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.’

The first of 2 SA Unions events being held on 28 April.

Workers’ Memorial Day Service at the Pilgrim Uniting Church, 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide.

Unionists are invited to bring their flags and form a guard of honour as the families of workers killed by their work enter the Voice of Industrial Death memorial service. All are welcome to stay for the service itself from 10am to 11am.

On behalf of SA Unions and the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, you are invited to attend the 2026 May Day Workers’ Memorial Inscription Ceremony.

On the morning of Sunday, 3rd of May, we invite members of the union movement, dignitaries, and the Port Adelaide community to attend the commemoration of lifelong union activist, mentor, and educator Brian ‘Bronco’ O’Neill.

Brian’s name will join the long list of local stalwarts inscribed on the memorial in recognition of his unrelenting commitment to the welfare and rights of workers.

Please join us alongside Brian’s family for this important event to remember and celebrate his legacy and life of dedication and service.

Event: 2026 May Day Workers’ Memorial Inscription Ceremony
Date: Sunday, 3 May 2026
Time: 10.30AM (formalities from 10.45 AM)
Venue: Port Adelaide Workers’ Memorial, corner Commercial Road and St Vincent Street
RSVP: by Wednesday, 15 April to events@cityofpae.sa.gov.au

Light refreshments provided on conclusion of formalities.

MD26 Brian ‘Bronco’ O’Neill BIO

The second of 2 SA Unions events being held on 28 April.

Join us as the South Australian union movement gathers to commemorate workers who have lost their lives at work and renew our commitment to fight for safer workplaces.

Data from SafeWork Australia shows that 188 people were killed at work during the most recent year on record. Each of these deaths is tragic and preventable.

Come together to help us remember those we have lost and dedicate ourselves to fight for the living.

International Workers Memorial Day offers our community a moment to come together and reflect on the lives lost as a result of work‑related injuries and illness. Each year, unions, workers, families and supporters gather to acknowledge the profound impact of these losses and to reaffirm our collective responsibility to prevent harm in every workplace.

A non‑denominational service will be led by Rosemary Hudson Miller, providing space for reflection and remembrance. After the formal proceedings, attendees will have the opportunity to lay wreaths at the Workers Memorial Wall.

This years’ service will focus on the increasing risks of extreme heat and the deadly effect heat is already having on the health and safety of working people.

Heat kills. We need regulation now or workers will die. It’s that simple.

We invite unionists, workers, families, and all members of the community to join us in honouring those we have lost and in recommitting to a future where every worker, in every workplace, across every industry, returns home safe at the end of every day.

Remember the dead. Fight like hell for the living.

We remember those who never made it home and those injured at work.

Join us this International Workers’ Memorial Day as we honour their lives and stand united to defend our safety laws.

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.

International Day of Mourning Service – with families and friends who have lost loved ones as a result of workplace incidents or occupational illnesses at work.

This years service will be held on:
Tuesday 28 April 2026 | 12:00 PM
Reflection Park in Darling Harbour (Little Pier Street, Haymarket)

If you are unable to attend in person, you may join us via the live stream by following this link: https://www.unionsnsw.livewebcast.com.au

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.