On the 28th of April every year we commemorate International Workers’ Memorial Day, we come together to remember those who have died in the workplace. The theme for #IWMD20 is ‘Stop the Pandemic in the Workplace.’
This year is especially pertinent for many of us as the risk that many of our key front line workers are putting themselves in is greater than anytime in most of our lifetimes. The fight against this virus has shown that workers rights and health & safety in the workplace are critical to health and safety of our country, but too many workers are still working in situations where they don’t have the proper Personal Protective Equipment or without vital safety measures in place.
The Coronavirus has meant that we are all working in unique and sometimes uncomfortable circumstances, it has affected every single worker in this country one way or another. Not only is the pandemic having a major impact on our working conditions, it is also taking its toll on our physical well-being and our mental-health too, causing people to worry about theirs and their family’s health and financial wellbeing.
At 11am today let us fall silent for those who have lost their lives at work and those who have died from work-related injuries.
It will be a moment where we can pay tribute to the workers who have sadly lost their lives as a result of Covid-19 and pay thanks to those who continue to work at great risk to themselves and their family.
Let us remember the tens of thousands of workers worldwide who have died, the thousands more who have fallen ill, and the millions more who continue to go to work. Let us renew our efforts to organise collectively to prevent injuries, disease and deaths as a result of work.
We remember those we have lost. We organise in their memory.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 