Apr 28 - Remember Those Who Were Injured Or Died At Work - Chief Minister’s Message
A message from the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo
On Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember those who came before us who have lost their lives to a workplace accident or to a work-related illness. Today we also mark the fourth anniversary of the introduction of this memorial, a commitment that the GSLP/Liberal Government gave the Unite the Union when in opposition, and another commitment that we delivered on.
Not only is this commitment backed by public holidays and a promise to make improvements to health and safety standards, but also by actions. I am happy to announce that we have carried out a holistic review of the resources required to deliver and administer health and safety in the public sector. We have already commenced a recruitment campaign which will help to enable us to introduce the highest standards of Health and Safety for our workforce which is the most import resource at our disposal.
Having said that, all this would not have been possible without the input of Unite the Union. Unite is a trade union that is fully aware of the importance of having a safe working environment for its members, and it delivers first class training to ensure that safety reps are prepared for any scenario that may endanger their members. Unite Safety Representatives are also important to Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar, as they work in tandem with both Ministers and Officials to look to mitigate risks in a way that allows us to continue to deliver our outputs.
Workers Memorial Day this year is focusing on the removal of hazardous, dangerous and carcinogenic substances in the workplace.
For years, Unite has campaigned on dangerous substances and fought legal cases on behalf of its members injured, made ill and even killed by substances such as asbestos in the workplace. My Government also sees these risks as ones that need to be taken seriously, especially considering the amount of construction that we have undertaken over the past three and a half years. I can assure you that no cost has been spared on government-funded projects to deal with dangerous and hazardous substances. The management of the disposal of waste is a subject that is non-negotiable and we have made this clear to all organisations working on our Rock. In the past few years HMGOG has taken on significant real estate from the MOD, much of which has brought with it significant risks. I have been fortunate to have a diligent team of experts advising on these issues, which has ensured that we have been able to mitigate and control the risk.
Statistics from the TUC have just been published. These are the official, global work-related numbers, although international union organisations think that the real figures are in reality much higher. These figures reflect:
- 4,000 workers dying from work-related chronic obstructive airways disease each year.
- 8,000 die from Cancer each year.
- 13,000 new cases of Cancer each year.
- 600,000 killed or injured at work or developing a new work-related disease each year.
- 2,000,000 people suffer a health problem related to their work.
We strive for a world where work doesn’t kill, injure or make workers sick – and I will not allow this to happen in Gibraltar on my watch. In the aftermath of the years of neglect before we were elected, leaving a decimated, deregulated and toothless Health and Safety enforcement body, we are now reclaiming the Health and Safety agenda. Thanks to the initiatives that we are embarking on, workplaces are becoming safer workplaces. That is the best memorial for those who have come before and lost their lives or been injured at work.
Pic shows Mr Picardo at the Workers' Memorial Day ceremony held earlier this morning in the Parliament lobby.
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