irene Gonzales Cruz, Secretary of Work Safety and Health of the Federación de Trabajadores en Construcción Civil del Perú (FTCCP).
BRAZIL: GREEN APRIL AND THE URGENCY TO ACT
On their part, in Brazil, the syndicate Sindicato Dos Químicos do ABC promotes the campaign “GREEN APRIL”, a call to awareness and action in one of the highest risk sectors: the chemical industry associated with building materials.
According to data from International Labour Organization OIT, Brazil is the fourth country in the world with the most workplace accidents, registering more than 732,000 cases in 2023. In the face of this alarming figure, the union demands: rigorous inspection; effective compliance with the laws; and, dignified and safe working conditions.
Sindicato Dos Químicos do ABC Safety and Health Secretary, Paulo Sergio da Silva Lima, sums it up like this: “… “We cannot accept that thousands of workers continue to suffer accidents that could be prevented with basic measures such as adequate training, proper use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and improvements in the work environment.”
“… Honoring the fallen means protecting those who still fight every day to earn a living in harsh and often dangerous conditions. Safety should be non-negotiable, and health should be a right, not a privilege.. ”, affirmed from Geneva, Ambet Yuson Bwi Ambet Yuso, Secretary General of the ICM BWI Global Union .

Moldova: Revoluționarea securității și sănătății – CNSM

Revolutionising health and safety: the role of artificial intelligence and digitalisation in the workplace World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Revoluționarea securității și sănătății: rolul inteligenței artificiale și digitalizării la locul de muncă.  Ziua mondială a securității și sănătății în muncă

Uzbekistan: 28 Апрель – A new stage of labour protection: the role of artificial intelligence and digitalisation in the workplace

 

A promotional event was held at the joint venture “UzAuto Motors Powertrain” on the theme: “A new stage of labour protection: the role of artificial intelligence and digitalisation in the workplace.”

The event was organised in cooperation with the Tashkent City Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan and the Tashkent Regional Council of the Trade Union of Workers in the Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering Industries of Uzbekistan.

The aim of the event was to:

  • Improve workplace safety through digital transformation

  • Create a healthy and safe working environment for employees

  • Prevent accidents and occupational diseases

The event emphasised that using new technologies, artificial intelligence, and digital tools to enhance labour protection is a key priority.

 “UZAVTO MOTORS POWERTRAIN” қўшма корхонасида “Меҳнат муҳофазасининг янги босқичи: иш жойида сунъий интеллект ва рақамлаштиришнинг роли” мавзусида тарғибот тадбири ташкил этилди.

Тадбир Ўзбекистон касаба уюшмалари Федерациясининг Тошкент шаҳар кенгаши ҳамда Ўзбекистон металлургия ва машинасозлик саноати тармоқлари ходимлари касаба уюшмаси Тошкент ҳудудий кенгаши ҳамкорлигида ўтказилди.
Тадбирнинг мақсади:
— Рақамли трансформация орқали иш жойларида хавфсизликни ошириш
— Ходимлар учун соғлом ва хавфсиз меҳнат муҳитини яратиш
— Бахтсиз ҳодисалар ва касб касалликларини олдини олиш
Янги технологиялар, сунъий интеллект ва рақамлаштириш воситалари орқали меҳнат муҳофазасини янги босқичга олиб чиқиш – куннинг долзарб вазифаси этиб белгиланди.