Scotland´s largest teaching union – the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) – has revealed that more than 650,000 pounds was paid out to its members in occupational injury compensation, including one six-figure payment for stress in the workplace.

The unnamed teacher was awarded the compensation for stress after their employer refused to respond to the teachers concerns of an excessive workload. The teacher consequently sustained a stress-related psychiatric injury and received their compensation for stress in the workplace in an out-of-court settlement.

The General Secretary of the EIS, Ronnie Smith, commented that “The growth in the number of cases involving psychiatric injury and stress-related illness must be a warning to employers that they need to take account of their employees’ mental, as well as physical, wellbeing. The fact that this record compensation award arose from a workload-related case, which was compounded by a lack of management support, is no coincidence.”

A Scottish government spokesman said that they expect councils to take appropriate action to minimise the risk of stress in the workplace for teachers