Workers' Memorial Day Highlights Immorality Of Government Health and Safety Cuts
The purpose behind Workers' Memorial Day has always been to "remember the dead: fight for the living" and unions are asked to focus on both areas, by considering events or memorial to remember all those killed through work but at the same time ensuring that such tragedies are not repeated. That can best be done by building trade union organisation, and campaigning for stricter enforcement with higher penalties for breaches of health & safety laws.
CWU's Dave Joyce warned two years ago of the danger to health and safety of a Tory government taking power, and sadly he couldn't have been more accurate in his predictions.
This makes this year's Workers Memorial Day even more poignant and it is imperative that there is a big turnout on the day.
To this end Dave has issued a letter to branches, LTB304/11, which gives detail of both the day itself and things that you can do to support the day, as well as a reminder of the governments attacks on health and safety.
The LTB is reproduced in full below:
The TUC is urging unions to use International Workers’ Memorial Day, held every year on 28 April, to draw attention to the threat to workers’ safety caused by Government cuts. The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department along with the Education and Training Department will this year be organising a special memorial event at Alvescot
Lodge where a new Workers Memorial Garden will be formerly opened with a memorial event and service with all invited. Further details will be published in due course.
Workers Memorial Day is commemorated throughout the world and is officially recognised by the UK Government. (First officially recognised by the UK Government in 2010). Workers’ Memorial Day commemorates the thousands of individuals worldwide who have been killed, seriously injured or made ill at work, sending out a powerful message to remind governments and employers of the crucial importance of Safety at Work and its regulation and enforcement.
On 28 April 2011 trade unions will be highlighting the crucial role played by trade unions, safety representatives, strong regulation and effective enforcement in securing safer
workplaces. Within the UK many unions and the TUC will be using the day to highlight the major effect that the cuts in HSE and local authority resources, and the lack of inspection and enforcement activity will have on working people.
Last week the Coalition government's plans to slash the already understaffed HSE and slash the already inadequate number of workplace health and safety inspections will give the green light to bad employers to cut corners and cause more workplace deaths and injuries. Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions Chris Grayling announcement that HSE inspections will be cut by a third is part of an assault on workplace health and safety for which David Cameron's appointee Lord Young laid the way with his Health and Safety 'Hatchet-Job report late last year.
The designation of ‘low risk’ workplaces includes Royal Mail and BT among those where some of the most common causes of injury, blight working lives. When the Conservative/LidDem Coalition Ministers talk about easing regulation what they mean is removing it, and when it comes to health and safety that is a charter for death and injury.
There are already far too few workplace inspections by HSE Inspectors and Local Authority EHO Inspectors and it is
already next to impossible to get bosses whose negligence causes injury, death or disease at work to face legal consequences. David Cameron's pre-election clap-trap and right-hand man Lord Young’s post-election review last year sought to soften up public opinion with myths about a ‘compensation culture’ and a 'bonkers-conkers' ‘health and safety gone mad’ society, but the reality is that hundreds of thousands of workers’ lives are blighted every year by preventable injury and disease.
The message that the government is sending with these cuts is that nothing, even the lives and health of working people, should stand in the way of profit, and these plans are part of the government’s general attack on working people. CWU members are only too well aware of the need for more robust regulation, not less. Grayling's announcement is not a strategy for health and safety but a charter for bosses to ignore what little protection there is, and Workers Memorial day comes at a very poignant juncture reminding us of where it's gone wrong in the past and sadly where its going wrong now. CWU along with the TUC and other Unions will continue to campaign in every way it can for better workplace health and safety protection.
A series of WMD events, demonstrations and vigils will be held across the UK in all regions both to mourn those who have died and encourage unions to campaign against Government cuts in HSE and local-authority funding, and health and safety inspection and regulation. The Health, Safety & Environment Department urges all Safety Reps and Branches to maximise support for these events - remember the dead and injured - campaign against the erosion of safety enforcement in our sectors.
Organise holding one minute’s silence, or flying flags at half-mast, organise local health and safety meetings with relevant speakers, or attend services, marches, commemorative events around existing memorials and places of importance or new memorial dedication events commemorating those killed at work.
The HSE will be promoting the day via its website and internally to its own staff, as well as promoting links to organisations such as IOSH and RoSPA. An HSE statement has been issued as follows “HSE's job is to prevent people being killed, injured or made ill by work. Last year, we unveiled a permanent memorial at our headquarters in Bootle to workers who had lost their lives through work activities. This year, HSE regional directors and inspectors will attend local commemorative events as usual to mark the occasion.”
The DWP has revealed that it will be promoting the event on the Government’s Directgov website. A DWP statement has been issued as follows “Following the UK's official recognition of Workers’ Memorial Day in 2010, we will ensure that the day is appropriately publicised on the Government's Directgov website. But official recognition is only one side of the story. The main responsibility for controlling work-related health and safety risks rests with those who create the risks. Workers’ Memorial Day is a stark reminder of why that responsibility is so important. The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those for whom the day is especially poignant."
For a full list of events will be published and updated by the CWU and TUC as information becomes available.
A Special CWU Workers Memorial Day Poster will be produced and circulated to Branches and Regional Health and Safety Forums.
What can you do?
Get your employer to allow some form of recognition of the day, such as one minute's silence to remember anyone who has died at your workplace;
Ask your local council, or any other public body to fly official flags at half-mast on the day. Remember that the day is officially recognised by the government;
Write a letter to the local press, local authority, councillors, MPs;
Organising a local meeting on health and safety.
You could focus on a particular issue of concern where you work;
Arranging an event, with other Unions, Trades Council etc such as planting a memorial tree in a public place, putting up a plaque, dedicating a sculpture, a piece of art, or a bench, to remember workers who have been killed at the workplace or in the community;
Asking local religious centres to include Workers' Memorial Day in their worship during the Week;
Distribute purple 'forget-me-not' ribbons, the symbol of Workers Memorial Day;
Finding out what other unions, your local Hazards group, or regional TUC or Trades Council are planning and taking part or organising a joint event;
Produce and distribute leaflets on the government's health and safety cuts.
If you are organising an event for Workers Memorial Day and would like it publicised then please email through the details to the Health, Safety & Environment Department.
Resources on Workers Memorial day including ribbons car stickers and posters contact the Greater Manchester Hazards centre: e-mail mail@gmhazards.org.uk
Links to resources:
Workers' Memorial Day 2011 TUC WMD web pages
Hazards Workers' Memorial Day web pages
Source: CWU
