AGM Item 13: Use of Herbal Medicines at Work

Our Ref: HSR/1/1
Head Office Circular: NP/185/19
8th October 2019
To: The Secretary
ALL BRANCHES
REGIONAL COUNCILS

Dear Colleague,

AGM ITEM 13: USE OF HERBAL MEDICINE WHILST AT WORK

The following resolution was carried at the AGM 2019:

This Branch notes that some of our members wish to use herbal medicines to aid recovery of illness. Every time a member wishes to take this medicine, a medical check is carried out with Occupational Health who immediately ban all substances that are not recognised by a pharmaceutical company.

We believe that this is an unfair and unequal practice, as companies do not discriminate when request are made by those who do not wish to wear leather and other related products. Our members who do not wish to take pharmaceutical medicines should be afforded the opportunity to use a (legal) drug of their choice.

The main issue is seen as the lack of medical expertise in this field, and we request that the General Secretary should ask his staff to approach university students studying medicine and to sponsor their dissertation into this topic. Then the union could use this to make representations to the employers about the use of these medicines.

In this day and age, it's no longer acceptable just to take no as an answer, and we therefore wish for this study to commence within the next year.

At their meeting of 26th September 2019, the National Executive Committee noted the following report of their Health and Safety Sub-committee:

We instruct the General Secretary to take this matter up in line with the resolution.

Branches and Regional Councils to be informed.

I am acting in accordance with these instructions. Please make the contents of this circular available to all appropriate members.

Yours sincerely

Mick Cash
General Secretary