{"id":3697,"date":"2020-04-26T11:12:02","date_gmt":"2020-04-26T11:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=3697"},"modified":"2020-04-26T10:15:15","modified_gmt":"2020-04-26T10:15:15","slug":"canada-day-of-mourning-action-call-by-cupe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=3697","title":{"rendered":"Canada: Day of Mourning action call by CUPE"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the\u00a0job<\/strong><\/p>\n

On April 28, the National Day of Mourning for Workers Killed or Injured on the Job, we remember all the workers we have lost. On this day, CUPE also joins with the Canadian Labour Congress and other unions around the county to demand that all governments enforce the laws, including Westray provisions in the Criminal Code and occupational health and safety\u00a0laws.<\/p>\n

We urge\u00a0CUPE\u00a0members to observe a moment of silence and lower\u00a0flags<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to half-mast on Tuesday, April 28. Show your support by prominently displaying\u00a0our poster<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a0your\u00a0workplace.<\/p>\n

Every day in Canada, workers lose their lives on the job. Their deaths are preventable and should not happen. It boggles the mind that we lose almost 1000 workers every\u00a0year.<\/p>\n

In 2017, the most recent year that full statistics are available, the officially recorded number of workplace fatalities rose to at least 951. As with every year, we say \u201cat least\u201d because we, in the labour movement, have always known that the number is\u00a0higher.<\/p>\n

Last year, a new report called\u00a0Work-Related Death in Canada<\/em><\/a>\u00a0has attempted to quantify the number of workers lost who are usually uncounted. These are people who are not in the compensation system, or are self-employed, or work \u201coff the grid\u201d in precarious work. Or they are considered to have had a \u201cnatural\u201d death, or were commuting to and from work, or who died from an occupational disease or cancer that was never related back to their working\u00a0conditions.<\/p>\n

If we include all the uncounted, the research suggests that there may be 10-13 times as many people dying because of work in Canada than we officially accept in our compensation system.\u00a0 But while there may be no insurance payment for those left behind, their loved ones are gone just the\u00a0same.<\/p>\n

We implore governments and employers to invest in prevention, including strong health and safety committees. We call for a robust enforcement regime to enhance prevention through pro-active inspections, and to punish those employers who refuse to fulfill their duty to ensure a safe workplace. We also call on the federal government to reinstate the definition of danger that existed in the\u00a0Canada Labour Code<\/em>\u00a0before Stephen Harper weakened it without consultation in\u00a02014.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Day of Mourning poster<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Day of Mourning flag **New Design!**<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n