IWMD 2026 - Remember the dead. Fight for the living.

It is also a moment to recognise the vital role trade unions play in protecting workers across every part of our economy - offshore oil and gas, transport, manufacturing, and public services like fire and rescue and the prison service.

On International Workers' Memorial Day (IWMD), trade unionists across the world come together with a shared purpose: to remember the dead and fight for the living.

The case for stronger protections

As trade unionists, our position is clear. When it comes to health and safety, we need stronger laws, stronger enforcement, and stronger unions.

That’s why we have campaigned so hard for the Employment Rights Act which will help level the playing field for unions and strengthen our ability to keep workers safe.

Our movement has always believed in the right to work and to be fairly paid and treated. But above all there is a more fundamental right: the right to work safely.

Since the TUC was formed in 1868 unions have fought for protections that save lives -including a landmark moment with the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 under Harold Wilson.

Today, that fight continues - including the call for a properly funded Health and Safety Executive and a stronger inspection and enforcement regime.

The scale of the challenge

Despite progress, the reality remains stark:

• 124 workers were killed in work-related accidents last year
• More than 5,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases
• Many of those deaths are linked to exposure in construction

For us, one death is one too many.

The biggest occupational killer in Britain is still asbestos - and the UK has the highest rate of asbestos cancers in the world. That cannot be allowed to stand.

Workers in schools, hospitals and other public buildings continue to be exposed to this lethal material every day.

That’s why the TUC is calling for a fully funded, government-led programme to remove asbestos from every school and every hospital - a national mission to eliminate this deadly risk from our workplaces once and for all.

This is not just a policy ask. It is a public health necessity. Because prevention must mean eliminating risk, not simply managing it.

Why this matters

Behind every statistic is a human story. Families who have lost loved ones. People who went to work and never came home.

To those who dismiss health and safety as excessive or unnecessary, the response is simple - try telling that to the families left behind.

Or to those who watched someone they love suffer because their job exposed them to a deadly substance.

Our national prosperity must never be built on the blood of working people. 

Health and safety remains a core priority for the trade union movement. Today, unions are:

• Campaigning for stronger protections and enforcement
• Exposing unsafe conditions - including failures highlighted through the Covid inquiry
• Challenging rising violence at work
• Expanding networks of workplace health and safety reps

These reps are often the first and last line of defence against risk, hazards and bad practice.

Today is our day.

A day when workers across the world demand the right to be safe at work.
A day when we call on governments, regulators and employers to act.
And a day when we say, together: Remember the dead. Fight for the living.