Whats the cause of workplace violence?
by Dave Sherry Privatisation and underfunding put enormous strain on frontline public sector workers. Dealing with abuse and violence from angry individuals is now a big concern. Recently low paid civil servants who administer benefits had to take strike action because bosses decided to remove safety screens at work. Some claimants, enraged at the treatment meted out by the government, vent their frustration on counter staff. Last week public sector union officials representing NHS staff and schoolteachers in Scotland spoke out against threats and assaults on union members by individual patients and aggressive pupils. UNISON official Jim Devine highlighted the increasing incidences of violent assault on NHS staff – particularly on those who work in casualty departments. He wants the Scottish Executive to use the police and the courts as a deterrent to patients or members of the public who threaten hospital staff. He wants more prosecutions and stiffer sentencing. On Newsnight Scotland,
