International Workers' Memorial Day 2020
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has announced that it is to repurpose International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) on April 28 as Stop the Pandemic at Work. Hazards magazine is offering a useful advice and news hub on IWMD, Covid-19 and union responses.
The ITUC also called on the international financial institutions at their Spring Meetings next week to adopt a plan that will respond to the economic destruction caused by the pandemic, with jobs and social protection at the centre. ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow stated that Covid-19 "will have catastrophic impacts in the poorest countries, and social protection is urgently needed to keep countries afloat and avoid widespread famine. Billions of dollars are needed".
The ITUC named the UK's as one of the first 12 governments to put in place policies to protect lives, jobs and incomes during the pandemic. Burrow said: “Direct government support for the real economy is the only way workers will be able to stay in their homes and feed their families. These countries set a standard on what governments could provide for workers that need to be emulated by many more. There are still significant gaps in some countries and the unions are pressing for these gaps to be filled.”
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