International Workers’ Memorial Day is commemorated throughout the world.
It is a day which brings together workers and their representatives from all over the world to ‘remember the dead and fight for the living’.
Workers’ Memorial Day is held on 28 April each year to remember workers who have died, been injured or made ill due to hazards at work and is commemorated throughout the world.
It was formally recognised by the Labour Government led by Gordon Brown in 2010 following a consultation in 2009. The Conservative Government led by Theresa May confirmed continued recognition of Workers’ Memorial Day in October 2017.
In addition to remembering, we must take time to ensure that we continue to do all we can to make sure such tragedies are not repeated.
The message is that the best way of protecting workers is by building trade union organisation, recruiting
members, pressing employers to invoke better health and safety standards and risk controls and campaigning for stricter enforcement by the HSE and Local Authorities with higher court penalties for those employers and bosses breaching health and safety laws.
In 2023 the theme for the day is “Trade Unions Organising For Fundamental Safety”.
The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department has promoted Workers’ Memorial Day amongst our
Health and Safety Representatives, Branches and Regions via regular reports and LTBs.
TUC List of Events and Resources
The TUC is compiling a list of WMD events taking place across the country and the list will be updated over the coming weeks. Some of these events will also feature a minute’s silence at noon, or a suitable time. The events will either be on Friday 28th April or will take place on the weekend of 29/30 April.
More details are available from TUC HQ at: https://www.tuc.org.uk/workers-memorial-day-0
Post ‘Brexit’ Tory Government Health and Safety Deregulation Threat – “Retained EU Law (Revocation
and Reform) Bill”
The UK saw major change in the 70’s with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the formation of the HSE, followed by the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977, followed by a plethora of European Health and Safety Directives transposed into UK Health and Safety Regulations through the 80’s and 90’s. But what’s going to happen after Brexit? Which UK health and safety legislation will be affected and how? And when? Brexit presents the Tory right-wing opportunists with a new rationale for undermining health and safety law and enforcement through de-regulation, a drift towards an extreme form of self-regulation, further HSE budget cuts, enforcement and inspection cuts and post-Brexit now raises an imminent threat of the UK entering a ‘race to the bottom’.
Previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Michael Gove Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government have called for the removal of the Health and Safety Regulations and Jacob Rees-Mogg Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency of the United Kingdom has said that the UK could slash safety standards “a very long way” after Brexit! The 2021 EU/UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement may enable the UK to evade its formal health and safety responsibilities under the treaty because of the lack of the prospect of significant retaliatory ‘rebalancing’ measures.
With the Tories “Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill” on the horizon, should minimal health and safety requirements cease to apply in the post-EU era, then the UK Government will be free to repeal existing health and safety laws and pursue a system of self-regulation that will allow health and safety standards to fall even further behind those of other developed economies.
Add this to the UK’s appalling record in observing ILO workplace health and safety instruments – in total,
the UK Government has ratified only 6 of a total of 35 ILO ‘up-to-date’ health and safety protocols and
conventions. There are a total of 74 countries that have ratified more ILO health and safety conventions
than the UK. This is scarcely what should be expected of a supposedly world leading economy currently
engaged in negotiating trade deals with the world beyond the EU 27. It does not appear anything is going to change on this front and the Trade Unions may have some major battles ahead in defending and protecting health and safety!
Anti-Union, multi-millionaire Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has already drawn a furious reaction
from Unions by unveiling new planned anti-strike laws to enforce ‘minimum service levels’ in key sectors.
The planned legislation will allow bosses and his big business friends and supporters to sue unions and sack employees who go on strike and refuse to work. The Labour Party has said it would repeal the anti-trade union legislation if Labour form the next government, setting out clear dividing lines with the Conservatives on workers’ rights in the run-up to the next general election. Sunak has no idea or appreciation of the struggles of low paid workers battling the cost of living crisis and soaring energy costs. Sunak is the richest ever UK Prime Minister with a total worth of £730 million. He is twice as rich as King Charles III and dwarfs the net worth of his predecessor Boris Johnson who is only worth £1.7 Million. Sunak owns four luxury properties worth £18.5 million, including a luxury apartment in California. What does he care about the workers?