On Wednesday 29 October, the Italian government asked its European partners to establish an initiative for a “European Day in Remembrance of the Victims of Accidents at Work and for the Protection and Dignity of Workers”, according to an information note from Rome sent to the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU.
Although several Member States expressed their support, reportedly, no decision has yet been taken, according to one source, the Commission having taken the view that the International Day dedicated to this subject already fulfils this objective of remembrance.
At this stage, the Commission is said to have considered it necessary to continue efforts to strengthen recognition of this International Day at EU level.
The date of 8 August proposed by Rome echoes the Marcinelle (Belgium) tragedy in 1956, when a fire at the Bois du Cazier mine claimed the lives of 262 miners of 12 different nationalities.
“Other tragedies, sometimes even more disastrous, have occurred in Europe; nevertheless, the Marcinelle disaster is particularly emblematic, because the sacrifice of so many workers from various Nations of our continent took place in a site of shared labour aimed at rebuilding a territory shattered by the Second World War, at a time when the foundations had already been laid for the great peace project that is our Union”, explains the note.
This day would complement the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, celebrated each year on 28 April by the International Labour Organization, explains the government.
Every year, according to data from Eurostat and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, more than 3,000 people lose their lives in Europe as a result of accidents at work, and hundreds of thousands are seriously injured.
A dedicated day would provide an annual opportunity to raise awareness and promote a culture of prevention and safety on a European scale.
Link to the Italian request: https://aeur.eu/f/j6k (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)