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The ACTU launched a national campaign on October 19 to highlight the impact of stress on workers. An ACTU survey of more than 10,000 workers in a wide range of industries found 53 per cent of respondents were stressed by a lack of communication and consultation with management.
Other causes which were highlighted were "job insecurity and lack of career opportunities, organisational change and restructuring, poor work organisation, insufficient training, inadequate staff and resources, long hours and bad rostering".
These findings correspond with the outcome of a survey of 5,000 members conducted by the Federation late in 1995.
Two-thirds of the respondents indicated that total workload was a major problem.
Multiplicity of tasks without clear direction as to priorities, lack of time to relax and constant pressure were each reported as having a major impact by the majority of respondents. In TAFE 75 per cent of respondents indicated the effects of restructuring were a major problem. In schools the implementation of new curriculum and in TAFE researching new topic areas were seen as very demanding and under resourced by the employer.
Almost all teachers reported that they gained substantial satisfaction from their relationships with students. However, they identified teaching students with special needs or disabilities without adequate support caused considerable stress. Students who were difficult to motivate caused stress for just under half of the respondents.
Lack of influence on employer decisions, lack of appreciation, respect and consideration from the employers caused over one third of the respondents stress.
Almost half of all respondents, particularly unpromoted teachers, indicated they experienced feelings of powerlessness and anxiety.
Seventy-five per cent of the respondents to the Federation survey indicated that reduced load, reduced class size, more support staff, more supportive management and approved leave could help them deal with stress.
The Federation used this information to begin the workload campaign and produce the Workload Campaign kit. This campaign is aimed at helping members understand the award, redefine their workload and become more assertive about saying no to voluntary duties.
(a) to secure the health, safety and welfare of persons at work,
(b) to protect persons at a place of work (other than persons at work) against risks to health or safety arising out of the activities of persons at work,
(c) to promote an occupation environment for persons at work which is adapted to their physiological and psychological needs, and
(d) to provide the means whereby the associated occupational health and safety legislation may be progressively replaced by comprehensive provisions made by or under this Act.
Section (15) of the Act places responsibility on employers "to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees".
This means the employer should act when stress is identified as a hazard and take action to control the hazard and prevent both the individual and others from being injured. OH&S committees may make recommendations which could assist this process.
If a member has a period of sick leave for at least a continuous period of seven days as a result of work related stress, the employer is required under section 27 of the Occupational Health & Safety Act to notify WorkCover on the appropriate WorkCover Accident Notification form.
Members with an OH&S problem in their workplace should contact their Organiser.
Members seeking advice on OH&S policy issues should contact Joan Lemaire
A school had a number of classrooms without functioning heaters. Efforts to address the problem, which had existed for a number of years, had been made through maintenance programs but had not been adequately resolved.
The Federation Representative informed the principal that the situation was unsatisfactory and said that she would keep a record of temperatures prior to calling for a WorkCover inspection. The principal wanted the problems addressed but was uncertain as to whether he would have to use school funds to purchase some heaters while waiting for a long term solution.
The Organiser had discussions with the Department. He met with some resistance and considerable "buck passing". The principal was given a copy of a section from the Factories Shops and Industries Act which states
...heating appliances shall be provided sufficient to warm the room in which any persons are employed to a temperature of not less than 18 degrees centigrade in places where manual labour is being carried out and not less than 22 degrees centigrade when sedentary work is being done.
The principal decided to purchase the heaters from school funds. There has been no
decision as to reimbursement at this stage.
This school needed major work on its plumbing and drainage. The work was supposed to be completed during the holidays.
When the staff and students returned they found that the work was still in progress; vast areas had been dug up and there were holes all over the playground. Mud created a hazard with students slipping in hallways and classrooms.
A Federation meeting was called and it was resolved that WorkCover should be called in and the students should be advised not to attend school. Initially the Department was unwilling to support this decision, but a late afternoon visit by a senior Departmental officer vindicated the staff's decision.
The school was closed to students the following day and there was a staged return of students over the next two days. This allowed the most serious safety risks to be addressed. There were no accidents involving either staff or students.
The Department could have been prosecuted under Section 15 of the Occupational
Health & Safety Act if a staff member had been hurt.
This school identified that there were serious deficiencies in terms of fire safety equipment and exits from the building.
They began their campaign in 1994 with an inspection which identified a number of major hazards. Their approaches to the Department were unsuccessful.
During 1996 they called on the Fire Brigade to conduct an inspection. This inspection again highlighted the hazards and substandard equipment.
Again nothing was done. Departmental officers indicated to the school that addressing the fire safety hazards would entail a significant cost. They also suggested that if they fixed these problems for this school every other school would demand the same standard.
By 1997 the OH&S Committee was fed up. Their chairperson contacted the Federation and was advised to call a WorkCover inspector to conduct an inspection and review the existing material.
The Committee gave the Department one more chance advising that unless something was done to address the hazards they would call WorkCover. This resulted in an inspection by Public Works and an undertaking to address a large number of the hazards.
The NSW Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice is currently conducting an Inquiry into Workplace Safety.
Federation contributed to the combined union response co-ordinated by the NSW Labor Council. The Labor Council submission highlighted a broad range of concerns with existing legislation and its implementation. It proposed a number of strategies including legislative reform, changes to the operation of WorkCover and the need for the Government to commit resources to education and training in OH&S.
Federation made its own submission to focus on the specific concerns of teachers involved in public education. It suggested that while the majority of people expect that schools and TAFE colleges are safe places and the Department states that we should aim for "safe, happy schools" the reality is quite different.
We used case studies to demonstrate that rather than taking a preventative approach the Department, TAFE and AMES have frequently failed to address hazards even when they had resulted in injury or illness.
We outlined the difficulties in terms of members of committees receiving training and advice and the apparent lack of any coordinated OH&S strategy. The Department does not even have a policy document.
The submission focused on stress and violence in the workplace as issues which have been inadequately addressed by our employers.
We proposed that there be a genuine commitment to provide resources to educate teachers, principals and senior management in terms of identifying and addressing hazards. It was pointed out that cutting maintenance budgets would exacerbate existing problems.
The Standing Committee has indicated that it will be calling on the Federation to present a verbal submission later in the year on the issues of stress and violence.
For more information please contact Joan Lemaire on 9217 2100
Authorised by John Hennessy, General Secretary, NSW Teachers Federation