The devastating impact of the last six years of economic austerity have created a crisis in workers’ mental health and wellbeing, the NASUWT has told TUC Congress today.
Moving a motion on mental health at the conference in Brighton, the NASUWT's General Secretary Chris Keates highlighted the impact which job loss, deep cuts to resources and draconian public sector pay restraint have had on millions of public sector workers, including teachers.
She called on the Government to review its policies and practices which are having such a devastating impact on the workforce and ensure that all employers provide an entitlement to mental health training, professional counselling or cognitive behaviour therapy for employees suffering work-related mental ill health.
Ms Keates said:
“Evidence collected annually by the NASUWT since 2011 demonstrates that teachers’ health and wellbeing have deteriorated dramatically.
“Almost half of teachers have seen a doctor in the last 12 months as a result of work related physical or mental health problems, 14% have undergone counselling and 5% have been admitted to hospital.
“One in ten teachers say they have been prescribed anti-depressants to help them cope with work and of even deeper concern is that fact that 2% of teachers report self-harming as a result of work-related pressures.”
She added: “High quality services cannot be delivered by worn out and stressed employees. Government and employers cannot claim to be committed to raising standards of education for children and young people when the mental health of the workforce is a low priority.”
