TUC calls for anti-bullying laws, says 18 m working days lost due to bullying |
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Tue, 08 Nov 2005 01:35
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LONDON: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has found that as many as two million people were subjected to bullying at work places. Bullying results in a loss of 18 million working days a year as stressed out staff report sick, TUC added.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber wanted the government to introduce a new Dignity at Work bill, which should outlaw bullying and ensure workers had the protection of clear harassment and intimidation policies. TUC said many victims have been found to take sick leave as their employers are not effective in tackling the problem.
"The victims of bullying need to be listened to and supported, not dismissed as workplace wimps," he said
The TUC, which covered some 5,000 workers in its survey, found that in more than 75 per cent cases, the bully was a manager of supervisor. But, in several cases, the managers themselves complained that they were bullied by their bosses. In a similar survey by Unison and Acas, half of the middle managers queried responded saying they were bullying victims at the hands of their bosses.
The TUC survey was conducted as part of the Ban Bullying at Work Day.
The government has launched last month the Dignity at Work scheme, an anti-bullying campaign, backed by 1 million pound in government money and supported by firms such as the Royal Mail, British Airways and Legal & General and a charity working in the area, Andrea Adams Trust.
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