Eurocadres joins the call for zero deaths at work

April 28th marks International Workers’ Memorial Day, a day to remember all workers who have been killed, disabled, injured, or made unwell due to their work. A prevalent problem throughout Member States, we envisage a world where no one fails to return home from their workplace.

Europe’s figures make for difficult viewing, with 3,408 fatal accidents at work in the EU during 2019, an increase of 76 deaths compared with the year before. This translated to 1.74 fatal accidents per 100 000 persons employed in 2019, with 1,603 non-fatal accidents per 100 000 persons highlighting the prevalence of the problem. No level of workplace risk is acceptable, and these statistics must jolt European leaders into action.

– “Nobody should leave home worried about whether or not they will make it back to see their family after work”
- Claes-Mikael Stahl, ETUC Deputy General Secretary.

Hoping to turn the tide against workplace deaths, the European Trade Union Confederation is launching a manifesto for zero death at work, calling on European leaders to “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk” on saving the lives of working people. While the total number of workplace accidents fell in the past decade, 27,041 workplace deaths should be expected between 2020 and 2029 if change continues at the same pace, an analysis by the European Trade Union Institute has found. Speaking on International Workers’ Memorial Day, ETUC Deputy General Secretary, Claes-Mikael Stahl stated: “Nobody should leave home worried about whether or not they will make it back to see their family after work. But that’s the daily reality for many workers, often because of irresponsible employers cutting corners to increase profits and politicians who attack common sense safety rules and inspections for ideological reasons. On International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember the dead and vow to fight for the living. If politicians are willing to act, we could achieve zero deaths at work by 2030. It’s high time the lives of working people were made a priority”.

Eurocadres fully support the ETUC campaign, and will help in efforts to effectively reduce the number of workplace accidents we see throughout Member States. “Workers should never need to worry for their safety at the workplace. Political leaders must act decisively to provide labour inspectorates the opportunity to protect employees, and punish negligent employers. These protections must cover both physical and mental health, where we will continue to push for a directive on work-related psychosocial risks”, said Eurocadres President Nayla Glaise.