Workers’ Memorial Day

We frequently take for granted the conveniences of modern life, from clothing to structures, yet the laborers who provided these amenities in the past endured grave risks.

We frequently overlook the remarkable individuals and lives that contributed to the formation of the framework for the society we live in as we go about our days appreciating the wonders around us with a detached eye.

Not too long ago, everything from the buildings we live in to the clothes we wear was constructed in extremely hazardous conditions without the laws and guidelines that keep workers safe in today's industrialized world. Workers' Memorial Day honors the lives lost while pursuing contemporary comfort and convenience and represents global efforts to improve workplace safety.

The origins of Workers' Memorial Day

An organization was founded in the 1950s with the intention of bringing labor unions together under a common objective. Confederation of labor unions from several countries came together to form the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in 1955. Together, the AFL and the CIO formed this organization with the aim of advocating for workers worldwide in the creation of safe workplace environments.

Workers' Memorial Day was created in April 1970 as a way to raise awareness of the hundreds of thousands of individuals who had perished while attempting to complete another workday in various parts of the world. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was created in the same year that this holiday was declared, a development that aided in the standardization of safety procedures and the establishment of an agency responsible for enforcing them on the ground. It didn't take long for several developed nations throughout the world to adopt and use this identical method.

In an effort to bring attention to the hundreds of thousands of people who had died while trying to finish another workday in various regions of the world, Workers' Memorial Day was established in April 1970. The year this holiday was established coincided with the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), which helped standardize safety protocols and establish an organization in charge of implementing them in real-world settings. Several industrialized countries quickly adopted and began using this same approach worldwide.

Workers' Memorial Day, also known as International Workers' Memorial Day or International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured, is observed on April 28 every year as a global day of action and commemoration for workers who have been killed, maimed, or rendered ill as a result of their employment. It is observed as the National Day of Mourning in Canada.

Workers' Memorial Day provides a chance to draw attention to the fact that most workplace accidents and illnesses are preventable, as well as to support campaigns and union organization in the struggle for increased workplace safety. Remember the Dead - Fight for the Living is the day's motto.

While April 28 is set aside as a day of global solidarity and remembering, campaigning and related events go on all year long in many parts of the world.

Sources

Ribbon for Workers' Memorial Day

The AFL-CIO established "Workers' Memorial Day" on April 28, 1989, in remembrance of the hundreds of thousands of laborers who lose their lives or suffer injuries while performing their jobs. April 28 marks the anniversary of both the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (April 28, 1971) and the date the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 went into force. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) had previously instituted a day of mourning in 1984.

April 28, the anniversary of the comprehensive Workers' Compensation Act (see the article Workplace Safety & Insurance Board), was designated as an annual day of remembrance by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1985. Workers' Mourning Day is April 28, which was established by an Act establishing a National Day of Mourning for those murdered or injured in the workplace that was approved by the Canadian parliament in 1991.