Six-figure settlement for stressed teacher

A member of teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has received a record six-figure settlement in an occupational stress case.

The settlement, which was agreed out of court, was awarded following the employer’s failure to act upon repeated reports of excessive workload which led to the member suffering from stress-related psychiatric injury.

EIS General Secretary Ronnie Smith said: "Occupational stress is a major problem facing teachers and lecturers. The growth in the number of cases involving psychiatric injury and stress-related illness must be a warning to employers that they need to take account of their employees’ mental, as well as physical, wellbeing."

"The fact that this record compensation award arose from a workload-related case, which was compounded by a lack of management support, is no coincidence. This clearly illustrates just how serious such injuries can be, and the heavy price that employers will have to pay if they fail in their obligations to protect their staff.”

"Employers should be using the Health and Safety Executive’s stress management standards and trying to reduce and control the levels of stress caused by work activities. Stress-related illnesses are extremely serious and can take a huge toll on the individual concerned.

"The long-term effects can be significant, and recovery can take a long period of time. While the EIS supports members in stress-related claims, our preference would always be for such cases to be avoided completely. Employers must tackle the causes of stress, for example by controlling workload, and they must also provide appropriate support for teaching staff who are experiencing stress.”

For more information visit: www.eis.org.uk/public.asp?id=1817&dbase=2

Article appears thanks to RoSPA