Ireland’s approach to workplace stress is weak, voluntary and falling behind Europe, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which is calling on Government to change the law so that psychosocial risk is recognised as a workplace hazard.
How’s Work? Managing psychosocial risks and promoting good mental health in Ireland’s workplaces takes place on Tuesday 20 October at the Richmond Education and Event Centre, Dublin. Delegates will hear from Dr Richard Wynne, Co-chair of the European Network for Workplace Health Promotion; Professor Rory O’Neill, Adviser to the International Trade Union Confederation; and Associate Professor Elizabeth Barrett of UCD, followed by a panel discussion with the Health and Safety Authority, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, the European Trade Union Institute, Ibec and Queen’s University Belfast.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and General Secretary of the INMO, said:
"Global and national data on the hazards associated with psychosocial risks in the workplace is incontrovertible; we need no further evidence of psychosocial hazards and must now address this issue in all workplaces.
“Employers routinely ignore the issue of psychosocial hazards and their responsibility to identify and deal with this as a health & safety hazard in the workplace. When it does arise, it is considered an individual resilience issue, rather than a systemic issue - how work is organised, identification of psychosocial hazards and dealing with them at workplace level”.
Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said:
“This conference takes place during European Safety week and also coincides with the Irish Presidency of the EU.
“The Irish Government has ample evidence of the impact that stress at work is having on workers yet lags behind its European counterparts in taking meaningful action to counteract the effects of workplace stress.
“The current legislation is weak and relies on a voluntarist approach and non-binding guidance rather than having specific legislation to properly address psychosocial risks.
“The Government must now act to amend legislation to ensure that psychosocial risk is identified as a workplace hazard. The Government should also support the trade union campaign for a European Directive on Managing psychosocial risk.”
