Unions Save Lives: International Workers Memorial Day

This 28 April was the largest workplace health and safety event in history, with events taking place in over 100 countries. The ITUC/Hazards global events map showed events happening throughout Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Australasia and Europe.

This 28 April was the largest workplace health and safety event in history, with events taking place in over 100 countries. The ITUC/Hazards global events map showed events happening throughout Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Australasia and Europe.

Each and every day of the year, workplace accidents kill more than 1,000 workers.  And diseases related to working conditions add more than 5,330 to this death toll every day. In other words more than 270 workers are killed every single hour.  In addition, 906,000 workers suffer injuries every day because of accidents at the workplace.
 
In Victoria, we held a moving commemoration ceremony at Argyle Square where the 28 fatalities reported to WorkSafe since April 28 last year were remembered. After hearing from the Trade Union Choir, the gathered group moved to the Trades Hall to join the thousands of construction industry workers who were protesting the interference of the ABCC into health and safety in the industry and calling for its abolition. The rate and number of fatalities in the sector has increased since its introduction by the Howard Government.