Worker's Memorial Day 28 April – Do your bit

International Workers' Memorial Day is on Saturday 28 April. This years theme is on enforcement and Usdaw is asking you to tell your MP and local council why it matters.

International Workers' Memorial Day is the day when the international labour movement remembers all those who have been killed by industrial accidents and diseases and renews its commitment to fight for the living.

According to the ILO, there are over 2 million workplace deaths in the world each year – twice as many as are killed in wars (650,000). In the UK, 300 workers are killed in accidents every year and tens of thousands die from occupational illness.

What can you do for Workers Memorial Day?

Tell people at work about the Day and what it stands for. Wear a purple "forget me knot" ribbon. The purple, knotted ribbon has been adopted as a symbol of Workers' Memorial Day. Ribbons can be bought from Greater Manchester Hazards Centre , Windrush Millennium Centre, 70 Alexandra Road, Manchester M16 7WD, Tel: 0161 636 7557, www.gmhazards.org.uk/wmdribbonof.doc 30p each with s.a.e. or 25p each for orders over 100. Greater Manchester Hazards Centre can also supply posters and car stickers www.gmhazards.org.uk/wmdstof.doc

Find out if there are any ceremonies or events in your area. Contact your local trades council or hazards centre or log on to the TUC Workers’ Memorial Day web page for details of events – www.tuc.org.uk

There are several things you can do to help to get the message across about the importance of health and safety and the need for stronger enforcement.

Sign the online petition for Workers Memorial Day  

Dorothy Wright, a founder member of FACK ( Families Against Corporate Killers) has put a petition on the Prime Ministers petition web site asking for WMD to be declared a national day of mourning. Use the link below to sign her petition and pass it on to friends, family and anyone else you can think of – http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/workersmemorial/

Sign the petition to make work-related road traffic accidents reportable

Usdaw is supporting an e-petition calling for work-related road traffic accidents to be reportable. Details are being distributed and you can sign up here http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/petitionforkaren/

Write to your MP to complain about the cuts to the HSE

The HSE is suffering a major financial crisis. According to Prospect, the factory inspectors’ trade union there could be 200 – 350 inspector jobs cut as a result. Write to your MP to tell them what you think about cuts to inspector resources in the HSE. A model letter for you to send to your MP is on the health and safety pages of the Usdaw web site.

Tell the Minister responsible for health and safety what you think about the need for strong enforcement

And while you are about it, copy the letter to the Minister in charge of the Department of Work and Pensions, who is responsible for health and safety enforcement. Send your letter to the Rt. Hon John Hutton M.P. Department for Work and Pensions, Caxton House, Tothill Street , London SW1H 9DA

Contact your local councillor to ask what your local authority is doing to meet its enforcement responsibilities

Local authority environmental health officers are the enforcers for health and safety law for the vast majority of Usdaw members who work in shops, warehouses and offices. Workplace health has been identified as one of the top five regulatory priorities for local authorities in a recent Government review. Yet many local authorities are failing to give it the resources it needs. See the article on our web site for more information www.usdaw.org.uk/healthandsafety/healthandsafety_news/1177076095_13765.html .

Build Usdaw organisation in your workplace

Independent research shows that the workplaces with the best health and safety performance are those where there are active trade union health and safety representatives. So the most effective way we can ‘fight for the living’ is to continue to build trade union organisation and to make sure that Usdaw recruits and supports safety reps.

REMEMBER THE DEAD : FIGHT FOR THE LIVING!

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