Great Britain: Royal Mail mental health training for employees with first-aid training

In the months ahead all Royal Mail’s first-aiders will be offered officially recognized mental health training. The program, which was agreed with the CWU union aims to guarantee staff a fresh form of assistance and support at a time when companies are more than ever grappling with staff mental health issues. In 2017, PM Theresa May made workplace mental health one of her priorities (c.f. article No. 10017). A government commissioned study has found that every year roughly 300,000 British workers lose their jobs due to mental health related issues.
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The majority Communication Workers Union (CWU) at Royal Mail was the main actor pushing for this agreement with management at the UK’s postal service. On 28 August, CWU national health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce stated, “We’re pleased at this significant step forward in recognizing the importance of mental health wellbeing ((of our members)) in the workplace.” So now Royal Mail first-aiders will be offered a nationally recognized Mental Health First Aid (MHFA – https://mhfaengla

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