Plans fall short, say unions
Reforms put forward by a parliamentary working group to address bullying and harassment at Westminster “are nowhere near sufficient” to establish dignity at work and will not address deep cultural problems, according to the Unite general union.
Responding to a statement by Commons leader Andrea Leadsom in December, Unite said the working group had made limited progress. The union called for formal union recognition, which would stop activists having “one arm tied behind their back” as they try to tackle sexual harassment and bullying“ on an all too regular basis”.
“There needs to be a long-term dignity at work strategy in place with staff involvement at the heart of the strategy,” said Unite national officer Siobhan Endean. “Unless staff have a collective voice, and have the confidence that they will be listened to, the bullying culture will prevail.”
The journalists’ NUJ union, which has a chapel (workplace union organisation) in Parliament representing SNP workers, welcomed a new overarching framework to tackle abuse at work, HR support and better training. But it said it was disappointed that the working group did not make further commitments as part of the programme of immediate work.
NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet called for robust procedures to be “implemented and adhered to” and “swift progress on promises made”.