The fight against work-caused mental illness will be top of the agenda at the annual Youth Conference of the Scottish Trades Union Congress.

A series of motions focused on the impact that work is having on the mental health of young workers, and speakers drew parallels between physical injury at work and the impact of work on mental illness, and supporting moves to build the power of workers to challenge unhealthy working conditions.

Anthea Koon, STUC Youth Committee Chair and member of Unite the Union, said: "Young workers are urgently asking the question, how is our mental health being damaged short-term and long-term because of work?

"When we take on these issues, there is stigma, there is denial, and people are even being sacked for bringing their employer into disrepute when they talk about work-related mental illness. But numerous cases of stress-related strokes, chronic anxiety and even suicide are caused and exacerbated by working conditions.

-- Advertisement --

"Historically our movement ensured that conditions that caused physical harm were eradicated in factories, fields and mines.

"Today we are building workers' power to challenge the isolation, insecurity, and exploitation especially in sectors like hospitality, care, distribution and other services that lead to similar harms."

Jackson Cullinane, Political Secretary of Unite Scotland and STUC President, also said: "On the industrial front, it should be obvious that although the causes of mental health are varied, there are things happening at work that are contributory factors to what is becoming a crisis.

"There are people in precarious work who are going to work uncertain about their future, being asked to achieve targets that are unachievable, and facing a lack of workplace democracy.

"For the large chunk of daily hours spent at work, there is no democracy. Someone else tells you what to do, when to do it, how to do it. And voices are disregarded and sometimes absolutely stamped on, unless they have a collective trade union voice.

"So the issue of mental health relates directly to the need to build a collective voice at work.

"This is not simply about raising awareness and looking to build mental health services, but how we can make a new demand of the Scottish Government through the Fair Work agenda to ensure that all workers have a union voice to challenge the causes of mental ill health."

(MH/CM)