About two dozen activists, from several unions, took part in the annual International Workers Memorial Day event organised by Waltham Forest Trades Council at Walthamstow Town Hall.
Among the speakers, both George Thomson from PCS and Susan Wills from UCU spoke of the mental health effects of stress and bullying at work. Glenroy Watson from the RMT spoke about the particular hazards of working in a safety-critical occupation. WFTC’s Mick Holder presented figures from the ILO showing that globally more than 8000 workers die every day as a result ofwork-related accident or disease, and more than 1 million are injured every day in a workplace accident. He also noted that the mass repeal of EU legislation proposed by the government threatened to remove most of the legal requirements on employers to provide a safe and healthy work environment This was expanded on by John Cryer, MP for Leyton and Wanstead, who pointed out that although the repeal of EU legislation did not directly affect what he described as the “gold standard” Health and Safety at Work Act, this too was in Tory sights and they were preparing to repeal it and return workplaces to Victorian conditions.
Each speech was greeted with a resounding chant of “Remember the dead, and fight like hell for the living!” Following a one-minutes silence in honour of Waltham Forest victims of workplace death, two memorial wreaths were placed at the foot of the borough’s flagpole.
Thank you to Mick Holder for use of the images.
Art Book Review Books Capitalism China Climate Emergency Conservative Government Conservative Party COVID-19 EcoSocialism Elections Europe Fascism Film Film Review France Gaza History Imperialism Israel Italy Keir Starmer Labour Party Marxism Marxist Theory Palestine pandemic Protest Russia Solidarity Statement Trade Unionism Ukraine United States of America War
Latest articles
- Mass anti‑government mobilisations continue in Italy
Dave Kellaway reports on the general strike and demonstrations called by the rank and file USB unions in Italy on 30 October 2026. - Israel Might Change After Its Election, but Not Much
Israel’s election campaign reflected the wide support for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians across mainstream politics. The electoral stalemate between government and opposition is unlikely to slow the radicalization of Israeli society – writes Gilbert Achcar - Albania: the price of remaining in the crowd
As protests spread across Europe, Albania’s proposed crackdown shows how far a government may go to make political dissent personally costly writes Simon Pearson. - Social scare
Sandra Wyman looks at the history of social care and is concerned that Andy Burnham’s approach may not be the answer. - Budget – Preaching resilience but not for capital or the rich
Dave Kellaway provides an initial response to Healey’s budget