International Workers Memorial Day is an annual event, commemorated throughout the world and officially recognised by the UK Government.
The focus is to remember those who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related injury and diseases, while reinforcing commitments to renew efforts to organise collectively to prevent more deaths, injuries and disease as a result of work.
“We remember those we have lost. We organise in their memory.”
With events on the day being driven by the TUC, this year’s theme is “Health and Safety is a fundamental workers’ right”, which will resonate with everyone that has felt the impact of the pandemic in the last year. Occupational health is in the spotlight, with ongoing headlines about the lack of Covid-secure workplaces and employers failing to provide adequate measures to protect people.
The timeline published by the TUC details some of the events in British labour history where employer and government failures led to the preventable deaths of workers. It also includes dates which mark when trade unions won key legislative change to protect rights to safety at work. Starting in 1900, the timeline lists harrowing disasters that have shaped the safety profession. It shows just how far we have come with improvements in safety, but it’s also clear that there is no room for complacency.
For information about #IWMD events happening in your area, use this link to search – or use it to announce your own events, webinars or stunts.
