Tag Archives: theme

2023, 2023 global, News

Global: Organising for health and safety on 28 April 2023

Announcing the theme for International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April this year, ITUC’s deputy general secretary Owen Tudor noted ILO’s recognition that a safe and healthy work environment is a fundamental right for workers, adding: “This has given a new impetus to organising for health and safety – a crucial part of union action. This year’s Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28 is dedicated to this core union priority.”

ITUC/Hazards 28 April 2023 website. TUC #iwmd23 webpages. ITUC newsletter, 6 February 2023. Occupational health and safety adopted as an ILO fundamental right at work.

Health and Safety and Organising – A guide for reps, TUC and related interactive guide for union reps (you may need to register to access this resource).

More on organising for OHS. 15 February 2023

2022, News, Resources

Make safe and healthy work a fundamental right this International Workers’ Memorial Day

Make safe and healthy work a fundamental right this International Workers’ Memorial Day – 28 April #IWMD22 – International Trade Union Confederation

Hacer de la salud y seguridad en el trabajo un derecho fundamental esta Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración – 28 de abril #IWMD22 – Confederación Sindical Internacional

Reconnaître la santé et la sécurité au travail comme un droit fondamental à l’occasion de la Journée internationale de commémoration des travailleuses et des travailleurs – le 28 avril #IWMD22 – Confédération Syndicale Internationale

Make safe and healthy work a fundamental right this International Workers’ Memorial Day – 28 April #IWMD22

Workers’ unions are pressing their demand this International Workers’ Memorial Day #IWMD22 to finally make health and safety at work a fundamental principle and right.

04-02-2022

“It’s a no-brainer. Every working person should know that they have the right to expect that everything is done to keep them safe at work.

“We demand that the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopts occupational health and safety as a fundamental right at work. It’s as important as freedom of association and the elimination of forced labour, child labour and discrimination in employment,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

Three years have passed since the ILO Centenary Conference agreed that this would be done. In that time around 8.1 million people have died as a result of their work, and even more now live with life-altering injuries and illnesses because their employer did not protect them.

Sharan Burrow continued: “The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated beyond doubt that working people can’t wait for this any longer. Workplace deaths are preventable deaths and the latest figures show that a worker dies at least once every ten seconds. By doing this the ILO will be making a start on cutting this appalling toll of death and injuries.“

More than a fundamental right

The ITUC and its affiliates are calling on governments to take action by:

  • ratifying and implementing core ILO health and safety conventions;
  • ratifying and implementing all sectoral or hazard-specific conventions;
  • establishing national health and safety bodies bringing unions and employer representatives together;
  • requiring occupational health services for all, and proper compensation including making Covid-19 a recognised occupational disease.

“Employers must take responsibility for assessing and eradicating risks in their workplaces and in their supply chains, and consulting unions on prevention through workplace health and safety committees.

“And we need the ILO to do more and address challenges like stress at work, musculoskeletal disorders and a convention on biological hazards like Covid-19. It is urgent that Covid-19 is recognised for the workplace threat that it is. Health and safety should be the first priority at work, not an occasional after thought,” concluded Sharan Burrow.

https://www.ituc-csi.org/International-Workers-Memorial-Day-2022

2020, Guides, News, Resources, Uncategorized

28 April theme announcement: ‘Tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’.

‘Tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’

#iwmd20

28 de Abril Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración (JIC) de los Trabajadores Fallecidos y Heridos
28 Avril Journée Internationale de Commémoration (JIC) des travailleurs décédés et blessés
28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day
28 April International commemoration day for dead and injured workers 28 April International day of mourning

The 28 April 2020 campaign theme will be ‘tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’. We will seek to highlight the harm caused by occupational stress and related conditions, including depression, anxiety, burnout, and work-related alcohol and drug dependency, and work-related suicides.

The theme allows us to campaign for action to remedy the broad range of contributory factors and will also engage those in the union movement not primarily interested in occupational health and safety, including:

– low pay, payment by results, piecework
– workload, working hours and work patterns
– inadequate staffing
– job insecurity, downsizing
– precarious/informal/gig work
– punitive sickness absence policies
– punitive disciplinary procedures
– oppressive performance management/appraisal systems
– lean production, new management techniques/behavioural safety
– surveillance at work
– lack of control

Unions have also identified a gap in the ILO instruments – there are not dealing explicitly with psychosocial hazards, so we could use 28 April to press for an ILO convention on this area, and for an expansion of the ILO list of occupational diseases to include a more detailed entry on work-related psychosocial conditions and impacts, including an explicit reference to the need for action to prevent the growing problem of work-related suicide.

There is also scope to link to existing international union campaigns on precarious work, low pay, safe rates, safe staffing and other issues. And we can highlight best practice – laws, agreements, actions, union resources and campaigns.

ITUC will be providing further details on the 28 April 2020 campaign early in the new year.

In the coming weeks, we will be posting updates and signposting resources on the dedicated 28 April webpages at: www.28april.org

In the meantime if you have successful case histories you would like us to feature in our materials please email them to: editor@hazards.org

Some general background materials and link are available here:

www.hazards.org/mentalhealth
www.hazards.org/lowpay
www.hazards.org/insecure

2020, Guides, News, Resources, Uncategorized

Annonce du théme de la journée du 28 Avril: Lutter contre les risques psychosociaux au travail: éliminer le stress au travail

«Lutter contre les risques psychosociaux au travail: éliminer le stress au travail»
#iwmd20

 

  • 28 de Abril Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración (JIC) de los Trabajadores Fallecidos y Heridos
  • 28 Avril Journée Internationale de Commémoration (JIC) des travailleurs décédés et blessés
  • 28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day
  • 28 April International commemoration day for dead and injured workers 28 April International day of mourning

Le 28 avril 2020, le thème de la campagne sera le suivant: «Lutter contre les risques psychosociaux au travail: éliminer le stress au travail». Nous chercherons à attirer l’attention sur le préjudice provoqué par le stress au travail et les troubles connexes, tels que la dépression, l’angoisse, le burnout, la dépendance à l’alcool et aux médicaments due au travail et le suicide lié au travail.

Ce thème nous invite à promouvoir les solutions permettant de faire face aux multiples facteurs à l’origine des risques psychosociaux, et d’en examiner d’autres qui ne sont pas fondamentalement associés à la santé et à la sécurité au travail, notamment:

– faible salaire, salaire au rendement, salaire aux pièces
– charge de travail, horaires et régime de travail
– effectifs insuffisants
– précarité de l’emploi, réduction des effectifs
– travail précaire/informel, «petits boulots»
– politiques punitives en cas d’absence pour maladie
– procédures disciplinaires punitives
– gestion des résultats et systèmes d’évaluation oppressifs
– production au plus juste, nouvelles techniques de gestion, sécurité comportementale
– surveillance au travail
– manque de contrôle

Les syndicats ont par ailleurs constaté une lacune dans les instruments de l’OIT qui, en effet, ne traitent pas explicitement des risques psychosociaux. C’est pourquoi, à l’occasion de la journée du 28 avril, nous pourrions solliciter une convention de l’OIT dans ce domaine, et demander l’allongement de la liste des maladies professionnelles répertoriées par l’OIT pour y inclure des données plus détaillées sur les troubles et les impacts psychosociaux dus au travail, en faisant explicitement référence à la nécessité d’agir pour enrayer le problème croissant des suicides liés au travail.

Il serait également possible d’établir un lien avec les campagnes syndicales internationales existantes sur le travail précaire, les faibles salaires, les niveaux suffisants de salaire et de personnel, et sur d’autres questions. Nous pourrions aussi mettre en avant les meilleures pratiques en termes de lois, d’accords, de mesures, de ressources syndicales et de campagnes.

La CSI donnera des informations plus détaillées sur la campagne du 28 avril 2020 au début de l’année prochaine.

Au cours des semaines à venir, nous publierons des mises à jour et nous indiquerons des ressources sur les pages web relatives au 28 avril à l’adresse www.28april.org

Entre-temps, si vous avez connu des expériences fructueuses sur cette question et que vous souhaitez les voir figurer dans nos matériels, veuillez les envoyer par courriel sur la liste, ou directement à mon adresse editor@hazards.org

Voici plusieurs liens et informations générales:

www.hazards.org/mentalhealth
www.hazards.org/lowpay
www.hazards.org/insecure

 

2018, News, Uncategorized

Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración de los Trabajadores, 28 de abril de 2018 – Anuncio del tema

La CSI propone como tema general para la Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración de los trabajadores y trabajadoras fallecidos y lesionados, el 28 de abril de 2018, “Los lugares de trabajo organizados son lugares de trabajo más seguros”. Las variantes de este tema podrían incluir “Los sindicatos hacen que los lugares de trabajo sean más seguros y más sanos” y “La organización sindical salva vidas”.

En las próximas semanas, la CSI elaborará material para apoyar la preparación de materiales de campaña. Para ayudar en esta labor, buscamos muestras de medidas sindicales que propicien mejoras a nivel del lugar de trabajo, de la legislación o los sectores, así como los beneficios económicos y humanos que aporta esta medida de protección. Envíe los detalles al Asesor de Salud y Seguridad de la CSI, Rory O’Neill al correo editor@hazards.org

La actualización de las páginas web dedicadas a este tema, www.28april.org, dará comienzo a medida que se confirmen los materiales, las actividades y los eventos.

Naturalmente, las organizaciones afiliadas tienen la libertad de adaptar o modificar el tema para adaptarse a las prioridades locales.

Sin otro particular, reciba un fraternal saludo,

Sharan Burrow

2018, News

Journée internationale de commémoration des travailleuses et des travailleurs, le 28 avril 2018 – annonce du thème

La CSI propose le thème général suivant pour la Journée internationale de commémoration des travailleuses et des travailleurs, le 28 avril 2018: « Des lieux de travail syndiqués sont plus sûrs ».  Parmi les variantes de ce thème, nous proposons également « Les syndicats garantissent des lieux de travail plus sûrs et plus sains » et « L’organisation syndicale sauve des vies ».

La CSI élaborera des outils au cours des semaines à venir afin de soutenir la production de supports de la campagne. À cette fin, nous recueillons des données sur les actions syndicales entraînant des améliorations sur les plans législatif, sectoriel ou sur le lieu de travail, ainsi que sur les avantages humains et économiques de cette action de protection. Nous vous prions de bien vouloir envoyer toute information au conseiller en santé et en sécurité de la CSI, Rory O’Neill, à editor@hazards.org.

Les pages web consacrées à cette Journée, www.28april.org, seront mises à jour dès que les supports, les activités et les événements seront confirmés.

Les organisations affiliées sont, bien entendu, libres d’adapter ou de changer le thème en fonction de leurs priorités locales.

Salutations fraternelles,

Sharan Burrow

2018, News

International Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April 2018 – Theme announcement

The ITUC is proposing a general theme for International Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April 2018, of ‘Organized workplaces are safer workplaces’. Variants on this could include ‘Unions make workplaces safer and healthier’ and ‘Union organization saves lives’.

The ITUC will developing resources in the coming weeks to support preparation of campaign materials. To assist with this we are seeking evidence of union action leading to workplace, legislative or sectoral improvements, and the human and economic payoff from this protective action. Please send details to ITUC Health and Safety Adviser, Rory O’Neill at editor@hazards.org

Updates to the dedicated www.28april.org webpages will start as materials, activities and events are confirmed.

Affiliates are of course free to adapt or change the theme to suit local priorities.

Yours Sincerely,

Sharan Burrow

2017, News, Resources

28 April 2017 theme CONFIRMED: Unsafe and unfair –discrimination on the job hurts us all

Dear friends,

Thanks a lot for your positive feedback on the theme for 28th April 2017. This time, and always under the broad umbrella of “unions make work safer”, we are inviting trade unions to consider addressing all actions needed to protect the health and safety of the most vulnerable in our workplaces, due among others, to gender, origins, class and/or sexual orientation. We’d be very pleased to get any background documents/research on these issues you might have developed in your union to help elaborating the international background document for the day.

Here are some suggested taglines:

  • Inequality is a pain in the workplace
  • Safe work for women, safe work for all
    Workplace safety is a class issue
  • Occupational disease is a class issue
  • Profit and loss: When irresponsible firms put production first, workers can pay a deadly price
  • Racism hurts at work
  • Fair enough? We are all sickened by inequality at work
  • Inequality at work makes us sick
  • United we stand: Divided we cough, ache, limp, itch, wheeze and die

We have already received confirmation from the TUC UK  on their willingness to take on this issue calling to “protect those hidden from safety” and focus on the hidden and new GIG economies, the risks faced by migrant workers and the issue of gender.

The AFL-CIO in the US has already released a poster that refers to our common theme as well:

Social media: you can start using #iwmd17
 in Twitter and posting news in the Facebook Group

Please ensure you send me details of your planned activities, any resources and artwork you produce for 28 April 2017. And please remember to give us your email to be included in the 28th April e-list.

28 April mailing list: Subscribe to our mailing list

Thanks again to you all for your commitment!

Rory, Jawad and Anabella (the 28th April team)