April 28 is the National Workers’ Day of Mourning for workers injured or killed on the job.
The Workers’ Day of Mourning was created by CUPE members more than 40 years ago to remember those who lost their lives on the job and to inspire workers to fight to prevent further tragedies.
This year, we mourn the loss of two members of our CUPE family:
Jennifer Doucette, CUPE 1630, Manitoba
Steven Seekins, CUPE 374, British Columbia.
Their deaths are a stark reminder of the risks that workers face every day and the urgent need to make every workplace safer.
As trade unionists, it is our responsibility to continue the fight to protect workers. All workers need to know about the four workers’ rights enshrined in every health and safety law in the country:
- The right to refuse work you consider unsafe until an investigation is conducted
- The right to participate in deciding what is safe in the workplace and to report hazards
- The right to information on any hazard in the workplace that may cause harm, and how to prevent that harm
- The right to be free from reprisal for carrying out any of the other rights or any other requirement of health and safety law.
Creating a safe work environment is a shared responsibility. Employers need to listen to workers and work together with them to find solutions to health and safety issues. Health and safety committees are key to this process. These groups bring workers and employers together to talk about how to make workplaces safer and to tackle problems when they come up.
Find CUPE Health and Safety Resources here.
This year, the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) and Safe Workers of Tomorrow (SWOT) are marking the National Day of Mourning on April 26, 2024. The Leaders’ Walk will begin at 11:30 am, leaving from the Union Centre and proceeding down Broadway to the Workers Memorial at Memorial Park (across from the Legislature). A Day of Mourning Ceremony will be held at the Workers Memorial beginning at Noon and concluding with a Vigil for Fallen Workers.
