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Union warning
on long hours
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has issued a warning to its members that long working hours can have an impact on their health.
Branch Secretary, Toni Walkington said a UK report had found people who worked more than 11 hours a day were 2.4 times more likely to suffer from depression than those who worked 7-8 hours a day.
The report, published by the PLoS One Scientific Journal, was conducted over a five-year period and involved 2,000 middle-aged Public Servants.
Ms Walkington said the UK report was also relevant for the WA Public Sector as its workers came under increasing pressure.
| Studies find health dangers |
“A CPSU/CSA survey returned by 4,300 Public Servants late last year revealed 64 per cent had an increased workload in the last two years,” Ms Walkington said.
“It also said 32 per cent of them went to work on weekends and rostered days off and didn’t get paid.”
She said 96 per cent of respondents had said the Government needed to deliver good pay and conditions or experienced staff would leave the system, going to other States or industries.
Ms Walkington said increased workload was a major talking point in many Government Departments where staff were under pressure and it could create many problems such as depression.
“Public servants are under immense pressure to produce quality services in increasingly difficult circumstances and cost-cutting and under-resourcing just makes it tougher,” she said.
She said the union’s call to limit overtime was not part of a work-to-rule campaign, because staff were sometimes required to work extra hours but it should not be a regular thing.
“We would say public servants, for the sake of their mental health, should be looking at limiting their additional hours,” Ms Walkington said.
“In the long run, too much overtime will only hurt themselves, the Service and the community they serve by placing themselves at extra risk.”
The CPSU survey had found the main reasons for increased workloads were higher demand for service from the public, increased requirements for reporting and accountability and management failure to replace staff.
A third of respondents said they were rarely able to leave work on time and over half said they took work home at night or on the weekend.
Edition 123, 7 February 2012
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