Workplace stress: It’s time to lift it

This World Day for Safety and Health focuses on the toll taken on the health and wellbeing of workers worldwide by stress in their working environment.

Target 8 of Goal 8 of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for ‘safe and secure working environments for all workers’ – securing safe workplaces extends beyond the protection of workers’ physical safety to their mental and psychological wellbeing.

From left: Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations State Secretary Sunil Abeywardena, Employers’ Federation of Ceylon Director General Kanishka Weerasinghe, Sri Lanka Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya General Secretary Leslie Devendra, ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Donglin Li and National Institute of Occupation and Health Director General Dr. Champika Amarasinghe

Work-related stress affects workers in all professions in developed and developing countries alike. It can gravely harm not only workers’ health but also, and all too often, the wellbeing of their families.  

The ILO is committed to work with governments, workers and employers and their organisations around the globe to design and implement effective national, regional and enterprise level policies to prevent and minimise work-related stress. At national level, building and maintaining such a culture requires making use of all available means to increase general awareness, knowledge of hazards and risks, and understanding of their prevention and control. Tripartite national commitment and national action are essential in fostering lasting improvements in safety and health at work. 

The ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, together with the Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) and Trade Unions commemorated the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April in Colombo. This year’s theme is on ‘workplace stress, a collective challenge’ and the campaign is intended to focus attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health. 

Addressing the gathering, ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Donglin Li said, “Together we must create the partnerships and collectively work towards managing work place stress towards protection of workers against sickness, disease, and injury arising out of employment related stress in order to build a better tomorrow for all.”

Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations State Secretary Sunil Abeywardena stated that the ministry and the Department of Labour and the relevant institutes under their purview are dedicated to work towards uplifting occupational safety and health standards. The ministry strongly believes that prevention of occupational injuries and diseases is the Government’s prime duty. Abeywardena also congratulated ILO for the initiatives and commitment to promote a culture of occupational safety and health within Sri Lanka.

EFC Director General Kanishka Weerasinghe stated, “A happy and a contended workforce without stress is the only way of sustaining a business.” He further stated, “We at the EFC and our members have placed OSH and issues of social dialogue and workplace cooperation very high on the agenda and we try to propagate these same values within the employer segment throughout the country.”

Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya General Secretary Leslie Devendra stated that workplace stress is caused by unhealthy workplace relations. He emphasised on the importance of attitudinal changes, such as being courteous to each other and trying to resolve workplace disputes without hurting the dignity of each other regardless of their position through social dialogue which will not only affect positively productivity but also promote a more contended work force.