- Conference
- 2022 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 21 February 2022
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that even before the pandemic mental health and stress at work were among the leading issues raised by young workers.
Conference notes that the pandemic has only exacerbated young workers’ concerns about mental health, whether that is due to working in stressful conditions on the front line, or due to isolation from friends, family and support networks.
Conference denounces the negative impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on workers’ wellbeing and work/life balance, specifically with regard to the Right to Disconnect.
Conference notes that the Right to Disconnect is the ability to not engage in work-related electronic communications such as e-mails or messages during non-work hours.
Conference notes that, according to a survey conducted in July 2021 by the South West Young Members Forum, the majority of respondents find it hard to switch off (57 percent), work over their contracted hours (66 percent) and continue to work despite not feeling well (83 percent).
Conference notes the November 2020 report by The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) which linked mental health problems with insecure work contracts, and the following report in July 2021 which identified higher levels of mental distress to working from home during the pandemic.
Conference believes that mental health is a workplace issue which must be addressed by trade unions in negotiations with employers and by direct support for affected workers.
Conference believes that urgent action is needed to safeguard young members’ wellbeing.
Therefore, Conference asks the National Executive Council to:
1)Work with the National Young Members Forum to campaign and raise the impact of the Right to Disconnect on wellbeing amongst all union branches;
2)Support branches in negotiating with employers to produce clear guidelines and policies on the Right to Disconnect, and consider producing bargaining guidance on this;
3)Lobby the government over the introduction of a Right to Disconnect Bill, and to work with the Labour Link Forum to promote legislation supporting the Right to Disconnect;
4)Promote UNISON’s updated mental health bargaining advice;
5)Work with the National Young Members Forum to develop a campaign around the issues of stress, mental health, burnout, and mentally healthy workplaces, and for the ‘right to switch off’;
6)Work with the National Young Members Forum to promote the support offered by There For You more widely to young members;
7)Work with the National Young Members Forum to share successes in campaigning around mental health issues and to promote UNISON’s work on mental health to young members;
8)Promote UNISON’s Young Workers Charter.