On October 9, 2024, the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) released a report highlighting the alarming state of mental health among Spanish workers. According to the report, 37% of employees in Spain suffer from stress, depression, or anxiety related to their jobs, which is significantly higher than the European Union average of 27%.
The report coincides with World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated on October 10. In the first nine months of 2024, Spain recorded over 468,000 work absences due to mental health issues, with projections indicating that this number will exceed 600,000 by the end of the year.
Key findings from the report reveal that 48% of workers experience significant time pressure or workload overload, surpassing the EU average of 46%. Furthermore, 19% report being subjected to violence or verbal abuse from clients or students, compared to the EU average of 16%.
Overall, 34% of the Spanish population faces some form of mental health issue, with women being disproportionately affected. Anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders are the most common problems. Disturbingly, an average of 11 people commit suicide each day in Spain, with provisional data indicating a total of 3,952 suicides in 2023.
UGT emphasizes that work conditions significantly impact mental health, with poor working conditions, job insecurity, and long hours being detrimental. The report calls attention to various psychosocial and organizational factors, such as hyperconnectivity and qualitative workload overload, that must be addressed to improve mental health in the workplace.
The union advocates for a comprehensive approach to tackle mental health issues at work, including better risk assessment and recognition of work-related psychosocial conditions. UGT believes that if these conditions were acknowledged as professional contingencies, they should be managed by Social Security Collaborating Mutual Societies, alleviating the burden on the public health system.
Additionally, UGT calls for an update to the Occupational Risk Prevention Law to reflect the evolving realities of work and enhance the management of psychosocial risks in companies. A social dialogue table on occupational risk prevention is currently open, with ongoing negotiations showing some progress.
Despite these discussions, UGT continues to demand the creation of specific regulations for managing work-related psychosocial risks and updating the list of occupational diseases to include those associated with these risks. At the European level, the union stresses the need for a community directive to protect all member states.