Union leaders among speakers at Hartlepool Workers' Remembrance Day service

TUC general Secretary Frances O'Grady will be among the speakers as Hartlepool remembers those who have lost their lives in the course of their employment later this month.
Last year's Workers' Memorial Day serviceLast year's Workers' Memorial Day service
Last year's Workers' Memorial Day service

Trade unions are urging residents to join in a special remembrance event on Workers’ Memorial Day.

The annual service and wreath-laying ceremony takes place this year on Sunday, April 28.

Representatives of many industrial and public sectors will take part in the serviceRepresentatives of many industrial and public sectors will take part in the service
Representatives of many industrial and public sectors will take part in the service
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It commemorates those who have been either killed or injured in workplace accidents and aims to raise awareness among employers of the importance of effective health and safety procedures.

The service will be held in the Christ Church (Hartlepool Art Gallery) in Church Square at 12.30pm and will conclude with the wreath-laying ceremony at the new Workers’ Memorial which has been created in front of the Christ Church as part of the regeneration of Church Square.

A lone Scottish piper will be playing at the Christ Church from 11.45am and will pipe people into the building at 12.20pm in time to take their seats for a one-minute silence at 12.30pm.

The speakers will also include USDAW President Amy Murphy and former UNISON President Dave Anderson.

Maria and Trevor Burden (left) with family members hold a wreath in memory of their son Jason at a previous serviceMaria and Trevor Burden (left) with family members hold a wreath in memory of their son Jason at a previous service
Maria and Trevor Burden (left) with family members hold a wreath in memory of their son Jason at a previous service
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Following the service, wreaths will be laid by people attending the event. The first wreath will be laid by Trevor and Maria Burden, whose son Jason, from South Shields, was killed in an industrial accident in Sunderland in 2011.

The ceremony will end at about 1.45pm. Tea and coffee will be provided before the event and there will be a light buffet afterwards.

Edwin Jeffries, President of Hartlepool Trades Union Council, said: "Whether or not they have been affected by a tragedy at work, we hope that as many people as possible from across the region will join us to pay their respects and add their weight to the ongoing campaign to make all workplaces safe for workers.

"Once again, we will be providing individual flowers so that anybody attending the service can lay a flower in memory of a loved one."

For more information about the event, contact Edwin Jeffries on 07813 073186 or email [email protected]