LTB 556/19 – CWU Representatives Work Stress Guide
No. 556/2019
25 September 2019
Our Ref: P1/19
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
CWU Representatives Work Stress Guide
The carriage of Motion 69(2018) established the Union’s policy of developing a Mental Health Strategy and as branches will know a number of updates have been published on the ongoing development of the strategy containing a number of strands which includes the provision of advice, guidance and communications with branches, reps and members on issues of building awareness and encouraging openness as well as support for reps affected by the increasing stress of the job and that work is ongoing.
Many members come to place additional demands on their local branch representatives, believing them to be capable of delivering all that they want and in their preferred time frame. Trade union and safety representatives are placed under much more pressure today and are under the microscope by employers. All of these pressures and especially those of members in need are creating high stress levels for elected representatives. Local branch trade union and safety representatives are not paid for this work and they deserve to be recognised for their excellent contribution but at the same time recognising that they are also entitled to a life of their own.
As part of the union strategy a CWU Representatives Work Stress Guide has been produced, in conjunction with the trade union supported ‘UK National Work Stress Network’ organisation which is part of the ‘Hazards Campaign’. The guide contains a list of basic, sound guidance points which representatives should follow and which we hope will be useful to regions and branches to distribute to CWU local, area and branch reps, especially new reps.
The Guide can be downloaded and printed locally or we can supply copies to branches on request. We hope and trust the Guide will be helpful in getting basic sound guidance to our reps.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer