TRADE UNION NEWS

June 2000

Occupationally related stress continues to make the news. The TUC’s latest annual survey, for example, identifies that stress related cases have increased by 70%, with unions taking 783 cases in 1998 compared with 459 in the previous year. Against this background, the newly published UNISON guidance Stress at Work – A Guide for Safety Reps can be seen as being most timely.

According to UNISON, stress is one of the biggest health issues at work today, with over half a million people having their physical or mental health damaged as a result of stress at work. The real extent of stress-related problems being hidden as very few people are prepared to admit to be suffering from stress, or to seek help for it. "Few people who have not experienced the depression, anxiety and despair, which often accompanies stress, can fully appreciate the effect it can have on people’s lives. The union add that while challenge, stimulation and deadlines are necessary, stress is not.

The HSE define work related stress as "the reaction people have to excessive demands or pressures, arising when people try to cope with tasks, responsibilities or other types of pressure connected with their jobs, but find difficulty; strain or worry in doing so". It can be caused, or made worse, by many different factors. Including: long hours of work, shift work, too much or too little work, lack of control and conflicting job demands, poor management, bad relationships with work colleagues, repetitive work, boredom and lack of job satisfaction, working alone, job insecurity, job or organisational change, low pay, jobs with heavy emotional demands, either actual or threatened violence, bullying and harassment, or a poor working environment.

According to the CBI the total cost of mental health and stress problems to employers is approximately £5 billion. The Institute of Management has estimated that 270,000 people take time off work every day due to work related stress. At a cost to the British economy of £7 billion per annum in terms of sick pay, lost production and NHS costs etc.

UNION claim that there is growing evidence that employers’ insurers are seeking more information from employers on what preventative measures they are taking with regard to stress and that it is likely that those failing to act will face higher policy charges. Where employers successfully tackle workplace stress, they also benefit from a healthier workforce, lower sickness absence, better performance and improved service, less frequent and less severe accidents, better relationships between colleagues and with clients, and a lower staff turnover.

The UNISON guide also covers: stress and the law, what a good stress policy should contain, what can be done to prevent workplace stress and support for stressed workers. Further information on the guide can be obtained from UNISON’s Health and Safety Unit at 1 Marbledon Place, London, WC1H 9AJ. (Telephone 020 7551 1446). For general information, UNISON’s web-site is at www.unison.org.uk

With regard to bullying at work, the CWU is very concerned about the TUC/CBI report which revealed a culture of workplace bullying in the postal and telecoms industries equalled only by the prison service. The report indicated that bullying is most common in the postal and telecoms industries (16%), the prison service (16%) and the teaching profession (15.5%). Apparently, one in ten workers have been bullied at work in the last six months and threequarters of all bullying is carried out by managers. The survey was carried out by researchers from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, who surveyed 5,300 workers from 70 different public and private sector organisations. In one example of public humiliation an employee who failed to reach a target was made to stand in a corner with a dunce’s cap on.

Dave Joyce, of the CWU NEC’s health, safety and environment committee, claims that: "This survey has produced direct evidence that some serious problems exist in the Post Office and BT, where our members work in a pressure cooker environment". TUC General Secretary John Monks adds that "employers and unions must now adopt a zero tolerance approach to bullying".

The CWU’s response to the TUC/CBI report was to immediately contact the Post Office Chairman and the Chief Executive of BT, urging a major rethink of the way in which reports of bullying are handled. CWU General Secretary Derek Hodgson adds that: "It is a sad indictment of our workplaces that the survey puts them at the bottom of a poll of disgrace. No-one should have to put up with bullying at work and the point about bullying is that it is avoidable. But as well as training for managers and sanctions for people who offend, we need to change workplace attitudes and cultures even among our own members in some instances. Bullying isn’t clever. It may be macho but it isn’t civilised or acceptable".

A CWU investigation was also launched recently into allegations of harassment of employees by managers in the Bolton area. The probe, prompted by a surge of complaints from members, is being personally headed by Deputy General Secretary John Keggie. He claims that: "We know that bullying is a deep rooted problem in the Post Office that won’t be solved overnight, but it is essential that we begin to get to grips with an issue which is causing a great deal of misery. For the last twenty years management have ignored people issues and have concentrated on operational matters, but it is now apparent that the issue of bullying can’t be swept under the carpet any longer".

A Leicestershire postman has launched a web-site aimed at providing support for victims of workplace harassment, (which can be found at www.workplacebullying.com), he argues that: "Like any form of abuse, workplace bullying hides in the shadows of secrecy and silence. I wanted to shine a spotlight in its face and say to everyone look, this is happening here and now and it could happen to you!" For example, an inquest in Birmingham heard recently how a black postal worker hanged himself because he believed he was being victimised at work by managers. He left a suicide note for his mother which read: "Those guys at work hate me, tell them they have won. I love you all so much. I cannot take this ... others messing with my mind".

With regard to the higher education sector, the AUT ran a national seminar recently on the topic of Dealing with a Difficult Boss. The outcome was the view expressed that "good managers in higher education are in short supply and a number are bullies. The seminar also revealed that the reasons for bullying vary. Some individuals are simply unfit for management. Others attempt to do a good job, but are under pressure from their institution because of the Research Assessment Exercise and insufficient funding. As a result they bully their staff and resort to the use of fixed-term contracts, which creates a particular form of bullying. Devolved budgeting simply increases the power of the bully, claims the AUT.

The AUT will shortly be circulating to local associations an advice paper on workplace bullying as part of the Essential AUT series. Members who are being bullied are advised to contact their local association immediately. Support is also available, for members, via the AUT’s free stress helpline (0990 234 533).

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Mike Everley