The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has called on trade union leaders and workers across the continent to increase the volume of their demand for occupational health and safety policies and provisions at the workplace.
The umbrella body of trade unions in Africa also tasked employers of labour to engage with workers and ensure that health and safety provisions are adequately made as it is sacrosanct to sustaining a healthy workforce and desired productivity.
The charge was contained in the organisation’s May Day message to workers and employers in the continent.
ITUC-Africa said, “Every year, on April 28, trade unions around the world highlight the need for workplace safety and health as they remember workers who have lost their lives to workplace accidents and diseases.
“The International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) is a day to remember these workers and to call for more measures to end this cycle of workplace deaths and accidents.
“This year, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) commemorates the day under the theme ‘The impacts of climate crises and occupational health and safety: The link between the climate and health,’ which has become even more pertinent in recent years.
“A recent ILO report, ‘Ensuring safe and health at work in a changing climate,’ released on April 22, notes that the impact of climate change on workers goes well beyond exposure to excessive heat, creating a “cocktail of hazards,” which result in a range of dangerous health conditions.
“It further highlights that numerous health conditions in workers have been linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions. The findings of this report, reaffirms the correlation between the climate crises and increased workplace diseases.
“The need to take action to reduce the growing impacts of the climate, generally, but even more specifically on health is therefore most critical today.
“To achieve this, it is imperative for all stakeholders to take action at workplace, national, regional and global levels.”
The regional trade union body added, “As we commemorate the IWMD, the ITUC-Africa calls on workers around the continent to continue to advocate for occupational health and safety policies and provisions at the workplace.
“More concretely, trade unions must sensitise their members on the adverse impacts of climate crises on health and agree on ways to alleviate these impacts.
“Furthermore, trade unions must continue to push for the ratification, application and enforcement of the provisions of the recently adopted core Conventions 155 on Occupational Safety and Health and 187 on the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety. This is necessary to strengthen governments’ commitment on issues on health and safety at the workplace.”
“To reduce the adverse impacts of the climate crises, we call for an end to the privatisation of the environment and advocate for support for vulnerable people, communities and countries, including Africa, to meet their adaptation needs in line with a just and equitable transition.
“We call on employers, who are key actors in ensuring safety and health at the workplace, to uphold this responsibility through meaningful engagement of workers.
“On this day, we pay homage to the departed and commiserate with the families of all those who have lost loved ones. We remember the dead and continue to fight for the living, as we strive for a healthy planet for all.”
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