A silent epidemic of workplace stress is sweeping Europe. Over 10,000 people die each year in Europe from work-related stress. Far higher than deaths caused by physical accidents. The alarm was raised by European unions united in the ETUC, the European Trade Union Confederation founded in 1973 and which today includes 90 national union confederations from 39 different countries, including the United Kingdom.
The figures of a massacre
In the European Union and the United Kingdom, according to analysis carried out by the ETUC, there are on average more than 6,000 deaths (more precisely 6,190) from coronary heart disease linked to work-related stress each year and almost 5,000 (4,843) suicides linked to work-related depression. Women are the ones most affected, caught between tiring shifts, insecurity and bullying in the workplace. Those paying the highest price are Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. European trade unions are therefore asking the EU Commission and the Commissioner responsible for social rights, Roman Roxana Minzatu, for an ad hoc directive within the quality package, with binding obligations to assess psychosocial risks, involving workers and their representatives.
Stress, anxiety and fatigue
"Europe has led the world in protecting physical security. Now it must do the same for mental health," underlines ETUC general secretary, Irish Esther Lynch, recalling that the world of work is changing rapidly: artificial intelligence, digitalization, online platforms and the green transition are "reshaping" the rules, also bringing "new risks" such as stress, isolation, anxiety and excessive fatigue.
Blurred boundaries between work and private life
“The huge increase in remote working and digitalisation after Covid-19 has further blurred the boundaries between work and private life, leading to longer working hours and a culture of constant alertness that has had a serious impact on workers' health,” adds ETUC confederal secretary Giulio Romani.
"If more than 10,000 people were dying at work every year due to physical hazards, the Commission would rightly take urgent measures. They are needed now for this silent massacre," he stresses. (A2 Televizion)
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