Reps to help victims of domestic violence

The TUC has announced that 35,000 trade union reps in workplaces across the UK will be offered training to understand and support colleagues experiencing domestic violence.

The education programme follows a TUC report, Just a domestic, which looks at the experiences of trade union members who have faced domestic violence.

It found that 40% of victims had to take time off work to deal with the effects of violence.

However, only a third of the respondents who had experienced domestic violence told their employer about it.

The TUC union rep training programme on domestic violence was launched because, despite the impact of domestic violence on the well- being of employees and their working lives, most employers do not have a consistent policy to support employees.

TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "This is not about unions and employers intruding into the home. Domestic violence does not stay behind closed doors and its devastating effects do not stop when someone enters the workplace."

He added: "Unions and employers can play an important role in identifying whether a colleague is experiencing violence at home and offering support to the victim through the difficult period."

The TUC survey findings were submitted to the government consultation on proposals for tackling domestic violence. Plans for greater powers to protect victims of domestic violence from abusive partners were announced by the government last month, in the first domestic violence legislation for more than 30 years.