28 April 2017 2:00am
World wide
International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) on 28 April is our day to remember the dead and fight for the living.
Up to 50,000 people die each year in the UK from work-related ill health and accidents. Although few UNISON members die in workplace incidents, many suffer injuries and work-related ill health.
In a recent UNISON survey, 88% of UNISON safety activists said that stress was within their top 5 concerns at work, with others also identifying overwork (66%) & long hours 51%.
Some members are particularly vulnerable because of their sexual orientation, gender identity/gender history, ethnic origin, or age. For others, their education, type of job, religion, or any disability could also place them at greater risk. For these groups it is more likely that an employer will try to take advantage of their vulnerability – with low pay, irregular hours, lack of training and development, or poor health and safety. They’re also more likely to get harmed, be made ill, or suffer from stress.
Your health and safety matters whoever you are and wherever you work, and UNISON makes a difference!
On 28 April each year, International Workers Memorial Day, we remember the dead and fight for the living. Join our ongoing campaign for safe and healthy work!
Is your employer trying to blame you or other workers for their own failings in health and safety? We have guides on stress, resilience and well being, behavioural safety, and assessing risks.
Are more vulnerable members at risk at work? We have health and safety guides on disability, gender, ageing, lone working, and bullying and harassment. We also have guides on sickness absence, safety rep inspections, and much, much more.
This year, we’re also launching our new national campaign on tackling work related stress.
So join us, get active, and support our campaign
- Find out what is happening locally in your region, contact your local TUC, Hazards Campaign group or UNISON regional organising staff, and support any event.
- Consider organising your own local event if there isn’t one already, perhaps at work, and possibly jointly with your employer.
- Use the day to support this year’s focus on health and safety and equality.
- Discuss workplace health and safety concerns with members, non-members, and the employer.
- Many UNISON branches have successfully organised and recruited around local health and safety concerns – what are the concerns at your workplace?
- Order and use our materials, including UNISON’s poster and leaflet for International Workers’ Memorial Day 2017.
- Order the purple-forget-me-knot purple ribbons, stickers, and more for your local event, workplace, or to use and wear on the 28 April.
- Join the minute’s silence at 12 noon on the day itself.
- Make your own IWMD flag, download our design here.
Let us know what you have planned
Email healthandsafety@unison.co.uk and we’ll post the details on the UNISON website.
Follow us on social
Follow our ongoing campaign for International Workers’ Memorial Day on the UNISON website, on our Facebook page and via Twitter. You can tweet using #IWMD17.