work related suicide rise - a sign of the times

ILW

The average Irish Kamikaze pilot flew over 100 missions.

Really2

ILW wrote: »

The average Irish Kamikaze pilot flew over 100 missions.

In tanks and boats.

i8change

I don't disagree that there are horrible versions of religions, of government, of lack of freedom of choice all round the world and don't separate Islamic intolerance from Christian intolerance, its not right to bomb abortion clinics either.

The crucial seperation lies in whether the intolerance has the backing of the State, as in South African apartheid, or whether the state offers you protection, as in the case of abortion clinic workers. Mr Rahman and others like him don't have that protection.

bendix

ninky wrote: »

Another call centre worker kills themselves at France Telecom...

"The suicides are disturbing because they are, on one level, a modern plague with implications well beyond France. The number of suicides, especially work-related suicides, has been increasing in almost all developed nations.
The France Telecom victims have mostly been previously well-adjusted people in their 40s and 50s whose familiar working lives have been turned upside down by the triumph of the mobile telephone and the internet. Tens of thousands of France Telecom workers were once needed to deal with physical repair or installation work on land lines. Others dealt with familiar business clients. Frequently, they worked in teams.
The decline of land lines and the transformation of France Telecom into a successful mobile phone and internet provider has abolished the need for many of these jobs. But the employees remain.
Long-standing telecoms workers retain the protected status of French public servants. France Telecom cannot easily make them redundant. Instead, the company, which was spun-off in 1996 and became majority private-owned in 2004, is accused of adopting "bullying" tactics to "encourage" unwanted workers to leave the company. Many of the employees have been pitched overnight into faceless, high-pressure call-centres, where they are expected to compete for results against the person sitting in the next booth. "

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/why-are-so-many-france-telecom-workers-dying-1795171.html

When does paid employment become 'inhumane'? Should we be concerned?

So here it is . . another non-story. For a start the article already admits that France Telecom's suicide rate is less than that of general French society. In that respect, shouldn't France Telecom be congratulated for being a place where the moody French are less likely to commit suicide than if they didn't work there?

"Come to France Telecom - you're less likely to top yourself working in our offices."

Given that the suicide rate amongst FT is less than the national average, why are these portrayed as 'work-related.' What evidence is there that these suicides have ANYTHING to do with working for the company?

Utterly terrible journalism.

ninky_2

bendix wrote: »

Utterly terrible journalism.

pretty good journalism actually in that it presented both sides of the argument. unlike the marketing spin you put on it to encourage people to work there!

the fact that this is an issue is highlighted by this line...

"The France Telecom victims have mostly been previously well-adjusted people in their 40s and 50s"

so whilst the overall figures might suggest there is nothing to worry about it is the demographic of people killing themselves that suggests it is workplace related.

this is why there have been crisis talks with the french labour minister and the company has agreed to set up a hotline.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8257498.stm

there is also the fact that the suicides have left notes blaming work conditions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/09/france-telecom-staff-suicides-phone

of course, there would be some who will argue they were lucky to have a job.

ILW

ninky wrote: »

pretty good journalism actually in that it presented both sides of the argument. unlike the marketing spin you put on it to encourage people to work there!

the fact that this is an issue is highlighted by this line...

"The France Telecom victims have mostly been previously well-adjusted people in their 40s and 50s"

so whilst the overall figures might suggest there is nothing to worry about it is the demographic of people killing themselves that suggests it is workplace related.

this is why there have been crisis talks with the french labour minister and the company has agreed to set up a hotline.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8257498.stm

there is also the fact that the suicides have left notes blaming work conditions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/09/france-telecom-staff-suicides-phone

of course, there would be some who will argue they were lucky to have a job.

I would suspect that many of these have been doing cushy public sector type non-jobs for years, and have now been told they need to actually justify their salaries. This can come as a shock to some.

ILW

ninky wrote: »

centres, where they are expected to compete for results against the person sitting in the next booth. "

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/why-are-so-many-france-telecom-workers-dying-1795171.html

Sounds like the kick up the backside much of our public sector could do with.

ninky_2

ILW wrote: »

I would suspect that many of these have been doing cushy public sector type non-jobs for years, and have now been told they need to actually justify their salaries. This can come as a shock to some.

suicide is a little bit of an extreme reaction though.....you have no evidence their previous jobs were cushy.

i ask again, however, at what point (if any) does employment become inhumane?

ILW

ninky wrote: »

suicide is a little bit of an extreme reaction though.....you have no evidence their previous jobs were cushy.

i ask again, however, at what point (if any) does employment become inhumane?

If people are killing themselves because of their new roles, it would suggest they were cushy by comparison