VAWG in the Workplace
As part of our 16 Days of Activism, we invited Kerry McCrone from the Scottish Trade Union Centre (STUC) Women’s Committee to consider violence against women and girls in the workplace. The STUC Women’s Committee campaigns on a wide-range of areas affecting women in Scotland and beyond, working to tackle gender-based discrimination and inequality.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE WORKPLACE
Gender based violence at work is an issue that affects individuals across various industries and professions. Physical, emotional, and sexual violence is rooted in gender inequality and power imbalances. Trade unions are crucial in providing a powerful platform for collective action, legal advocacy, and systemic change.
The STUC Women’s Committee’s “Still Silent” report 2024, reported that online abuse has worsened and instances of sexual harassment has stayed the same since the first survey in 2022 “Silence is Compliance”.
Media outlets continue to give figures such as Andrew Tate a platform to spread their misogynistic rhetoric, such as rape victims having to bear responsibility for their attacks. Violence against women is being normalised as a way of life: this has to stop.
The 2024 STUC Women’s Conference heard contributions from teenage schoolgirls highlighting how from an early age girls experience sexism, harassment, and misogyny. It is shocking that children and teenagers are on the receiving end of these behaviours: they told us “Girls at school are reporting it more and more”. Good. It’s time the silence is broken.
Urgent action is needed to tackle the widespread but often hidden issue of sexual harassment in schools, towards both staff and pupils: that’s why the STUC Women’s Committee has resolutely supported calls for the delivery of compulsory, high quality sex and relationships education in schools.
Our Trade Union Equality reps all too often hear of the harassment and violence experienced by members at work, from teachers to rail workers, from office staff to firefighters. No one goes to their work to be abused or harassed yet the workplace can sometimes be an environment which causes physical or mental injury. Trade union reps are well versed to provide support to those affected and to ensure the employer holds the perpetrator to account.
The STUC Women’s Committee advocates for stronger protections, clearer policies, and more effective reporting mechanisms to address sexual harassment in the workplace. There must be a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of harassment with clear consequences for perpetrators. Mandatory training around workplace violence and harassment, as well as the introduction of ‘safe home’ policies, has also been prioritised by the STUC Women’s Committee campaign.
Following trade union lobbying and campaigning, from October 2024, the Workers Protection Act introduces a new duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent workers being sexually harassed in the workplace. Whilst welcome, the issue of sexual harassment, gender-based violence in the workplace, and in wider society remains endemic. Tackling it will require a multifaceted approach.
We want to see stronger support systems for victims of workplace violence, including access to counselling, legal assistance, and flexible working arrangements to help those affected to recover and remain in the workforce.
We must all work together to ensure a more equal workplace which is safe and accessible for all. Violence has no place in our workplaces or our society. It is trade unions that are at the forefront of driving forward change. Our collective strength is our power.
Author - Kerry McCrone, STUC Women’s Committee
