There is yet to be a safe workplace in this country despite the decrease in the number of work-related accidents, said the Malaysian Trades Union Congress.

double tracking railway track 200505 construction 2 Although the statistics from 2006 to 2007 showed a reduction in accidents from 58,321 to 56,339 (1,982) cases, the number of workers who lose their upper limbs is still on the rise, said the Congress Penang division secretary N Balakrishnan at a Workers Day Memorial in Butterworth today.

“These accidents (loss of upper limbs) occur consistently at an alarming rate of 42 percent yearly,” added Balakrishnan.

“That is why although statistics show a reduction of accidents, we still maintain there is no workplace that is safe enough for any worker,” he told the crowd of about 100 workers who attended the event.

“I dare challenge the Department of Safety and Health to show me one workplace that is really safe,” said Balakrishnan, at the event graced by 15 unions from Penang and the mainland.

Celebrated annually since 1994, the date 28 April is internationally recognised as Workers’ Memorial Day to honour the dead and injured, especially those involved in the construction of the Penang bridge.

‘Workers must fight for rights’

The MTUC revealed that the highest figures recorded for work-based accidents nationwide are in the construction business (2,900), machinery (2,645) and metal and steel industries (1,693) in 2007.

However, these statistics do not include workers who contracted diseases such as cancer due to workplace conditions, lamented the MTUC.

Meanwhile, Balakrishnan said the worker’s role in society should not be treated lightly and dismissed as insignificant.

mtuc minimum wage salary protest 080807 minimum “We are not beggars, just waiting to receive our pay; we have sacrificed our safety and health for the development of this country,” he added.

“We should always remember those who lost their limbs and lives for the sake of the nation.”

Bagan Dalam assemblyperson A Tanasekharan, who represented the Penang chief minister at the event, said that workers should not only be active during the workers memorial day.

“Be more effective, this should not be just about attending the memorial yearly and placing flowers at the workers’ monument here,” he told the MTUC.

“Workers must fight and demand more actively for their rights from the federal government, especially for minimum wages,” he further said, adding that workers remain victims if they continue to accept low or hourly wages.