{"id":3684,"date":"2020-04-25T17:08:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T17:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=3684"},"modified":"2020-04-25T17:08:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-25T17:08:39","slug":"uk-remember-covid-19-dead-on-28-april-unison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=3684","title":{"rendered":"UK: Remember Covid-19 dead on 28 April – UNISON"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

IWMD will give us the chance to remember the workers who have died because of COVID-19<\/p>\n

Tuesday 28 April is International Workers\u2019 Memorial Day, when we remember all those who have died because of their work \u2013 and renew our pledge to fight for the living.<\/p>\n

In the year of coronavirus, this day of commemoration has never been more important. And that\u00a0is why UNISON is asking the country to observe a minute\u2019s silence, to remember all the health, care and other key workers who have already lost their lives to COVID-19.<\/p>\n

The campaign for a minute\u2019s silence at 11am next Tuesday was launched earlier this week<\/strong><\/a> by UNISON, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives, which collectively represent more than a million NHS and public service workers, including porters, refuse collectors and care staff.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nUNISON general secretary Dave Prentis\u00a0said it would be \u201cthe ultimate tribute to remember workers who\u2019ve lost their lives and put themselves in harm\u2019s way to keep us safe and vital services running.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, the sacrifice of workers around the world is recognised, but this year has a special significance because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThousands of key staff are on the frontline while the rest of us are in lockdown. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve issued this call for the whole country to take part and remember the sacrifices they\u2019ve made. The best tribute we can all pay them is to stay inside to protect the NHS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thousands of workers across the UK are caring for those suffering from COVID-19 or delivering vital public services that are vital for us all \u2013 potentially putting their own safety and even their own lives at risk.<\/p>\n

In many cases, these workers know that, by simply doing their jobs, they are putting themselves at risk.<\/p>\n

The risks faced by those working in the health and social care sectors has already been acknowledged, but there are also others \u2013 those working in childcare, police services and refuse collection, in hostels and rescue centres, in gas, water and electricity, and in transport services among them \u2013 whose work and dedication often goes unacknowledged.<\/p>\n

Tragically, some of these workers have already died. In some cases, more could have been done to protect them, whether by better enforcement of social distancing, looking after workers with underlying health conditions or provision of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep them safe.<\/p>\n

While improvements have been seen in some areas, more needs to be done \u2013 specifically in relation to assessing the risks our members are facing and ensuring that all staff who require it are getting the protective equipment needed to do the job safely.<\/p>\n

UNISON has never been afraid to demand the highest standards for workers; we have not been afraid to speak out and hold the government to account on providing the right PPE when staff need it, and to hold employers to account who are not doing enough to keep their workers safe.<\/p>\n

All of this adds to the importance of observing a minutes\u2019 silence at 11am next Tuesday.<\/p>\n

But other things that you can do include:<\/p>\n