Tuesday, 7 May 2024

International Workers Memorial Day

Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit) (14:37): Sunday 28 April was International Workers Memorial Day, a day which the union movement is very proud of and one that will always remain important to us. It is a day on which we remember and mourn all working people killed at work. As of 28 April, 55 people in Victoria were killed at work or as a result of work over the last 12 months. That number, 55 deaths, is just far too many, and that is not counting the thousands more who were injured at work over the last 12 months. For every worker killed by machinery, collisions or falls, there are also uncounted others killed by prolonged exposures to hazardous materials or the cumulative impact of work on their mental health. We remember and we mourn them too. Every single death at work is avoidable – every single one. A death at work occurs because an employer decided that worker safety was not a priority for them or not as important as their profits. Health and safety at work is neither a perk to be bargained for nor a favour to be asked. It is our right. That means that we need strong unions, and to all of my constituents in Kororoit, I say to them: join your union today. Remember and mourn the dead and vow to fight like hell for the living.