International Workers Memorial Day 2026

Audrey White, Merseyside Pensioners Association

“Who said hard work never killed anyone? It certainly wasn’t the Health and Safety executive. Working under pressure, understaffed, working long days and under stress in work causes accidents and damages worker’s health and wellbeing sometimes fatally.

It’s impossible to count the unnecessary deaths of workers as they mount up year on year of those workers that may have been saved had the HSE budgets not been cut by 45% these past years. 

Year on year the organisation charged with health and safety at work has been made less and less able to do a proper job. As funding is slashed (by 45% over the last 15 years ) , inspections are cut by almost a half, workloads increase and wages are cut by 20-25 %. It exposes what a low priority worker’s safety and worker’s lives are, no matter who is in government.”

Audrey White,  Merseyside Pensioners Association

David Whyte, Professor of Climate Justice

“Health and safety regulation in Britain is hollowed out and in crisis, obsessed with ‘reducing regulatory burdens’ and grovelling to big business.  It is now more important than ever for workers to organise and fight to reverse the ever-present risk of injury and illness caused by working.”

David Whyte,  Professor of Climate Justice

Carl Webb, CWU Regional Secretary

Felicity Dowling, Save Liverpool Women’s Hospital

The Piper’s Lament

Wreaths laid at the grave site of Robert Tressell author of ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’