Union members commemorated workers who died at work or through work related injuries on Tuesday 28 April as part of International Workers’ Memorial Day.

AMWU members participated in nationwide meetings, rallies and remembrance ceremonies, which this year highlighted the poor level of health and safety and discrimination faced by workers in the construction industry from Australian Building and Construction Commission established by the Howard Government.

At rallies in Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne, and in workplaces across the country, a minute’s silence was observed to remember those who have died at work.

Four hundred and forty workers died in work related accidents last year. Tens of thousands were injured, many seriously. The Australian Safety and Compensation Council in its March 2009 report put a conservative estimate of 7,000 deaths a year from workplace injury and disease.

Victorian Secretary Steve Dargavel addressed fifteen thousand people who marched from the Victorian Trades Hall Council to the offices of the Master Builders Association.

Along with the other unions in the construction industry, the AMWU will be stepping up the campaign for the abolition of the ABCC and laws that discriminate against building workers.

Mr Dargavel said that safety had declined on building sites since the establishment of the ABCC and, on average, one worker a week died on a building site in Australia.

“The Master Builders were the organisation that called for these laws, for laws to weaken safety on the job,” he told those assembled.

He said that the unions’ campaign would be directed at those employers who created an environment that caused workplace deaths.

In 2004-5, prior to the introduction of the ABCC, 19 workers died on construction sites nationally, but in 2005-6, the figure jumped to 29 and rose again in 2007 to 33 deaths.