Workers demand for better health and safety protection on the job is the focus of upcoming community event.

Workers and labour leaders of North Bay will be joined by people across Canada on April 28 to demand better health in the workplace and enforcement of safety laws, safety training and quality health and a disease prevention strategy which shall stop the growing problems of work-related diseases.

“We all expect to return home safe and healthy after a day’s work. We should. But when the spirit of the law are broken, workers continue to pay with their lives”, says Henri Giroux, President North-Bay Labour Council.

The Workplace Safety & Insurance Board statistics estimate that last year, more than 242,371 workers filed occupational injury and disease claims and 491 families claimed compensation for death of a worker. There are countless incidents that go unreported, especially occupational disease claims.

The Canadian Labour Congress and unions affiliated to it established April 28th as the day when killed or injured workers shall be honored. It is recognized in more than 100 countries today. In many more workplaces, day of mourning events will take place in more than 40 Ontario communities.