Download Resources - Greater Manchester Hazards Centre

International Workers Memorial Day 28 April 2015 #IWMD15 when tweeting.
On #IWMD15 we Remember the Dead and Fighting for the Living, to stop others dying.
A film showing a little of the work of Families Against Corporate Killers, FACK, work with families of those killed by
work: BellyflopTV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzRGtdFX2oA&feature=youtu.be
As every year the National Hazards Campaign will provide paid for and free resources, information, statistics, purple
forget me knot ribbons, posters, stickers, for your events and activities.
General Election on 7th May and we need to vote for a government that is not attacking, ridiculing, deregulating and
slashing the enforcement of health and safety, and use #IWMD15 to demand better.
The Hazards Campaign plan for a better health and safety system It’s time to step up and act up for workers
health and safety: Hey! Whatcha gonna do? was published in Hazards Magazine a plan for the first 100 days of
the new government: http://www.hazards.org/votetodie/stepup
After 2010 election the Hazards ‘We didn’t vote to die at work’ Campaign was set up. This time, we are saying: ‘We
won’t vote to die at work’ : http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/We-wont-vote-todie-at-work.jpg and only vote for parties that support workers’ health and safety not the Coalition who have slashed
and burned what workers fought for, and won, collectively over the past 200 years.
Labour’s ‘A Better Plan for Britain’s Workplaces’ http://b.3cdn.net/labouruk/0d7eac1a5ecd182f46_e8m6ivtck.pdf has
some good analysis, criticism and condemnation of the Tory/Lib Dem ‘Race to the Bottom’ for workers increasing insecurity,
unfairness, low pay, removal of access to justice, and deteriorating terms and conditions . They make some good pledges to
begin to reverse this: to raise minimum wage, work towards living wage, 10p starting tax rate; act on zero hours contracts, end
exploitation of agency workers and end agency loopholes; end bogus self –employment; abolish employment tribunal fees;
support working families - extend free childcare, double paternity leave; extend remit of Gangmasters Licensing Authority; hold
a full inquiry into blacklisting and release all government papers on the Shrewsbury Pickets. Issues such as low pay, insecurity,
unfairness, bogus self-employment, balancing family/work commitments are all issues that detrimentally affect workers health
and safety, and impact very heavily on the most vulnerable workers. But there is not much specifically on health and safety
apart from talk of reducing the toll of work apart from small para on page 13:
‘Labour will also work to support health and safety, reducing the toll of workplace injuries, fatalities and occupational ill-health,
including for the self-employed, and reviewing specific issues such as excessive workplace temperatures.’
In order to achieve this, we hope Labour will be a bit bold and adopt the #HazardsCampaign plan to radically change health and
safety for the better and save lives and health
The ITUC theme for International Workers Memorial Day 2015: is “removing exposure to hazardous substances in
the workplace”. This allow us to highlight the need for addressing chemical-related hazards, asbestos as well as the
Ebola virus and other potentially hazardous biological exposures.” ITUC slogan: #TOXIC WORK - STOP
DEADLY EXPOSURES TODAY! See http://www.ituc-csi.org/toxic-work-stop-deadly-exposures For other resources see
the ITUC/Hazards 28 April webpages http://www.hazards.org/wmd
More information: http://www.hazards.org/chemicals/ and http://www.hazards.org/cancer
Hazards Campaign: ‘Prevent exposure to hazardous substances’: http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/Prevent-exposure-to-Hazardous-substances.pdf
AiS JUAC Statement on Asbestos in Schools: http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AiSJUAC-Statement-for-IWMD151.docx
UK TUC and Trade Unions and our comrades across the world will be using twitter hashtag #IWMD15 Plus specific
hashtags such as: #Put hazardous substances out of work; #Put cancer out of work; #Put breast cancer out
of work ; #Manage asbestos in schools safely; #Reduce Toxic substances at work, alongside the usual
#Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living
Resources
The real figures for deaths and harm caused by work: http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/GMHC-stats-Hazards-2013-14-national.doc
Two Free posters
Hazards Magazine /ITUC Poster: Hell No! : http://www.hazards.org/images/h128hellno-wmdposterlarge.jpg
Hazards Magazine TUC poster Time to stop the tears http://www.hazards.org/images/h129wmd1200px.jpg
For posters in A3 & A4 use order form or e-mail requirements & address to [email protected]
! http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WMD-Poster-Order-Form-2015.pdf
[email protected]
Purple forget-me-knot ribbons
Order form attached £30 per hundred inc p+p, http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/WMD-Order-Form-2015.doc
Union Workplaces are Safer Workplaces Car Stickers
Order form attached, £30 per hundred in p+p http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/wmd-car-sticker-order-form.pdf
Meetings and events are going on all over the UK to organise the huge number of events that take place every year.
Find one nearest you on the
TUC listing: https://www.tuc.org.uk/workersmemorialday
Scottish events: http://www.stuc.org.uk/campaigns-and-external-events/international-workers-memorial-day
In Manchester the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre works with local trade unionists to organise a rally in Albert
Square with speakers – Trade unionist on Asbestos in Schools, chemicals at work, work-related cancer, deregulation
and TTIP, FACK and Asbestos Victims Support Group - possibly a short play on chemicals and COSHH; reading of
the names of those killed over the current government term; laying of wreaths and a shout out for health and safety.
Then we will walk to the People’s History Museum for a meeting on ‘Putting hazardous substances out of work in UK
and EU’ Manchester Flyer: http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/Manchester-Flyer.jpg and an Exhibition: http://www.gmhazards.org.uk/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/GMHC_WMD-panels_final-1.pdf
At the end of the Manchester #IWMD14 rally in Albert Square on Monday 28 April, we staged a short 'play'
summarising the deregulatory attacks of business/government dales and ending with their defeat as NW trade
unionists and families of those killed by work tied them up in red tape! See
http://www.youtube.com/watch=FGyzdrnhBZ0 Followed by a shout out: We Love Red Tape: .Better Than Bloody
Bandages! This year we will do a play: Exposed to Hazardous Subs at work? Use COSHH, that’s the way to do it!
Hartlepool Videos WMD DVD 2012 - http://youtu.be/sAXrr56axU4 (Please be aware the first 20secs of this DVD is a still
caption and no sound.) WMD DVD 2014 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ_imukkQkA
We want everyone take the idea of #IWMD15 into their workplace and carry out some activity that is about
‘Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living’ and making your workplace safer ever if you cannot get to a local
event. Hold you own event, carry out an inspection, audit substances in your workplace, check the Asbestos Plan,
use COSHH to get rid of the hazardous substances, especially carcinogens, wear a purple forget me knot ribbon,
organise a meeting, a minute silence, gather together and place flowers to remember those killed at and by work and
commit to the fight to stop it happening!
Hilda Palmer Co-ordinator of Greater Manchester Hazards Centre Acting Chair of National Hazards
Campaign, Facilitator of Families Against Corporate Killers [email protected]