International Workers Memorial Day – Monday 28th April 2025

Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. Most don’t die of mystery ailments, or in tragic “accidents”. They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn’t that important a priority. International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) 28 April commemorates those workers.

Today is Workers’ Memorial Day around the world – an opportunity to highlight the preventable nature of most workplace incidents and ill health and to promote campaigns and union organisation in the fight for improvements in workplace safety. The slogan for the day is Remember the dead – Fight for the living.

Workers’ Memorial Day events are held throughout the world. Some examples include active campaigning, and workplace awareness events. Public events include speeches, interfaith religious services, laying of wreaths, planting trees, unveiling monuments, balloon releases, laying out shoes to symbolise those who have died at work etc – all to raise public awareness of the health and safety issues around deaths, injuries and illness at work.

The global theme for International Workers’ Memorial Day in 2025 is Occupational Health and Safety: A fundamental right at work. There is an explicit additional focus on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitisation on occupational health and safety.

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) can clearly be used to mitigate monotonous work, AI at work is increasing work intensification, monitoring and surveillance, generating negative impacts on mental and physical wellbeing, as workers experience the extreme pressure of constant, real-time micromanagement and automated assessment.

Last year, the IER published an in-depth report on Algorithmic Management, written by Professor Philippa Collins and Dr Joe Atkinson, exploring many of these themes and making recommendations as to how Algorithmic Management can be regulated. You can access that publication here (free to subscribers).

For further information on Workers Memorial Day, events going on around the country and how you can get involved, the TUC produce a comprehensive online guide.

Honour those we have lost and pay respects by submitting a tribute on the IWMD memorial wall.