Report to the People
Remembering the Dead, Fighting for the Living
This is the time of year when members of Labour and Trade Union movements throughout the world mark International Workers’ Memorial Day – the annual commemoration of those who have lost their health or their lives to their job.
It remembers those who left for work one morning and simply did not come back. It remembers those whose reward for years of loyal service to an employer was cancer, or asbestosis, or some other horrible disease. It remembers miners who died in pit disasters, lathe operators blinded by flying metal shards and factory workers poisoned by radiation from the fluorescent numbers they painted onto alarm clocks.
But International Workers’ Memorial Day is more than a history lesson. It is not only about remembering the dead, it is also about fighting for the living.
In places like Greenock – in the shape of asbestos related diseases and deafness – we are still suffering from the legacy of poor occupational health left to us by the shipyards. Indeed, throughout Scotland today, a new case of asbestosis arises every two or three days.
And threats are still present in today’s workplace. We still see dangerous practice on building sites leading to the death of construction workers. There are questions over the safety of the chemicals and processes used in some of our new industries. The issue of whether employment agencies properly train and protect their staff also remains.
Also, International Workers’ Memorial Day is an opportunity to give thanks to those who support and campaign on behalf of victims of the workplace. Indeed, Jim McCourt, the co-ordinator of our own Phase Two group – which does great work on behalf of semiconductor workers – was in the public gallery last Thursday to see the Scottish Parliament mark the day with a debate and to pay tribute to groups such as his.
It is appropriate that the Scottish Parliament should formally commemorate International Workers’ Memorial Day. After all, it has played its part in finally securing some progress on a number of long standing issues. The Justice Two Committee is working to put a stop to the disgraceful treatment asbestos victims suffer when seeking justice in the courts. Pressure has been put on the HSE, who are now talking to the Phase Two group. Efforts are also being made to make sure the extra £3 million which is being made available to improve occupational health goes to the front line.
Workers have the right to a safe, healthy workplace. That should not only be acknowledged every year on International Workers Memorial Day, but on the other 364 as well.
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