TUC General Secretary speaks at Hartlepool Workers' Memorial Day service

Paul Nowak attended the annual event organised by the Hartlepool Trades Union Council.

Transcript

00:00Proud to be part of a movement that fights day in, day out for the safety of working people.

00:05I'm proud to remember those who have been killed, injured or made unwell simply doing their jobs.

00:14Now, Workers' Memorial Day is always a moving occasion, but it is particularly humbling today

00:19to be among family members who I know have lost loved ones through workplace accidents or illness.

00:25And today I want to pay tribute to them and pay tribute as well to the work that trade unions and trade unionists do

00:31to protect our members and all working people each and every day, in every part of the country

00:38and in every part of our economy, whether it's offshore oil and gas, transport, manufacturing, construction,

00:44in our public services, fire and rescue service, the prison service.

00:48And maybe today it is perhaps worth reflecting that just two weeks ago at HMP in Franklin,

00:55just down the road in Durham, there was an incident that left three prison officers, members of the POA,

01:01critically injured. I'm sure people will want hats on. Best wishes to those three colleagues.

01:07Wish them a speedy and full recovery.

01:10My first message today would be simply this. It doesn't matter whether you work in a prison

01:13or on a building site, in an office or a train station. When it comes to health and safety,

01:18we need strong laws, we need strong enforcement, and we crucially need strong trade unions as well.

01:24That's why the TUC strongly supports the Government's Employment Rights Bill,

01:29which will help level the playing field for unions and help us to keep workers safe.

01:34And for us, that is incredibly important. Our movements have always believed in the fundamental human rights to work.

01:42And we've always believed that people need to be treated right at work and to be paid fairly for the work that they do.

01:48Congratulations.

01:51See you next time, K �.