April 28 UITBB Statement on World Day for Safety and Health at Work

UITBB Statement on International Workers’ Memorial Day 2010 When the construction companies are held financially and criminally responsible for the fate of their workers the setting of this kind of cheap magnets for serious accidents is no longer possible The ILO decided to observe April 28 as World Day for Safety and Health at Work in 2003. Ever since, the trade union movement has  observed this day  as International Workers’ Memorial Day, reflecting on the terrible toll of human suffering and death caused by work. Consistently,  ILO figures show that 2 million people a year die from work related injuries and disease, with some unscrupulous employers effectively allowed to murder workers and little or no effective deterrent in terms of monetary fines or prison terms for them. Chief among the employers’ health and safety crimes is the continued production, export and manufacture of asbestos. With only a minority of countries having legally banned asbestos, needless deaths from this lethal substance will continue to mount across the globe for generations to come. The UITBB therefore reiterates our call for a global asbestos ban, free medical treatment and just compensation for the victims and their families with strong penalties for those who profit from asbestos. The fragmentation of health and safety standards driven by capitalist globalization is no more apparent than in the construction and wood industries - our members daily face workplaces that pose a grave threat to their health and safety.  Statistics show that construction workers are  more likely to be killed at work in construction accidents  than any other type of employee. Throughout the world, the poorest and least protected – often migrants – are among the most affected. Union organised OHS training in the context of collective union agreements is the best way to reduce the enormous cost to human life caused by work in the era of neo-liberal capitalism, together with a serious upgrade of means and personnel for the labour inspection departments to ensure that labour and safety legislation is complied with. On April 28, UITBB affiliated unions and supporter unions around the world will mourn their dead comrades with the dignity they deserve and pledge to continue the struggle for safe work in their names. UITBB Secretariat P.S. On 25 March 2010, the Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) approved a new list of occupational diseases. http://www.ilo.org/safework/info/meetingdocs/lang--en/docName--WCMS_125137/index.htm