CAMPAIGN International Workers’ Memorial Day
n By buildingWORKER Team
Liverpool The time for talking is over
Unite members in Liverpool gathered at the Harry the Hod statue near the union’s Jack Jones House to pay tribute to those who’ve died or been injured in work on International Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28, writes Hajera Blagg.
The sun was out but the mood was solemn, as over 100 people including local activists and politicians attended to send a loud and clear message that even a single workplace death is one too many. They collectively demanded that more progress be made on health and safety at work.
Labour’s Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgely and Wavertree MP Paula Barker, as well as several Labour
Liverpool councillors including council leader Liam Robinson were among the politicians in attendance.
Unite North West construction sector chair, Billy Parry (pictured below), who introduced the day’s speakers, gave a moving speech himself, where he relayed the sobering statistics of workplace deaths.
He noted that buried under these statistics is one of the most devastating – in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available – there were more than 500 suicides in the construction sector.
Speaking to us after the event, Billy told buildingWORKER, “It was a fantastic turnout today, and the main message from me is that we’ve got to change the [construction] industry. The statistics I highlighted in my speech are far, far too high. We’re calling for government action on the local and national level. The time for talking is over. There’s got to be action now.”
buildingWORKER went on to speak to a group of workers who come to
21 unite buildingWORKER Autumn 2025
the International Workers’ Memorial Day event in Liverpool every year – because they’ve been personally touched by tragedy.
“We come every year to pay our respects, because we’ve lost three colleagues over the last few years,” said Unite rep Mick Cain, who works for Amey in highway maintenance and has lost colleagues in fatal road accidents.
Mick came with his colleagues Unite members Paul Hockenhull and James Robinson, a young apprentice (pictured above), to remember their fallen colleagues.
Unite political officer Tommy Bell added that while there was still so much work left to be done to improve health and safety, trade unionists should also be proud of what they’ve collectively accomplished.
“Health and safety has improved a lot over the years, and this is precisely because of the work of unions,” he said. “Where we have health and safety reps, those workplaces are demonstrably safer.”
Mark Thomas
All images: Mark Harvey
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