Tag Archives: Gibraltar

Gibraltar: One minute silence and wreaths laid at Workers Memorial Day ceremony

Wreaths were laid at the Workers Memorial Day ceremony in the Alameda Gardens, Gibraltar following a one minute silence. The Minister for Health and Safety, Christian Santos and Unite’s Sam Hennessy addressed guests.

Gibraltar: Chief Minister honours workers in Memorial Day and International Day message

 

The Chief Minister says we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the workers who have built our community, our economy and our democracy. In his Workers’ Memorial Day and International Workers’ Day message, Fabian Picardo reaffirms his government’s commitment to ensuring every worker has a safe, healthy and fair working environment.

He says workers in Gibraltar’s economy have faced many challenges and hardships, especially with Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, which he says have disrupted our lives and livelihoods. He adds workers and employers have shown resilience, solidarity, and courage in the face of these generational challenges.

“They have been the heroes and heroines of our collective response as a Community to this unprecedented crisis.”

More from GBC

Gibraltar: Organising for health and safety – a crucial part of union action

Unite the union – Gibraltar

 

Worker’s Memorial Day commemorates, the hardship and loss that previous generations of workers have endured to make our workplaces a safer environment.

This year’s rallies to the call of “Organising for Health and Safety – a crucial part of union action”.

In many ways, workplace health and safety is no different from other issues that unions fight for, like better wages, benefits and respect. In fact, the ultimate measure of dignity and respect on the job is the degree to which workers are provided with a safe and healthy working environment.

It has been proved, that the most effective tool that we have in ensuring good health and safety at work is trade unions, because organised workplaces are safer workplaces. Unite the Union stands by its commitment to ensuring that its members’ right to a healthy and safe working environment are respected, to such effect Unite Gibraltar has through the years trained over 200 reps in Health and Safety.

Trained and experienced safety reps make a difference in the day to day occupational health and safety by: –

• Helping reduce injuries at work.
• Reducing the levels of ill-health caused by workplace exposure.
• Encourages reporting of safety concerns, injuries and near-misses.
• Making workers more confident that the safety concerns will be addressed.
• Helps develop a more positive safety culture within the organisation.
• Saves the economy many millions of pounds, from the direct and indirect cost of accidents and occupational ill-health.

Unite the Union will be this year campaigning for our Health and Safety laws to be policed and enforced throughout the ever growing private sector, in particular within the construction industry as the highest risk sector. Unite urges Government to support this campaign for the development of Health and Safety Reps within the Private Sector at large.

Unite will continue to make a call on this day and campaign towards:

• Health and Safety representatives to be recognised by employers.
• For employers to comply with law, ensured by strict Government enforcement and development of strong laws.
• Adequate Health and Safety workplace policies and for these to be respected.
• A Gibraltar Government Health and Safety organised structure, able to provide both guidance to industry/commerce as well as strict enforcement of our Health and safety laws where necessary.
• Appropriate welfare and rest facilities within the workplace.

Some advancement have been made since last year’s Workers Memorial Day, via the Health and Safety Advisory Council, namely the introduction of HM Government of Gibraltar’s Health and Safety Policy Part A – “A Managers Guide for Government Department” and Part B – “Organisation and Arrangements”. Having said this, we must reiterate the importance of the implementation of the contents of the policies, ensuring they become an occupational day to day reality.
Unite reminds the Gibraltar working community that all employees have rights which include: –

• To work in places where all the risks to your health and safety are properly controlled.
• Stop working and leave the area if you think you are in danger.
• Be consulted on matters related to your health and safety at work and be party to meaningful participation on the development of safety controls and risk reduction measures.
•Inform your employer about health and safety issues or concerns, through your Safety Representative or Union Rep.
•​To be able to contact local Health and Safety Inspectorate and/or your union where you still have health and safety concerns, without getting into trouble with your employer.

In the memory of our forefathers we need to reinforce and honour their struggle to maintain and enhance workers right to a safe and healthy workplace.

Let’s us honour the dead and fight for the living.

Gibraltar: Ceremony organised by Unite the Union in collaboration with Gibraltar Cultural Service [Photos]

Ceremony organised by Unite the Union in collaboration with Gibraltar Cultural Service. More details

Gibraltar: Health sector workers pay tribute to healthcare workers killed by Covid 19 [Video]

#IWMD20 Health Sector workers (GHA) in #Gibraltar paying tribute to the tens of thousands of healthcare workers worldwide who have lost their lives due to the Coronavirus pandemic. #NEVERFORGOTTEN Unite the Union Gibraltar

 

Gibraltar: Candlelighting ceremony to remember the dead and fight for the living – Unite

The 28th April is International Workers’ Memorial Day, the day each year when workers come together and remember those who have been killed and injured at work. The slogan for the day is “remember the dead – fight for the living”. (#IWMD20).

Gibraltar: Unite the Union Gibraltar marks 28 April with a lobby of parliament

Unite the union Gibraltar has posted photographs from the International Workers Memorial Day Ceremony at the Gibraltar lobby of parliament. The theme for this year was “Dangerous Substance get them out of the Workplace.” Facebook