David Unwin/Stuff
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff lays a piece of coal at the workers’ memorial in Palmerston North s Memorial Park, with city mayor Grant Smith watching on.
An annual memorial to those who have died on the job is a reminder of the need to take mental health as seriously as workplace safety experts say. Nearly 100 people took part in the International Workers’ Memorial Day ceremony at Memorial Park and the Keep All Workers Safe conference in Palmerston North on Wednesday. For more than 10 years, Unions Manawatū and the city council have held the annual ceremony in remembrance of those who have died at work.