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
- Call for international solidarity against the crackdown on LGBTI+ people in Turkey
A statement of the Executive Bureau of the Fourth International issued 16 September 2026 - Climate is an emergency
Dave Kellaway reports back on a meeting where we showed a film produced for the National Emergency Briefing to highlight the ecological crisis - 90th anniversary of Cable Street :They Shall not Pass
On Sunday 4 October 1936 the British Union of Fascists (BUF), led by Sir Oswald Mosley, staged a provocative march in the East End of London deliberately designed to intimidate the local Jewish population writes Ian Townson. - ‘My family is safe’: the Turkish regime’s crackdown on LGBTI+ people
A new milestone was reached in the Erdoğan regime’s homophobic crackdown on Sunday 13 September. writes Uraz Aydin - Safety, Provided America Wins
AI’s leaders have reason to be alarmed. Public safety cannot depend on preserving America’s lead – writes Simon Pearson