Tory mayoral candidate vows ‘mental health covenant’ for TfL staff
Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey has pledged to offer more mental health support to Transport for London (TfL) staff if elected mayor as figures show increasing levels of psychological distress among the workforce.
Bailey told Morning Wire that he would create a “mental health covenant” for TfL workers in a similar vein to existing programmes for the police and the armed forces.
Bailey’s team said the covenant amounted to “a pledge to go above and beyond to protect the rights and safeguard the wellbeing” of London’s transport workers.
Figures released by London’s transport body showed last year there was a 29 per cent increase in the number of days “taken off by TfL staff citing a mental health problem”.
This could potentially be as a result of the 25 per cent increase in violent assaults on TfL staff between 2016 and 2019.
A recent survey from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) also showed 72 per cent of the UK’s frontline transport workers had experience violence while on the job.
“If 72 per cent of frontline staff in a private company were attacked, the chairman would be forced to act,” Bailey said.
“But instead of protecting TfL staff, Sadiq Khan ignored them.
“He ignored violence against them, he ignored the increase in mental health issues and he ignored bus drivers when they called for PPE.
“As mayor, I’ll take my responsibilities seriously. I’ll start with a new mental health covenant for TfL staff, requiring the Mayor to take action when the mental health of TfL staff is at risk.”
A spokesperson for Khan said the rise in days lost to mental health reflects a UK-wide trend.
“The health and wellbeing of transport staff is a key priority for the mayor and TfL and we continue to work to reduce the stigma around mental health,” they said.
“TfL already has a wide range of support in place for its staff, including a dedicated mental health team and mental health first aider training.
“We are determined to do all we can to protect and support staff which is why body worn cameras started being rolled out across the network in August following a successful trial. Figures show the cameras can reduce assaults by almost half (47 per cent) and all assaults are fully investigated to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The announcement comes a day before World Mental Health Day tomorrow.
The day was created in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health and aims to create awareness about, and reduce stigma of, mental health issues.