Workers Stop And Remember The Dead

Union members from Kaitaia to Bluff will stop over the next two days to remember those who have lost their lives at work.Some will erect memorials, others will march through city streets and in Wellington the trains will stop for one minute at noon on Monday while rail workers pay their respects to workmates who lost their lives at work last year.

New Zealand events to mark International Workers' Memorial Day on April 28 begin tomorrow with the planting of a memorial grove at Corban Reserve in Waitakere City.

"The ILO estimates that each year over two million are killed by work - far more than those killed by war, famine or AIDS," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today.

"Here in New Zealand, OSH investigated 74 work-related deaths last year - the largest number for a decade. Hundreds of others die each year of occupational illness. Our work-related death, accident and illness toll is totally unacceptable."

In Dunedin on Monday Ross Wilson will launch a CTU campaign aimed at maximising the opportunities in new health and safety law to turn around our workplace toll of death, injury and illness.

"The Unions Talking Health and Safety campaign is about genuine worker involvement in health and safety," said Ross Wilson.

"On May 5 our new workplace health and safety law will be in force and workers will have a real opportunity to make a difference to health and safely at work. "