Today is International Workers’ Memorial Day - GMB offices across the region fell silent at 10.00am so that staff and activists could pay their respect to lost and injured workers.   The ringing of a memorial bell, situated at each of our offices, signalled the start of a minutes silence.

View pictures from around the region

At GMB’s regional office in Wakefield, Neil Derrick, Regional Secretary, led the proceedings and the memorial bell was rung three times by GMB health and safety representative Terry Shepherd from Barnsley Manufacturing Branch.   Labour’s candidate in the West Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner Election, Mark Burns-Williamson was also on hand to say a few words in tribute to the fantastic work our health & safety activists do on a daily basis to protect GMB members in the workplace.

Neil Derrick, Regional Secretary, said: “It is a disgrace that every year hundreds of people set off to work so that they can earn a living but either don’t go home to their loved ones or return injured, often because  of negligent and bad employers.”