stress head (Photo credit: ian boyd)Workplace stress and mental health issues in the state's public service are costing Tasmanian taxpayers millions of dollars.
The cost has risen to more than $100,000 a week as work pressure takes its toll on public servants.
The total workers' compensation bill for public servants was $30 million last financial year, up from $25 million in 2009-2010.
Statistics from WorkCover Tasmania show there were 181 mental health claims in the public sector last year at an average cost of $31,524, a total of about $5.5 million.
The figures come as the State Government cuts jobs from the public sector to plug a massive Budget black hole, prompting fears stress-related claims will grow as the cuts take effect.
Last week, the Menzies Research Institute and the Department of Health and Human
Services presented public lectures on Workers' Compensation and Stress in the Tasmanian State Service.
The workers' compo bill for stress at the DHHS alone is about $7.5 million for the past three years.
Until March this year, $1.6 million of the $4.9 million workers' compensation claims were for stress-related issues.
Workplace stress experts said yesterday that job insecurity was one of the main workplace-related risks to mental health and unions fear workplace stress is going to be an increasing problem as the workloads for public sector workers become more intense.
Senior lecturer in management from the University of Tasmania Dr Angela Martin said work groups that experienced increased threats to job security "can have an almost palpable level of anxiety".
"The majority of people don't cope well with uncertainty," she said.
Honorary secretary of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
Dr John Chalk said stress-related claims were particularly common in the key services of health, education and police.
Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Neroli Ellis said Budget cuts in health were already being felt by patients and nurses.
"The recent ANF survey indicated that 96 per cent of nurses believed there is more stress in the workplace as a result of the Budget cuts," Ms Ellis said.
"Losing valued colleagues, supporting patients and families who cannot get a bed or being told their surgery is cancelled, low morale and increasing stressful environments ... are common themes affecting nurses."
CPSU secretary Tom Lynch said workplace stress would become an increasing problem in the next four years with sweeping Budget cuts.
"I have seen a significant increase in the past twelve months," Mr Lynch said.
"I don't see any relief in the future. Statistics around the public service are embarrassing."
Liberal spokesman for police and emergency management Elise Archer said yesterday police had been asked to make cuts to the workforce for a number of years.
"We are now seeing additional cuts and we will see additional levels of stress," she said.
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