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UNI responds to European Commission: Mental ill-health must be taken seriously



New research from the London School of Economics has exposed the horrific scale of mental ill-health which accounts for almost half of all absenteeism at work and a similar proportion of people on long term sickness.



The research corroborates previous findings by mental heath charities which suggest that mental ill-health affects more than 1 in 4 people at some point during their lifetime. The financial impact of mental ill-health is also estimated to cost the economy UK economy almost £105bn per year.



Despite the warnings too few people across Europe appear to have access to the help they need. For Professionals and Managerial (P&M) workers, who experience higher levels of stress in the workplace, this is a particularly important issue. Many P&M workers feel unable to speak out and ask for help because of the fear of prejudice and ignorance surrounding mental ill-health.



UNI P&M has responded to a European Commission consultation (the 'European Strategy on Safety and Health at Work 2013-2020' directive) to outline the case for more sustained help in understanding the fact that mental ill-health is a serious issue and should be treated as seriously as physical health problems, as well as raising the issue of supporting P&M workers experiencing mental ill-health.



UNI P&M group is encouraging affiliates who want to develop strategies and campaigns around mental ill-health to participate in a seminar on workers health which will take place at the ILO in Geneva on 26 June. This experience sharing seminar will offer practical information and guidance. It has been organised by the Public Services International global union with the NGO Forum for Health, and is supported by UNI.



Commenting on the stigma around mental ill health, UNI Global’s President for P&M workers, Ulf Bengtsson, said: "Greater openness in workplaces and society about mental health problems would have a significant impact in challenging stigma and discrimination. Through educational events such as this one, supported by UNI, we can send out a clear message to all employers that mental ill health must be better understood and discrimination should not be tolerated.”



UNI Euorpa’s President for P&M workers, Martin Jefflen, said: “At a time when the European Commission is looking at whether employers should be more understanding about mental health issues, it is important for UNI to look at what steps we can take through our affiliates to support P&M workers among our membership who are coping with, or returning to work after recovering from, a mental health problem.



“There is also clear evidence that being open about mental ill health need not be a barrier. When the former Norwegian prime minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik, publicly disclosed his experience of depression, it did not affect his popularity. He went on to be re-elected and proved that people who have experienced mental health problems can recover and manage a challenging job.”



UNI Global’s Director for P&M workers, Pav Akhtar, said: “It is extraordinary that in too many instances even the most vocal people who manage other workers or are leaders in their professional fields still feel unable to discuss their own experiences of stress, depression and other mental health problems.



"We live in a stressful society in difficult economic times. When this is combined with the increased work place pressure many workers are being exposed to it is understandable why the number of people presenting with mental health problems is heading in an upward trajectory.



“It is time to break the taboos and make mental illness as acceptable to employers and the general public as physical health conditions, instead of forcing P&M workers to be gagged by the prejudice, ignorance and fear surrounding mental ill-health.”



(For more information on the LSE publication, please consult the following website:

http://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/research/mentalhealth/default.asp)