{"id":7967,"date":"2026-04-28T09:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=7967"},"modified":"2026-04-28T09:47:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:47:28","slug":"tasmania-unions-commemorate-28-april-around-the-global-theme-fighting-psychosocial-hazards-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=7967","title":{"rendered":"Tasmania: Unions commemorate 28 April around the global theme \u2018Fighting psychosocial hazards at work\u2019\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Unions, workers, families, community members, and political leaders will gather today to mark International Workers\u2019 Memorial Day (IWMD), a day of remembrance observed across the globe on the 28th<\/sup>\u00a0of April each year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Today\u2019s service will take place at the Workers\u2019 Commemorative Park in Invermay. After unveiling the significant works at the Park last year, this year\u2019s service will see seven additional commemorative plaques laid to recognise Tasmanian workers who died because of their work. Each plaque represents a person who should have come home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIWMD is deeply important to unions because it is a day that reflects the heart of what we stand for: protecting workers so they can make it home safely. The day is a solemn reminder that for every safety campaign we run, there is a worker who did not make it home,\u201d said Unions Tasmania Secretary, Jessica Munday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The theme for IWMD in 2026 is \u2018Fighting psychosocial hazards at work.\u2019 Ms Munday says this is particularly relevant here in Tasmania.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cPsychological injuries are rising faster \u2013 and costing more \u2013 in Australia than any other type of workplace harm. The same is true here. Mental health related workers compensation claims have tripled from 5% in 2015\/6 to 14.7% of all Tasmanian claims last year,\u201d said Ms Munday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cBecause work doesn\u2019t just break bodies anymore \u2013 it breaks minds. Workplace violence, work overload, burnout \u2013 they may not make the headlines but their impact on a worker can be catastrophic. Workplaces absolutely need to be doing more to support the mental health of their people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cA safe workplace is not just one where you survive the day \u2013 it\u2019s one where you are not destroyed by it.\u00a0<\/span>Sometimes we hear a death at work called an \u2018accident\u2019. But most workplace deaths are predictable, preventable, and repeated. When the same hazards keep killing people, that\u2019s not a coincidence \u2013 it\u2019s a systemic failure to act and we all have a responsibility to prevent that harm,\u201d Ms Munday said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Ms Munday hopes that attendees, particularly political representatives, leave the service with a renewed commitment to act to making Tasmanian workplaces safer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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