{"id":7925,"date":"2026-04-28T07:56:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T06:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=7925"},"modified":"2026-04-28T07:56:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T06:56:46","slug":"uk-mps-mark-workers-memorial-day-warning-safety-cuts-are-putting-lives-at-risk-tuc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=7925","title":{"rendered":"UK: MPs mark Workers\u2019 Memorial Day,\u00a0warning safety cuts are putting lives at risk\u00a0– TUC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MPs mark Workers\u2019 Memorial Day,\u00a0warning safety cuts are putting lives at risk<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Parliamentarians and bereaved families will come together in Parliament today to mark Workers\u2019 Memorial Day and remember those who have lost their lives because of work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The event, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, will include contributions from:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prof\u00a0Julia Waters, sister of the\u00a0late headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life following an Ofsted inspection<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fiona and Barry, who worked alongside murdered transport worker Jorge Ortega<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Anne Davies, widow of firefighter Jeff Simpson, who died from cancer caused by chemicals he was exposed to in burning buildings<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary, Trades Union Congress<\/p>\n

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Workers\u2019 Memorial Day is an\u00a0international day of remembrance, backed by the United Nations, for those who have died due to work-related injury or illness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The parliamentary memorial will bring together MPs, peers, trade unions,\u00a0families\u00a0and workers\u00a0affected by preventable workplace deaths.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Background<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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MPs and peers in the APPG have raised serious concerns about the capacity of the Health and Safety Executive, which has seen its funding cut by almost half since 2010. These cuts have limited its ability to carry out proactive inspections and enforcement, increasing the risk that unsafe employers go unchecked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the same time, work-related mental ill health is rising, yet there are significant gaps in how the system responds. The Health and Safety Executive does not currently investigate work-related suicides, meaning potential systemic causes go unexamined.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Policymakers are calling for this to change,\u00a0so that work-related suicides are treated with the same seriousness as other workplace deaths.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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They are also calling for the regulator\u2019s pre-2010 budget to be restored,\u00a0in order for\u00a0it\u00a0to\u00a0 respond\u00a0to modern workplace risks, including the growing crisis of violence at work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ian Lavery<\/b>, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, said:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWorkers\u2019 Memorial Day is about remembering those who have lost their lives because of\u00a0work,\u00a0but it is also about confronting the failures that continue to put workers at risk today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There is a growing crisis of violence at work. When 8 in 10 public-facing workers are experiencing abuse,\u00a0it is clear that far\u00a0too many workers are being left without the protection they deserve.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We are also seeing rising levels of work-related mental ill health, yet work-related suicides are not even investigated by the Health and Safety Executive. That cannot be right. These deaths must be recognised,\u00a0properly investigated, and used to prevent future tragedies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the same time, the Health and Safety Executive has had its funding cut in half over the last decade. That has real consequences:\u00a0fewer inspections, weaker enforcement, and less capacity to deal with\u00a0growing\u00a0risks like stress\u00a0and\u00a0violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If we are serious about protecting workers, government must act \u2014 by restoring funding to the regulator\u00a0and\u00a0expanding its capacity. No one should lose their life or their health simply for doing their job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Julia Waters<\/b>\u00a0will say:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWork-related suicides are not treated with the same seriousness as other workplace deaths. Until they are recognised,\u00a0investigated\u00a0and acted on, the risk of future deaths\u00a0remains.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Event details<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Date:<\/b>\u00a0Tuesday 28 April 2026
\nTime:<\/b>\u00a009:00 \u2013 10:00
\nLocation:<\/b>\u00a0Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, House of Lords<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Contact<\/b>: Shelly,\u00a0healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk<\/a>\u00a007897922813<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Notes to Editors<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Workers\u2019 Memorial Day takes place annually on 28 April and is recognised internationally as a day to remember those who have died or been injured because of work, and to campaign for safer workplaces.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Health and Safety Executive is Britain\u2019s national regulator for workplace health and safety. Its funding has been reduced by around 45 per cent since 2010 (source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.britsafe.org\/safety-management\/2023\/a-perfect-storm-why-funding-cuts-are-affecting-hse-s-ability-to-regulate<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The number of inspections carried out by HSE has fallen by 35% in the last decade (source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.hazards.org\/deadlybusiness\/hseisbroke.htm<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A TUC survey found 8 in 10 workers experienced abuse in the last year (source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.tuc.org.uk\/news\/8-10-workers-have-experienced-abuse-work-past-year<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The number of people reporting work-related stress, anxiety or depression is on the rise, according to HSE\u2019s 2024\/25 statistics (source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.ier.org.uk\/news\/tuc-record-levels-of-work-related-stress-in-britains-workplaces\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health brings together parliamentarians to promote better health and safety at work and to support those affected by occupational injury and disease:\u00a0www.appgosh.org<\/a><\/p>\n

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TUC 28 April webpages<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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