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The retail union is providing workplace reps with assistance in identifying the causes, symptoms and effects of PTSD, to help increase knowledge, understanding and empower members to feel safe discussing this difficult subject.
Addressing the annual conference in the Winter Gardens, Dave McCrossen, Usdaw deputy general secretary, said: “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition which could affect anyone after experiencing traumatic events.
“This could be one incident, or a series of ongoing events. These events could include a bereavement with particularly upsetting circumstances, surviving a pandemic, something everyone in this room has experienced, or doing a job where you repeatedly see or hear distressing things.
“It is this last example which particularly highlights why PTSD awareness is so important to our members, our reps and our employers. While there may be a common misconception that PTSD only affects service veterans, this is simply not true.
“The condition can be caused by many types of traumatic events, including the violence and abuse that affects our members far too often.
“It is simply unacceptable that nearly one in five retail members were physically assaulted last year and this union remains committed to providing full support to all members who are attacked.
“We have already changed the law in Scotland. We have left the Tories with no choice but to change the law in England and Wales and we have introduced the Assaults at Work Grant for those members who are injured at work.
“There is more we can do to tackle the stigma of PTSD, to signpost members to sources of advice and support and negotiating better policies with employers.”
PTSD was among the concerns for retailers who participated in the recent Independent Retail News Crime Impact survey.
