A day of remembrance and resolve: Worker’s Memorial Day 2025
IEU members and Victorian government leaders have gathered to honour workers who died or were injured at work in the past year.
The event, held on Monday 28 April in Carlton’s Argyle Gardens, marked International Workers’ Memorial Day – a global occasion to both mourn the dead and commit to improving workplace safety.
Attendees described the mood as being sombre but resolute. As one IEU member noted, ‘the union movement, through the words of (Victorian Trades Hall leaders) Luke Hilakari and Wil Stracke, showed its ongoing resolve to prevent all workplace deaths through our collective power’.
The speakers highlighted the vital role of elected Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs), calling them ‘the voice of workers on health and safety everywhere’.
The IEU continues to support HSRs with regular training and advocacy.
There is hope that by next year, a permanent workers’ memorial will be installed near Carlton’s 8-hour day monument.
The commemoration closed with the words of Mary ‘Mother’ Jones: ‘Mourn the dead and fight like hell for the living’.
This year’s theme, Occupational health and safety: A fundamental right at work, focuses on the risks and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies. While these tools can improve safety, they may also introduce new risks – such as psychosocial stress linked to system oversight.
The theme aligns with the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023-2033, which urges workplaces to assess and mitigate any new hazards that come with automation and AI.
Asbestos and silica
A significant number of workplace deaths in the past year were due to long-term illnesses from asbestos or silica exposure.
Asbestos remains Australia’s leading cause of work-related death, claiming over 4,000 lives annually. Globally, the toll exceeds 200,000.
Silicosis, a preventable but re-emerging occupational disease, has become a growing concern.
‘Silica exposure causes people to become sick faster and younger’, warned Jodie Deakes, CEO of the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA).
‘We can prevent more deaths by avoiding exposure to these substances – it’s that simple.’ ASSEA continues to collaborate with governments and partners to implement national prevention strategies.
Support group for injured workers
The Victorian Trades Hall Council Injured Workers Support Network runs casual, online social meetings for injured workers to share their experiences and connect with others. Meetings are held fortnightly on Mondays at 4:00pm via Zoom: https://bit.ly/iwsn_social_meeting