Our Ref: HSR/4/14
Head Office Circular: NP/003/20
6th January 2020
To: The Secretary
ALL BRANCHES
ALL SHIPPING BRANCHES
ALL REGIONAL COUNCILS
Dear Colleague,
INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ MEMORIAL DAY, 28TH APRIL 2020
FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND MINDS
The global union confederation, ITUC, has announced the theme for 28 April 2020: ‘Tackling psychosocial hazards at work – taking the stress out of the job’.
This year’s International Workers’ Memorial Day activities will highlight the harm caused by occupational stress and related conditions, including depression, anxiety, burnout, work-related alcohol and drug misuse and work-related suicides. The world’s largest health and safety event will draw together campaign targets including the harm resulting from low pay, high workloads and unacceptable working hours and work patterns. It will also highlight the real-life pressures that lead to work stress, including inadequate staffing, job insecurity, downsizing and precarious work. Bad management practices that contribute to the explosion in work-related psychosocial problems will also be highlighted, including punitive sickness absence policies and disciplinary procedures, oppressive performance management, targets and appraisal systems and a lack of control at work.
New resources and updates on the ‘union fight for hearts and minds’ will be made available on the dedicated ITUC/Hazards 28 April website. The dedicated ITUC/Hazards 28 April 2020 International Workers’ Memorial Day website will be updated soon. http://28april.org/
If Branches and Health and Safety Representatives are planning local initiatives they are asked to tell the TUC about events they are organising, so they can be included in the TUC’s events list. To make it the best and biggest 28 April ever, start planning now! Email the details of events to the TUC at: healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk
TUC Workers’ Memorial Day pages. https://www.tuc.org.uk/WMD
Resources for reps, activists and campaigners:
TUC guide to responding to harmful work-related stress. https://www.tuc.org.uk/resource/responding-harmful-work-related-stress
Tackling workplace stress using the HSE Stress Management Standards, TUC and HSE guidance for health and safety representatives. https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/tacking%20workplace%20stress%20without%20edits.pdf
TUC workbook on mental health in the workplace. https://www.unionlearn.org.uk/publications/mental-health-and-workplace
TUC mental health awareness training. https://www.tuceducation.org.uk/findacourse/courses/52
TUC health, safety and wellbeing guide. https://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace-guidance/health-safety-and-wellbeing
Hazards stress and mental health webpages http://www.hazards.org/stress/ and work-related suicide http://www.hazards.org/suicide/ webpages.
Hazards ‘heartbroken’ poster that can be used on a workplace union noticeboard. http://www.hazards.org/gallery/heartbroken.htm
HSE ‘reporting a concern’ https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/reporting-concern.htm
HSE advice on How to report a work-related stress concern, https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/concerns.htm
HSE ‘Tackling Stress Workbook’ that can be downloaded for free https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wbk01.htm
HSE stress management standards https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/
Other HSE workplace stress resources https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/resources.htm
Please make the contents of this Circular available to all appropriate members.
Yours sincerely
Mick Cash
General Secretary
Unity House
Tel: 020 7387 4771
Email: