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UNI General Secretary Christy Hoffman has issued an International Workers\u2019 Memorial Day message<\/a> calling on us to honour the workers we have lost during the Covid-19 crisis, but to \u201cfight like hell for the living.\u201d<\/p>\n Using her personal experience and examples from UNI affiliates, GS Hoffman stresses the importance that unions play in establishing safe workplaces and holding employers accountable:<\/p>\n There are valuable lessons we must learn from this crisis.<\/em><\/p>\n And one that we must remember is the difference a union can make in terms of health and safety. And it is not only about negotiating the conditions of safe work \u2014 it is about representation and a voice on the job lead by rank and file workers. A union health and safety committee is a watchdog, making sure that employers don\u2019t cut corners or require a pace of production that is too fast to be safe. They enable workers, those who are closest to the problem, to expose the hazards and recommend solutions.<\/em><\/p>\n Read the full message here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Additionally, UNI is joining the ITUC and other global unions in calling on governments and occupational health and safety bodies<\/a> around the world to recognise Covid-19 first, as an occupational hazard and also\u00a0an occupational disease.<\/p>\n