Torbay LG Branch - Schools Portal

Violence and aggression are not part of the job, declared UNISON's national delegate conference today, reaffirming the union's commitment to protecting public service workers.

If it's wrong for it to happen to you walking along the high street, it's wrong for it to happen to you at work, delegates said. UNISON's campaigning has already done much to raise awareness of attacks on workers just doing their jobs, they heard.

But the abuse continues, despite an increased number of employers adopting measures such as zero tolerance policies and training staff in conflict resolution. It is not acceptable, agreed conference. And it has to stop. It is traumatic, and the impact on members is devastating, said NEC member Paul Thompson. "We have seen people killed; we see them suffer horrific injuries and left with career-destroying illnesses."

As a union, we must protect our members and send a clear message we will not tolerate this, he said. Conference heard that too many employers are not carrying out proper risk assessments, are not supporting staff who have been attacked, and are not working with the police to pursue prosecutions.

The result? Sickness levels increase and morale hits rock bottom. "The statistics are staggering," said East Midlands regional rep Ros Norman – and that's only the figures we know about.

The union is calling for proper systems for reporting and recording incidents, throughout the public service and in all parts of the UK. That 60,385 NHS staff – that's one in 22 – are physically assaulted by patients or their families every year is a matter of public record. But in some sectors, no one is even collecting the figures. And many attacks go unreported at all – including much of the verbal abuse hurled at workers on a daily basis.