Union targets not for profit stress

Union targets not for profit stress

Voluntary sector union reps are being armed with campaign strategies to challenge funding-driven changes that could heap additional stress on their members. Unite organised a stress at work conference this week, saying its 60,000 members in the sector are feeling the increasing pressure of central and local government spending cuts and the pursuit, by some managers, of a 'more for less' contract culture. Rachael Maskell, Unite national officer for the not for profit sector, said: 'Unite believes that it is essential that we equip managers and organisations with the tools to ensure that your workplace is a safe place to work and that strategies, policies and practices are developed to ensure that you are not put under stress at work.' She added: 'When Unite surveyed its members in the sector last year, 92 per cent said that they were experiencing stress at work, so there is an urgency to tackling these issues. The coalition's vision that the voluntary sector will pick up the services that have been axed by government - without any regard to the financial squeeze many charities are grappling with, and the pressures of long hours, unreasonable workloads, and job insecurity that our members are facing - is misguided.' According to the Unite officer: 'The big society is a Tory marketing slogan to get something for nothing, which won't help those in need of charities' assistance and expertise.'

Unite news release.