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Bank holiday plan to remember people killed at work
27 Jul 2009A new Bank Holiday is among the options being considered by the Government to commemorate people killed at work, it was reported today.
Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper is to announce that Britain will officially recognise Workers Memorial Day, the Daily Mirror said. The day is already marked on April 28 by several countries around the world.
That could see British employees being given a day off, the paper said, to add to the eight bank holidays a year enjoyed by UK workers.
Ms Cooper told the Mirror: "It's a tragedy that some people go out to work and then never return home to their families.
"I want to look at what the UK can do to remember the thousands of workers who have lost their lives.
"I know there are many ideas including a lasting memorial."
In 2008/09, 180 people were killed at work in Britain, according to the Health and Safety Executive.
Former Work Secretary James Purnell launched a consultation in April on how Workers Memorial Day could be officially recognised.
Reader views (13)
It would be far more beneficial for for the nation of Yvette Cooper took the rest of her life off work.
- Harry Va Derci, London, 27/07/2009 22:14
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How about the 23rd April to celebrate the country's Patron Saint or is that just wishful thinking?
- S-M Hearmon, London, UK, 27/07/2009 15:50
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What about people who died on the way to work or maybe one for people on their way home from work or what about one for people who had the day off and died on the way to the bookies or one for getting through another day of pathetic ideas for a bank holiday. Get Real!!!
- Alan, Romney Marsh UK, 27/07/2009 15:48
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Maybe her time would be better spent addressing the massive pension defecit that Her party created, rather than coming up with another useless do nothing idea.
If she wants another days holiday to go with her already generous to the point of work shy holiday entitlement then i suggest St Georges Day be public holiday, or is that to patriotic for the bed wetting left to fathom?
- Dan Minnis, London, 27/07/2009 13:27
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There are a few good points here, in addition to a lot of repetition of the crass point that this seems like political cocrectness:
- it is right to remember those that died in these circumstances;
- it is equally right to suggest we should remember the slain from our all too many wars - perhaps a bank holiday on the first Monday after Armistice Day in November;
- Wales has wanted a bank holiday on St David's Day (1 March), so why not let each of the nations in the United Kingdom have their patron saint day as the bank holiday and have it mark the memory of those that dies for the nation either at war or at work?
- Prototypical Englishman, Wormwood Scrubs, 27/07/2009 13:08
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How about a "hurt feelings day" to remember all the poor luvvies and dears, who have had to take their employers to court.
- P Staker, London, 27/07/2009 12:29
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Mark, I echo your thoughts. How about a Bank Holiday to celebrate the U.K. as a country 1707-2009. Barring the Irish not giving in to the incessant bullying and blackmail of the E.U., it'll be YES in October and Ireland and the other 26 territories - whose people were given no similar say - become provinces of the E.U.
December 31, at the river bank, let's raise a cheer for a great country for which so many sacrificed their all but whose self-governing status was given away after 40 years of lies and deceit by its politicians. As the saying goes, Brits won't appreciate what they've lost till it's gone. U.K. 1707-2009 deserves a Bank Holiday! It was a wonderful country.
- Phil Jones, London UK, 27/07/2009 12:15
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Is Mr and Mrs 'Flipping' Balls still around?!
@ Mark, South-East London
Couldn't agree more.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 27/07/2009 12:11
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I'd like a bank holiday for all those people that weren't daft enough to get killed at work but are daft enough to pay vast sums in tax.
- Ben@Work, London, 27/07/2009 11:24
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How about having a day off during next years elections - to commemorate the hardship of the british people under a labour government, that way this lousy party will never be re-elected again.
- Raminder Bhalla, Isleworth, 27/07/2009 10:29
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How about another bank holiday for "people who cut their finger while on holiday", or one to remember "people who lost a dear pet"?
But if they ARE going to have an additional bank holiday, please, please, please, can we have in Summer? Why do all our bank holidays seem to be at the time of year when you wouldn't want to have the day off anyway because its raining? July or August would be best, not April.
- George, London, 27/07/2009 10:18
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"I want to look at what the UK can do to remember the thousands of workers who have lost their lives."
How about the million plus (2M? plus) who have lost their lives protecting this country from invasion and central European control only to have it given away by the last two Governments!
A thousand years of strife down the Swanee in a little over two decades.
- Mark, South-East London, 27/07/2009 10:17
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How about allocating one of the bank holidays as "Taxpayers Day"
After all, never before in the realms of middle income taxation have so many given to so many more for so little return or appreciation?
- Darius Midwinter, London UK, 27/07/2009 08:01
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