International Workers Memorial Day – Tuesday 28 April

Each year family members, unionists, workers and their loved ones gather to remember the lives lost in the workplace and recommit ourselves to fighting for the living.

The international theme for this year’s IWMD is ‘Fighting Psychosocial Hazards at Work.’

Join us on the 28th of April as we commemorate International Workers Memorial Day 2026. The ceremony provides an opportunity to reflect on workplace fatalities and mourn lives lost.

Workplace injuries and fatalities are a grave reminder of the importance of workplace safety. The theme for International Workers Memorial Day this year is Psychosocial Hazards.

Please arrive at 8:45 as the ceremony will begin at 9:00am sharp. The ceremony will be followed by light refreshments.

Please note: In the event of wet weather, the ceremony will continue as planned. If the weather is severe the event will be rescheduled.

12.30pm service.

Memorial service followed by complimentary coffee and lunch.

Unions NT will host a public display in the Darwin CBD Mall, providing statistical information on workplace fatalities in the Northern Territory over the past 20 years.

The display will feature a traffic light–style system with three columns:

• Red – What happened: outlining how workers have lost their lives
• Amber – Why it happened: highlighting system failures
• Green – What prevents it: identifying actions workers and workplaces can take

As part of the installation, 105 yellow stress hard hats branded with the Unions NT logo will be arranged on the ground to spell “HSR”. At the conclusion of the event, attendees will be invited to take a hard hat.

Event schedule:

• 6:30am – Site setup
• 7:00am – 8:20am – Union songs played
• 8:20am – ETU representative delivers a 3-minute address acknowledging workers who have lost their lives and the role of HSRs
• Followed by a 1-minute silence and pack-down

The event will be held under a Unions NT structure, with a banner displaying all affiliated unions. Small white wooden crosses will also be placed around the site as a mark of remembrance.