Bullying at Work Must Be Tackled Effectively, Says Unison
Employee union Unison has given a call for proactive and effective measures to tackle the issue of bullying at workplace. A recent survey by the union revealed that many disabled workers are subject to bullying and harassment in their offices.
The statistics revealed this week by Unison showed that a significant 35% of respondents felt they were bullied at work. Of these, 22% claimed that the issue has yet to be addressed or resolved. Most of those surveyed felt that their disability was a main reason in the bullying. The conclusion of the study that more than a third of disabled employees are victims of this problem comes as a rude awakening, especially after another survey by Unison recently showed that one of every three female employees are harassed or bullied at work.
Following this revelation, Unison has teamed up with Company Magazine to lodge a protest against this attitude prevalent in companies. It has launched an initiative termed ‘Bully Busters’ campaign to take up the cause of the victims. An appeal has been made to the Government to bring in more provisions into the existing Dignity in the Workplace Bill to enable effective chastisement of offending employees.
Unison wants employers to take up the responsibility of ensuring abuse-free work environment for disabled people whose contribution to the organisation is no less than other employees.
Dave Prentis, Unison General Secretary, pointed out that prolonged abuse of this kind can lead to severe mental and physical ailments in the victims. It is imperative that employers take strict measures to curb the issue, he stated.
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