European trade groups are vowing to fight workplace violence
and harassment in a recently signed agreement that calls for zero tolerance of
such behavior.
The four European social partners committed themselves to
implementing by 2010 a program that will “provide employers, workers and their
representatives with a framework to identify, prevent and manage problems of
harassment and violence at work,” according to the agreement they signed in late
April in Brussels, Belgium.
The partners are the European Trade Union Confederation, the
European Centre of Enterprises With Public Participation & Enterprises of
General Economic Interest, the Confederation of European Businesses and the
European Association of Craft, Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises.
The agreement condemns all forms of harassment and violence
and points out the employer’s duty to protect workers. It calls for companies to
set out procedures to follow when cases arise and stresses that complaints
should be quickly investigated.
Filed by Michael Bradford of Business Insurance, a sister publication
of Workforce Management. To comment,
e-mail editors@workforce.com.
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