Activities of Milan BRGLEZ related to 2021/2098(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Mental health in the digital world of work (debate)
Amendments (41)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the right to physical and mental health is a fundamental humahealth is a fundamental human right indispensable for the exercise of other human rights and every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health conducive to living a life in rdightnity; whereas the WHO defines mental health as ‘a state of mental well-being in which people cope well with the many stresses of life, can realise their own potential, can function productively and fruitfully, and are able to contribute to their communities’10 ; __________________ 10 WHO, Mental Health: strengthening our response (Fact sheet, No. 220), 2018.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas according to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, everyone has the right of access to preventive health care and the right to benefit from medical treatment under the conditions established by national laws and practices, and a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all the Union's policies and activities;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the pandemic has changed the working conditions for many workers in Europe, highlighting new and current issues related to well-being in the workplace; whereas the COVID-19 crisis has placed extraordinary demands on healthcare and essential workers; whereas a demanding work environment, lack of protection and fears for safety, have led to a negative psychological impact of these frontline workers;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas according to Eurofound, 20 % of jobs in Europe were of ‘poor quality’ in 2017 and put the physical or mental health of workers at increased risk; whereas psychosocial risks can arise from bad organisation and management as well as unfair working conditions; whereas according to the OECD, financial uncertainty and job insecurity are risk factors associated with poor mental health; whereas strengthening public employment services and investing in long-term and quality jobs are key to combat poor mental health among workers;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B g (new)
Recital B g (new)
Bg. whereas according to EU-OSHA, psychosocial risks may result in negative psychological, physical and social outcomes such as work-related anxiety, burnout or depression; whereas working conditions leading to psychosocial risks may include excessive workloads, conflicting demands and lack of role clarity, lack of involvement in making decisions that affect the worker and lack of influence over the way the job is done, poorly managed organisational change, job insecurity, ineffective communication, lack of support from management or colleagues, psychological and sexual harassment, and third party violence;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B j (new)
Recital B j (new)
Bj. whereas workers experience stress when the demands of their job are excessive and greater than their capacity to cope with them; whereas in addition to mental health problems, workers suffering from prolonged stress can go on to develop serious physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease or musculoskeletal problems;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B k (new)
Recital B k (new)
Bk. whereas for work-organisation, the negative effects of psychosocial risks include poor overall business performance, increased absenteeism and presentism (workers turning up for work when sick and unable to function effectively) and increased accident and injury rates; whereas, absences tend to be longer than those arising from other causes, and work-related stress may contribute to increased rates of early retirement; whereas the cost to businesses and society are significant;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the mental well-being of those facing financial uncertainty, as well as of vulnerable populationgroups, including ethnic minorities, women, the LGBTI+ community, the elderly, persons with disabilities and young people; whereas the mental health of young people has worsened significantly during the pandemic, with problems related to mental health doubling in several Member States compared to the pre-crisis level;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas self-employed workers are excluded from the scope of application of the strategic framework for health and safety at work; whereas all workers should be equally and fully protected against psychosocial risks by the European occupational health and safety framework; whereas the new OSH framework 2021-2027 lacks efficient measures to prevent psychosocial risks at the workplace; whereas evidence shows that non-legislative measures are insufficient for psychosocial risks prevention; whereas approaches to and legislation on psychosocial risks vary significantly indifferent Member States;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas workplace issues that affect mental health include job burnout, harassment, violence, stigma and discrimination; whereas last year, the WHO revealed that worldwide more than 300 million people suffer from work- related mental disorders such as burnout, anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress; whereas one in four European workers feel work has a negative impact on their health12 ; __________________ 12 Eurofound, 6th European Working Condition Survey, 2017.
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the costs of mental ill health are estimated at more than 4 % of GDP across all EU Member States in 2015; whereas the cost of work-related depression has been estimated at EUR 620 billion a year, resulting in EUR 240 billion lost economic output13 ; __________________ 13 Opinion of the Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in Health (EXPH): ‘Supporting mental health of health workforce and other essential workers‘, 2021.
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F g (new)
Recital F g (new)
Fg. whereas there are multiple occupational risk factors resulting from having AI systems managing work such as algorithms; whereas workers are concerned about the amount of personal data companies collect about them; whereas the feeling of being permanently observed is a risk factor in itself; whereas invasive technological control and lack of privacy can cause various psychosocial risks such as techno-stress, techno- anxiety, techno-fatigue or burnout; whereas Directive89/391/EEC states that ‘The employer shall have the duty to ensure the safety and health of the workers in every aspect related to the work’ and companies are obliged to perform assessments of occupational risks, i.e., the risks to workers’ safety and health from workplace hazards; whereas such assessments involve a systematic examination of all aspects of work, looking at what could cause injury or harm, whether the hazards can be eliminated and, if not, what preventive or protective measures are, or should be in place, to control the risks;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F i (new)
Recital F i (new)
Fi. whereas high rates of workers are moving to platform work, non-traditional work or atypical employment; whereas those workers may be subjected to increased psychosocial risks at work because of unpredictable working hours, job instability, lack of clarity in working relations, abusive control and surveillance as well as isolation;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F k (new)
Recital F k (new)
Fk. whereas according to the 13a OECD , around 39% of workers suddenly shifted to telework at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the number increased afterwards; whereas people who regularly work from home are more than twice as likely to work in excess of the requisite maximum 48 hours per week; whereas almost 30 % of teleworkers report working in their free time every day or several times a week; whereas the risk of suffering work-related mental illnesses is directly associated with an increased workload and pressure, excessive working hours and unhealthy work-life balance; whereas there are gender differences in the use of telework and women are at higher risk of suffering the negative consequences of working remotely; __________________ 13a https://read.oecd- ilibrary.org/view/?ref=1094_1094455- bukuf1f0cm&title=Tackling-the-mental- health-impact-of-the-COVID-19-crisis- An-%20integrated-whole-of-society- response.%20
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F l (new)
Recital F l (new)
Fl. whereas telework can blur existing lines between work and private life, implying higher work intensity and control; whereas the increase in working hours and blurring professional and personal boundaries may exacerbate online harassment even further; whereas harassment and bullying have a severe impact on workers mental health;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F m (new)
Recital F m (new)
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Regrets that during the COVID-19 pandemic, worker’s mental health has been affected by many factors including education, health, economic, employment and social inclusion policies and poverty; calls for mental health to urgently be tackled by cross-sectional policiand stressors such as financial insecurity, fear to unemployment, insufficient health and safety protections, technostress, isolation, high work intensity and control, lack of conciliation and the increase of working hours; calls on the Commission for the protection of worker’s mental health that should be an integral part of OSH preparedness plans to prevent for future health crises;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis have caused a huge strain on the well-being of EU citizens, with higher rates of stress, anxi, together with the use of new digital technologies have caused a huge strain on the well-being of EU workers, with an increasing prevalence of work-related psychosocial risks; highlights that supporting the mental health of workers and reversing the causes of work related stress is fundamental for the workers long term health perspective, their integration in the labour markety and depressions well as for the well-functioning of the public services and the economy;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the EU institutions and Member States to recognise the high levels ofincreasing number of work-related mental health dissueorders across the EU, and commit to actions regulating and implementing a world of work whichwith regulatory actions that protects workers’ mental health andin a digital world-of-work, prevent risks and ensures full social protection rights;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Regrets the fact that the TEU allows for more EU action on health than has actually been taken; considers mental health to be the next health crisis and thaturges the Commission must examine all relevant possibilities to tackle this, including the urgent creation of an EU Mental Health Strategyto take action and tackle all potential risks through binding legislation and the urgent creation of an EU Mental Health Strategy; insists that poor mental health affects workers’ wellbeing and implies costs for welfare systems, triggering health care and social security expenditure;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that the pandemic has demonstrated the need forto coordinated at the EU-level action to respond to health emergencies, revealing shortcomings in foresight, including in preparedness and response tools; stresses in this sense that it is essential to adopt mental health risks prevention plans in all companies;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Applauds the frontline staffand essential workers who sacrificed their own well-being to perform life-saving work during the pandemic; calls for Member States to ensure that theyduring the pandemic; calls on the Commission and the Member States to commit the necessary resources in order to ensure that such a sacrifice is not demanded again, ensuring that workers have immediate access to adequate mental health resources and protection;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recognises that quality employment can provide individuals with purpose and a sense of identity; emphasises the positive relationship between good mental health and work productivity;14is necessary to provide workers with decent living standards; emphasises the positive relationship between good working conditions, high salaries, mental health, productivity14, wellbeing and quality of life; stresses that collective agreements, decent wages, active labour market programmes for quality employment and investing in public employment services can help to combat psychosocial risks by providing opportunities for a stable quality job and adequate social protection; __________________ 14 OSHWiki, Mental Health at Work
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that proactive approaches to digitalisation, such as flexible work houdigitalisation must be strictly regulated to help to mitigate work- related anxiety and other mental disorders; notes that artificial intelligence systems as well as the use of digital tools for control and management at the workplace, and remote work practices, are negatively impacting working conditions, the health and safety of workers, and establishing employee assistance programmes, can help to mitigate work-related stress; notes that artificial intelligence systems may provide further options for this; increasing the cases of harassment, bullying and cyberbullying; stresses that if psychosocial risk factors are not addressed adequately at the workplace, workers might suffer from tensions at work that can turn into bullying and related violent practices that have a negative impact on their mental health; notes that online harassment tends to disproportionately impact the most vulnerable groups who are younger, female and LGBTQ workers; stresses that only 60% of Member States have specific legislation to address workplace bullying and violence at work, and thus calls on the Commission and Member States to propose adapted mandatory measures to reverse and tackle this increasing problematic at work and protect the victims with all necessary resources;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes Directive (EU) 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers as it provides flexibility and alleviates work-related issues; stresses however, that women continue to be disproportionately affected; ; stresses however, that women continue to be disproportionately affected by job instability and the negative effects of new mechanisms such as telework, that requires greater flexibility associated with permanent availability and an increase of work intensity, what makes it difficult to combine with caring responsibilities; calls on the Member States to encourage an equal share of caring responsibilities between women and men through non- transferable paid leave periods between the parents which would allow women to increasingly engage in full-time employment; highlights that women are in higher risk of suffering of stress, exhaustion, burn-out, and psychological violence due to new telework arrangements and the lack of regulation to control abusive labour practices;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that the swift shift to teleworking during the pandemic and the consequent flexibility it provided to employees could improve work-life balance; encourages companies to provide clear and transparent rules on teleworking arrangementprovided to workers better work-life balance but also led to risks on workers mental health due to an increase of working hours, isolation, high job intensity, massive control and surveillance, and blurred boundaries between private and professional life among many other factors; calls on the Commission to propose a legislative framework with a view to establishing minimum requirements for telework across the Union; notes that this framework should be developed in consultation with social partners and should clarify the working conditions, including regarding the provision and use of and liability for equipment, covering existing and new digital tools, at a time that ensures that such work is carried out on a voluntary basis and that the rights, work-life balance, health and safety, workloads and performance standards of teleworkers are equivalent and comparable to on-site workers without unfair repercussions; stresses that this legislative initiative should be based on a comprehensive assessment, including of the psychosocial risks associated with digital and remote working practises;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers the right to disconnect essential to ensuring theworkers mental well- being of employees; reiterates its calls on the Commission to propose legislation requiring line managers to set minimum requirements for remote working, and as a preventive approach against work-related psychosocial risks; reiterates its calls on the Commission to propose a directive on the right to disconnect without further delay;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Ddirectives on the minimum safety and health requirements in the workplace and fors well as the work display screen equipment may open up opportunities for improvingdirective, if revised and updated, can contribute to the protection of all workers using digital devices, including platform workers and self-employed;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that AI solutions in the workplace must be ethical and human- centric, transparent, fair and avoid any negative implications for workers’ mental health; recalls that the pandemic has only highlighted the risks of a new digital economy, that is transforming the nature and organisation of work, and have dire consequences on the working conditions by increasing control, surveillance and pressure, work-loads and working hours, creating work-complexity, eradicating transparency and social interaction, and deeply affecting the health and safety of workers, including mental health; is concerned about the lack of knowledge of internal functioning of algorithms which can make the health risks they entail, go unnoticed, causing insufficient preventive measures to be taken; considers that by addressing issues such as privacy, vigilance and tracking, non- discrimination and ethical aspects, the EU must protect workers against surveillance at the workplace; highlights that tracking apps to monitor workers as well as recruitment discrimination due to the use of algorithms or employment screenings services in breach of data protection, represent dangerous trends and have to be urgently tackled; calls in this regard on the Commission, to urgently present a Directive to regulate the use of AI technologies at the workplace in views of protecting workers from health and safety risks, including mental health risks derived from discrimination, health and safety concerns of machine decisions, hyper-connectivity and macro surveillance; calls, in particular, for the introduction of safeguards against the adverse impacts of algorithmic management on the health and safety of workers; stresses that algorithms deployed in the areas of work must be transparent, non-discriminatory and ethical, and that algorithmic decisions must be accountable, contestable and, where relevant, reversible, and consequently must be subject to human oversight; calls for this directive to include a specific mandatory risk assessment that should be established as part of the occupational risk prevention plan and carried out by an expert in occupational risks;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Is concerned about the disconnect between current policy on mental health and attitudes in the workplace creating stigma; emphasises that due to stigma and discrimination, employees often feel unable to discuss mental health issues; recognises that employees who return after mental health leave are often poorly accommodated; calls for workplaceon Member States and the Commission to ensure that employers fulfil their obligations to provide support and clear information about their in- house mental health support services;15 __________________ 15 WTW, 2021 Employee Experience Surveyto all affected workers, and to ensure a fair reintegration into the workplace;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that the current measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers are not effective for the assessment and management of psychosocial riskimprove the mental health and safety of workers are insufficient and non-effective, especially the assessment and management of psychosocial risks; highlights the importance of ensuring proper compensation claim options for workers in cases of mental occupational diseases; calls thus on the Commission to recognise anxiety, depression and burnout as occupational diseases, to establish mechanisms for their prevention and theview the Commission recommendation concerning the European Schedule of Occupational Diseases of 2003, for the inclusion of work-related mental-health disorders such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and burnout as occupational diseases, and to include it into a directive that sets out minimum requirements for their recognition, ensuring adequate compensation for affected workers; stresses the need as well to establish mechanisms for prevention and to ensure the adequate and fair reintegration into the workplace of those affected workers, and to move from individual-level actions to a work organisation approach16 ; __________________ 16 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (2021), Telework and health risks in the context of the covidovid-19 pandemic: evidence from the field and policy implications, 2021.;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Acknowledges that when tackling psychosocial risks, the national labour inspectorates can have an important role by enforcing preventive and/or corrective interventions in the context of work; calls on the ELA to work on a common strategy for the national labour inspectorates to tackling psychosocial risks, including the design of a common framework with regard to psychosocial risks evaluation and management, and the different labour inspectors' training needs;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. CallsBelieves that Council Directive 89/391/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, may not prove effective enough for the digital world of work in the 21st century and the latest developments in labour markets, including the assessment and management of psychosocial risks; points out that the new EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027, rightly notes that changes in the work environment are required to tackle psychosocial wellbeing hazards but only focuses on individual level interventions, what is a limited aspect of psychosocial risks mitigation; stresses that a common basis for safeguarding the mental health of all workers is urgently needed, as they are not protected to the same extension across EU Member States, either by current EU legislation; calls in this regard on the Commission to propose, in consultation with the social partners, a directive on psychosocial risks and well- being at work aiming to effectively prevent psychosocial risks in the workplace; considers that occupational safety and health prevention policies should also involve employees in the identification and prevention of psychosocial risks; of, inter alia, anxiety, depression, burnout, and stress, and including mechanisms for the effective prevention of such risks, and for the reintegration into the workplace of affected employees, shifting from individual-level actions to a work organisation approach, in line with the general principles of hierarchy of prevention included in Directive 89/391/EEC;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that it is essential for managworkers to be provided with the psychosocial training required to adapt to work organisation practices and foster a deep understanding of negative mmandatory and free training on the prevention of work-related psychosocial risks with managerial staff receiving also specialised training to ensure better work organisation practices and foster a deep understanding of work-related risks causing mental health disorders; believes that trade unions must play a central health and the workplacerole in the design and implementation of these trainings together with employers; highlights the need to provide means for labour inspectorates, including further funding and training to ensure they can adequately protect workers, and apply sanctions when needed;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
A modern world of work for healthy and resilient labourthe wellbeing of workers
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underlines that given the lack of sufficient mental health support and policies in the workplace, employees often have to relyadequate support and mechanisms to prevent psychosocial risks at work, and to help affected employees suffering from work-related mental health disorders, they often have to rely on private and non- affordable services or on services provided by non- governmental organisations (NGOs); calls for workplaces to ensure employees have access to in-house mental health support and remedion the Commission and the Member States to coordinate health and safety services in order to provide access to in-house mental health support and for full protection and information; highlights that when in-house services are unavailable, it should be mandatory to establish dedicated bodies at the workplace assisted by mental health professional and with the involvement of trade unions or workers representatives;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recognises that the lack of statistics on the prevalence of mental health illnessues withinat the workplace undermines the need for urgena fast intervention; calls for Eurostat to gather statistics which includeon public institutions, experts and the research community, to collaborate and gather up- to-date data of work-related mental ill health and its negative impactrisks and impact among other factors, to support the creation of accurate and effective binding mechanisms;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Is concerned that entrepreneurs and SMEs in particularSMEs are in need of support to promote mental health awareness in the workplace and calls for EU-level efforts to assist them in risk assessment and the implementation of good practices;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Points out that 64 % of young people between 18 and 34 were at risk of depression in 2021 due to lack of employment, financial and educational prospects, as well as loneliness and social isolation and financial stability; calls on the Commission to address the disruption in access to the labour market which has put young people at greater risk of experiencing mental health dissues17 ; __________________ 17 OECD, Supporting young people’s mental health through the COVID-19 crisis, 2021, and European Youth Forum, ‘Beyond Lockdown: The ‘Pandemic Scar’ on Young People’.orders;