Bullying must be ousted from the workplace

Nobody should suffer harassment, discrimination and bullying at work – it is not only harmful and degrading, but it also makes employees unproductive and uncertain of their role in a company. Companies should also remember they have a legal duty of care towards their employees and they should confront bullying wherever it comes from – managers or co-workers. Unite holds a number of good agreements with some major companies in manufacturing that provide for detailed policies and practices on fairness and dignity at work. But I have met employers who felt that what was clearly unfair treatment was harmless – sometimes dismissed as 'a bit of banter'. I have also met managers and supervisors who have ignored blatant bullying because they don't know how to deal with it, so it is important that senior staff and union reps are trained to deal with bullying at work and to spot the signs early and put a stop to it. Everyone in a company should know that bullying and harassment takes various forms: offensive attention, exclusion, physical and verbal abuse and comments that undermine workers. We have found that women, disabled, workers from ethnic minorities as well as gay and lesbian workers and young people are mainly on the receiving end of unfair treatment. In this digital age, offensive or gossipy emails get circulated which are now treated as bullying. One worry is that, in the current climate, workers fearful of losing their employment may suffer in silence. That's why in Unite we will stand up and support any of our members who feel they are being unfairly treated and that we will ensure our reps know how to handle bullying cases and ensure that employers recognise their responsibilities.