By Mick Gilgunn
On 28th April every year we remember the dead and fight for the living. It’s a powerful slogan to remember those that were killed or seriously injured at work or who have related diseases such as asbestosis or mesothelioma.
How it started
International Workers Memorial Day’s origins are relatively recent, starting in Canada . The Canadian Labour Congress established a day of mourning , and by 1991, 28th April was established as a day to remember. Over the years since, it has grown internationally.
In Britain the Construction Safety Campaign, and then later the Hazards Campaign, have highlighted it since the early 1990s. All the major trade unions commemorate the day with remembrance ceremonies and campaign work. Of particular significance is Liverpool, where both construction and dockers organised events, through campaigns and unions highlighting the appalling conditions of safety at the workplace.
No to Deregulation of Health and Safety Regulations
This year, we face a Tory Government that is planning to deregulate much of our Health and Safety legislation including working with hazardous materials and possibly regulations on asbestos management. This year many of the unions are focusing on this issue as well as the TUC as part of the 28th April commemoration.
We need to remind ourselves how the Tory Government view Health and Safety at work. Former Prime Minister David Cameron declared in 2012, that Britain’s Health and Safety culture is an albatross around the necks of big business.
Tenth Anniversary of the Rana Plaza Factory Collapse in Bangladesh
This very month, 24th April 2013, also marks ten years since the Rana Plaza garments factory collapse in the Dhaka area of Bangladesh, killing 1,134 workers and injuring over 2,000.The warning signs, as in so many disasters, were there, as prior to the factory collapse, workers complained to the management about large cracks in the walls. Structural defects were the cause of the collapse, in a building built only in 2006.
HSE Statistics
There are many memorials on International Workers Memorial Say in towns and cities in Britain, including those killed in maritime and transport, agriculture, forestry and fishing, coalfields, docks and in the industry with most fatalities and injuries: the construction Industry .
The Health and Safety Executive’s latest statistics, published for the twelve month period ending on 21st December 2022, show 123 deaths in total. They include 30 in construction, 22 In agriculture, forestry and fishing, 22 in manufacturing and 16 in transport. There were others in other industries, but construction always has the most fatalities.
The Statue of The Unknown Building Worker
At Tower Hill in London stands the statue of the Unknown Building Worker where UNITE construction workers and Health and Safety campaigners assemble for speeches and the release of black balloons numbering the latest HSE statistics of those workers killed in the building Industry, currently thirty.
It is worth noting that some trade unionist in the industry who complain about Health and Safety problems have on many occasions found themselves on a blacklist. Such is the nature of an industry riddled with casualisation, where it is very difficult to build union organisation.
Purple ribbons are worn to remember those who never returned home to their loved ones from a day at work. But International Workers Memorial Day is also a chance for us as trade unionists, campaigners, campaigning journalists, MPs and others to heighten awareness of the issues. We still have to put up a fight against any plans from the Tory government to deregulate any part of Health and Safety regulations. We remember the dead and fight for the living.
Events to commemorate on 28th April
10.30am, Statue of the Unknown Building Worker Tower Hill. The statue is opposite Tower Hill station in view of the Tower of London .Organised by UNITE LE/UG 005 Branch (my branch). All welcome.
Waltham Forrest Trades Council also have an annual event 12.30-1.30pm outside Walthamstow Assembly Hall , Forest Road , London E17.
For a full listings of events, the TUC website has a full national map of Events for International workers Memorial day.
Remember: a few days after that is Mayday, where we can celebrate much of what we have gained through international solidarity. Don’t let them take it away from us!
Mick Gilgunn is a member of UNITE Construction branch LE/UG005 and of the Construction Safety Campaign and London Hazards Committee. He is a Councillor for the London Borough of Islington.
Image: Source: Acocks Green Bus Garage – Open Day – sign – Health & Safety Starts Here. Author: Elliott Brown from Birmingham, United Kingdom, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
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