Trade unions on Merseyside will be joining other organisations and families of those killed and injured at work to “Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living” on Sunday, 28th April, on International Workers Memorial Day being held at the Piazza, Pier Head, Liverpool. (Bottom of James Street, Liverpool).
The speaker will be Darren Pillinge, Rail, Maritime Transport Union (RMT).
followed by a meeting at the Racquet Club at 12.30pm with speakers Professor Steve Tombs from the Open University and Mark Rowe of the FBU.
The TUC states:
“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.
Workers Memorial Day is commemorated throughout the world and is officially recognised by the UK Government. The theme for 2019 is: “dangerous substances – get them out of the workplace”. The focus will mainly be on carcinogens but you can adapt the theme to whatever is most relevant in your workplace or area, as many substances can also cause illnesses such as asthma or dermatitis.
Two important issues are of course asbestos and diesel exhaust, and the TUC has useful guides on both of them, but other ideas may be cleaning fluids or dust in general”
The event for Merseyside will start at 11.30am outside the MPTE Mersey Tunnel ventilation shaft building which has a memorial to the men killed during the construction of the Queensway Tunnel completed in 1934.
A wreath laying ceremony will be held followed by a Pipers Lament. There will be a meeting held afterwards at the Racquet Club, Chapel Street.
John Flanagan for the Merseyside Asbestos Victims Support Group said,
“As one of the many organisers of the event we welcome working with other organisation to remember those killed at work and to work towards eliminating the death and destruction at work which continues globally and is responsible for more deaths than those killed by wars”
He added
“We have been contacted by the ship breaking workers at Chittagong in Bangladesh who are forced to work through poverty in conditions no human being should be exposed to, flip flops instead of boots, T-shirts instead of any personal protective equipment and the constant existence of Dickensian working condition, we will be highlighting their plight during the day”
Source: Jay McGovern
