viewpoint Paul Holleran charts successful action in the workplace in Scotland
We can win in the battle against stress
S
tress is one of the top two health and safety risks to workers, along with musculoskeletal disorders.
The Health & Safety Executive
acknowledges this and the TUC and the Hazards Campaign constantly highlight the problem. Stress can be result from bullying, excessive workloads, redundancy, low pay and long hours; UK workers put in over £33 billion a year in unpaid overtime. Many NUJ members will recognise this sorry list and are aware of how stress affects journalists and journalism. Teachers, firefighters and train drivers have also raised concerns. The NUJ health and safety committee
has made it a priority to raise awareness among members and managements that stress is destructive and its causes need to be addressed. Although a lot is still to be done, our campaigning in the past few years has had some impact. A large working party (of health
groups and the NUJ) set up by the Scottish government five years ago to look at reducing suicide came to a position that reflects the trade union stance: stress and anxiety can lead to a deterioration in mental health which can eventually lead to suicidal tendencies. Unfortunately, the union in Scotland
has seen this at first hand, with officials fielding calls from members who feel suicidal. Tragically, one of our leading fathers of chapel took his own life. He was a friend and colleague. I was sent the suicide note by text; it was a lengthy denunciation of how the newspaper group he had worked for since leaving school had seriously damaged his career and his life. Mike died after suffering months of anguish and being affected by stress-
related illness. While most stressed people do not take their own lives, their mental and physical health can be seriously damaged. We produced a low-budget film set in Edinburgh, which highlighted how a different approach by the union and managements can shift the outcome. It started with the tragedy that caused so much pain. We interviewed former lawyer Louise Taggart, who is active in the Hazards Campaign and a founder of Families Against Corporate Killing; her brother was killed as a result of poor health and safety at work. She explained how dangerous stress can be and how aspects of journalists’ workplaces them at high risk. Every union story should aim for a
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Every union story should aim for a happy ending and a message of hope
happy ending and a message of hope, so we end with a shining example of cooperation between the NUJ and a publisher. Robbie Dinwoodie worked for most of his life at The Scotsman and The Herald. He was latterly parliamentary correspondent at Holyrood but the hours and workload during the independence referendum caused him physical and mental health problems. He was diagnosed with a serious heart condition and faced losing the job he loved as well as his life if he continued in that vein.
Through union
intervention, Robbie was redeployed into a different post, writing leader columns, working mainly from home and in control of his work rate. His health improved dramatically, including recovery from his heart condition.
An ongoing chapel campaign at
The Herald and sister Newsquest titles in Scotland included the chapel committee setting up a health and safety agenda. This looked at not only traditional workplace issues but also the impact of redundancies. At the Scottish TUC later this month,
the NUJ Newsquest chapel committee will be awarded the prestigious Frank Maguire Award for services to health and safety in the workplace. This shows that campaigns can work for members, showing the way forward on stress.
Paul Holleran is the NUJ’s Scottish organiser
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