20 Years After Chernobyl

by Tula Connell, Apr 26, 2006

A timely reminder of the world’s worst nuclear disaster 20 years ago today at Chernobyl.

According to the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM):

Today, some 4,000 workers employed in the contamination exclusion zone regularly face non-payment of wages, lack of funding for equipment, clothing and other essentials, and general disregard by Ukrainian government authorities.

The anniversary of the explosion of Chernobyl’s reactor No. 4 comes just two days before workers in the United States and around the world observe Workers Memorial Day on April 28.

The AFL-CIO yesterday released its 15th edition of the report Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, which finds in 2004 (the latest available figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) the number of workers killed on the job increased for the first time in 10 years.

On April 26, 1986, the 100-ton reactor lid blew into the sky, and for nine days after, fire raged. Reports ICEM:

But in the years that followed, particularly with the break-up of the Soviet Union in other nation-states, little was done in the way of social protections and ensuring the necessary infrastructure for Ukrainian workers.

Find out more about Workers Memorial Day and learn more about what happened to the workers at Chernobyl from the ICEM.

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