Action urged to protect public sector staff as figures show rise in assaults

A union has called for “urgent action” after figures revealed more than 75,000 assaults on public service workers were reported last year.

The statistics, obtained by Unison using freedom of information legislation, show 75,411 physical or verbal assaults on public service workers were reported in the year to March – an average of 206 incidents each day.

Unison said that was a rise of more than 9,500 (15%) incidents compared with the year before.

The figures show more than three in five assaults (63%) were against local authority workers, particularly staff in educational settings.

Just under a quarter (24%) of the incidents involved staff working for health boards – with 18,579 incidents reported, a rise of 1,700 on the previous year.

There were also 6,943 “violent incidents” in councils – an increase of 17% on the previous year.

Unison Scotland health and safety committee chairman Scott Donohoe described the figures as “troubling”.

He added: “Violence at work remains a massive issue in public services across Scotland.

“No-one should face verbal abuse or physical assault simply for doing their job, yet thousands of workers are being attacked as they try to deliver vital community services.

“Staff are increasingly bearing the brunt of frustration from the public, often due to delays, staff shortages or services being cut altogether. For local councils, there’s a clear link between service cuts and rising violence.

“In the NHS, the workforce crisis is also a key factor.

“Employers and the Scottish Government must take urgent action to protect staff. That means fully recording every incident, following up appropriately and providing real support to workers affected.”

Unison compiled the figures by collecting data from local authorities, healthboards, social landlords and other bodies delivering public services.

A spokesperson for Cosla, which represents local authorities in Scotland, said: “Councils take the health and safety of their workforce and those that access their services very seriously.

“Every effort is made to ensure that work environments are safe and secure spaces. In schools, we also want to make sure that they are welcoming and nurturing – not only for children and young people but for our workforce as well.

“If any employee feels unsafe, they should raise this with their line manager in the first instance, and follow local authority protocols in terms of alerting senior officers.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Attacks on anyone in the workplace are completely unacceptable.

“The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with assaults, with penalties all the way up to life imprisonment.

“We fully support law enforcement agencies using their powers to deal with attacks and would encourage workers to report any incidents to their employer and the police.

“Everyone has a role to play in preventing violence and harm, including the need for employers to promote and support employee safety at work.”