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Trade unions in some 100 countries are planning rallies, protests, educational activities and other events to commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April.
Workers’ Memorial Day will be commemorated in Burma for the first time after 50 years of suppression of freedom of association, following the legalisation of unions in March 2012. An ILO-organised Labour Organisation Leaders’ Forum will represent all 426 unions registered under the new Labour Organisation Law.
Unions across Australia will hold rallies and family barbeques over several days, as well as inaugurate a new workers’ memorial in Canberra, which will be launched by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Unions in many countries are organising workshops or seminars on occupational health and safety (OHS), including Argentina, Bangladesh and Mexico. In Hong Kong there will be marches and rallies, while in Ireland the ICTU is holding a national event in Dublin Castle. Unions in South Korea will use a press conference to highlight the ‘2013 deadliest enterprises’, while the Malta General Workers’ Union is asking public institutions to fly their flags half-mast on the day.
A tripartite event in Zimbabwe on OHS will be preceded by union rallies. In Sweden unions are calling for a minute’s silence at workplaces, with the message ‘zero tolerance for fatal accidents’ and holding a virtual internet conference on ‘work environment offences’.
In Spain the UGT and CCOO unions will use hundreds of events to protest against companies’ cuts to OHS resources. A series of events organised by the AFL-CIO will bring union and community members together across the United States.
Paddy Crumlin, ITF president, commented: “More men and women die because of work than in wars. We commemorate those who have died out of respect but also to highlight our fight for higher safety standards for all workers and an end to preventable deaths. Transport workers face daily hazards and are ready to stand alongside other workers in danger.”
To find out more about what unions are planning and see a global map of events, visit the Hazards’ website. (http://www.hazards.org/wmd/)