Workers Memorial Day: Fight for the living.

Speech, Workers memorial Day Edinburgh 2010: 20,000 people die prematurely every year because of work related injury or disease. Another 1.2 million say they suffered illness that they thought was due to their work.

Many of them still come to work, despite their illness.

Another million who have left work say they have ill-health because of their work - still suffering in retirement.

70% of workplace accidents have been shown to be down to poor management of health and safety.
And the government says health and safety regulations are just 'red tape'.

Workers Memorial Day Edinburgh

70% of workplace accidents are due to poor management of health and safety. This means deaths at work are avoidable. But the alarming cuts in public spending which all the main parties have been proposing can only result in more danger for people at work. 

At a time when business and other vested interests are campaigning for proper health and safety laws to be replaced by deregulation, with companies being allowed to carry out their own health & safety audits, trade unions need to ensure that these hard-fought for rights are not eroded when employers campaign against red tape.