[IER] HSE should enforce against psychological hazards at work, says charity

Mon May 21 17:41:48 BST 2018

IER News Brief 21/05/18Follow us on Twitter 
news brief
Monday 21st May 2018
A charity has called for psychological hazards at work to receive the same treatment as physical hazards by both employers and authorities.

In a new report, the Mental Health Foundation recommended that the Health and Safety Executive encourage employers to recognise mental health hazards as equal to physical health ones and to increase enforcement in order to make the law effective.

Noting that mental health rates among public sector workers - and in particular, NHS workers - are soaring ahead of those in the private sector, the charity further proposed that public sector workers should be provided with a minimum of two mental health days.

The Institute of Employment Rights recommends several improvements to health and safety legislation in our Manifesto for Labour Law to update the law for a modern workforce. We agree that further enforcement is required by both authorities such as the HSE and through stronger powers for trade union reps.

Work stressors - such as unbearable pressure on frontline healthcare workers, or demanding work hours, both of which have been highlighted by the Mental Health Foundation - are best tackled through collective bargaining between employers and trade unions. Current employment laws allow employers disproportionate power over their workforce such that the welfare of workers can be too easily ignored. With a stronger voice in the workplace, workers can have a part in moulding organisations to work for them as well as their bosses.

Read more about our Manifesto for Labour Law
Subscribers receive all of our publications free and discount rates on our conferences. Subscribe now
 News and commentSupport the IER in its 30th Anniversary year
This year we are celebrating our forthcoming 30th Anniversar and we're appealing for your support. We hope to raise £30,000 to celebrate our 30 years and with these funds we will modernise our website and communications; promote our ideas through meetings, education packs, videos and animations; and establish a reserve to avoid repeat fundraising.
> click here to read full storyMental health hazards at work should be treated equally to physical hazards, charity says
The Mental Health Foundation has recommended that mental health hazards in the workplace should be treated equally to physical health hazards by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and by employers. 
> click here to read full story
 Featured publication 
The world of work is changing. Fast. But the framework of law tasked with protecting the health, safety and well being of workers is now 50 years old and – according to the authors of this report – no longer fit for purpose. As a result, work continues to generate large and unacceptable levels of harm, despite the massive reductions of employment in high-risk areas of work like manufacturing, docks, steel and mining. The authors conclude that the time has come to repeal the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act and to fundamentally reform the current framework of law governing workplace health and safety. To support this conclusion, the authors measure the appropriateness of the Act against four central issues: the Act’s application to today’s employment patterns and structures; the oversight and enforcement of employer compliance with their legal duties; worker access to representation on health and safety issues; and the overall governance and resourcing of our regulatory bodies. Looking to the future, the authors offer a number of informed policy recommendations based on good international practices.

Click here to read more and purchase your copy, or access your free download if you subscribe  Events London: The Future of Labour Law: Progressive rights under a progressive government
14 June 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, London
At this conference, key authors from our Manifesto for Labour Law team will guide delegates through our proposed reforms, the evidence behind them, and the benefits for workers, employers and the economy of reform.
Speakers include Prof Nicola Countouris, Prof David Whyte, Dr Aristea Koukiadaki & John Hendy QC.
> click here to read more and book your place
  PublicationsLabour Law Highlights 2017: £8
Edited by Rebecca Tuck
Catch up with the most important case law developments in 2017 in the latest of our popular Labour Law Highlights series.

In this year’s Labour Law Highlights, a team of barristers from Old Square Chambers returns to assess how each of these events has impacted upon case law in the last 12 months, including clarification from the courts on the requirements of the Trade Union Act in practice, the flurry of tribunal hearings regarding ‘gig’ workers, and further decisions on the rights of workers required to take "sleep-in" shifts. In each case, they provide commentary on the potential wider implications of tribunal decisions.
> click here to read more and purchaseEurope, the EU and Britain: Workers' Rights and Economic Democracy: £8
Notes from a seminar by the Institute of Employment Rights and the Marx Memorial Library
On 01 July 2017, labour movement leaders from across Europe met at the Marx Memorial Library, London, to discuss how a progressive future for workers’ rights can be sought following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. This report documents the meeting, including the transcripts of each presentation, as well as notes on the discussion between panel and delegates on the day.
> click here to read more and purchaseThe Legacy of Thatcherism in European Labour Relations: The Impact of the Politics of Neo-Liberalism and Austerity on Collective Bargaining in a Fragmenting Europe: £8
By Miguel Martinez Lucio, Aristea Koukiadaki and Isabel Tavora
As the UK prepares to leave the European Union, this analysis – the 11th in our Comparative Notes series – shines a light on the deleterious effect of the nation's deregulatory influence on the bloc.
> click here to read more and purchase8 Good Reasons Why Adult Social Care Needs Sectoral Collective Bargaining: £8
By Dr Lydia Hayes
In this booklet, Dr Lydia Hayes sets out the lessons learned from her interdisciplinary research into the social care sector, and builds upon the recommendations made in the Institute of Employment Rights' Manifesto for Labour Law: a comprehensive revision of worker’s rights to propose a sectoral collective bargaining structure for the negotiation of wages and conditions.
> Click here to read more and buy your copy
To unsubscribe, please contact sarah at ier.org.uk. 
Produced by:
Institute of Employment Rights,
4th Floor, Jack Jones House
1 Islington
Liverpool L3 8EG
0151 207 5265
www.ier.org.uk

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mailman.gn.apc.org/pipermail/ier-elist/attachments/20180521/35543362/attachment-0001.html>