A POLL by Unite found over one in five workers there had been sexually assaulted
A culture of sexual harassment has been exposed at Cardiff council, with a Unite poll finding incidents are endemic.
The poll of workers, which uniquely was sent to both men and women, found over one in five – 22 per cent – had been the victims of sexual assault while at work, travelling to work or at a work-related occurrence such as a conference. They had been assaulted by either a colleague, a manager or a third party such as a Cardiff council service user.
It also found 35 per cent of workers had been inappropriately touched without their consent, 34 per cent had been the recipient of unwanted flirting, gesturing or sexual remarks and 27 per cent had been shown porn at work.
This is the first time that Unite has conducted a workplace survey of both men and women regarding sexual harassment at a workplace and was a result of information it had received from members that this was an active problem for both sexes.
Meanwhile six per cent of respondents had been the victim of sexual coercion at Cardiff Council. This is when a person pressures, tricks, threatens, or manipulates someone into engaging in sexual activity without genuine consent.
Out of those who have had incidents at work, 45 per cent had this happen more than twice while 36 per cent had experienced it at least once.
Workers at Cardiff council say when they do report incidents, they are not taken seriously by management. Over two thirds, 69 per cent, of respondents said the issue was not addressed or tackled by management.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Staff safety should be among the highest priorities for employers, but the results of this survey are damning – workers at Cardiff council are clearly being failed by management.
“We will fight every step of the way to stamp out workplace harassment at Cardiff council. Every worker deserves a safe working environment and what is happening is completely unacceptable.“
The survey found a lack of reporting when it came to sexual harassment, with 75 per cent of people saying they did not do so when they had experienced an incident. However, those that do complain say the issues are not appropriately dealt with.
One Cardiff council worker said: “I work in front facing towards customers and all of the comments are from them.
“I have reported it to management, but the answer I get is ‘we can’t discriminate in case they have a disability’ or ‘we can’t tell them they can’t come in as service users’. I feel they are more worried about numbers than their employees.“
Another employee at Cardiff Council said: “Only once have I witnessed sexual innuendo from a supervisor to a female colleague, but it has been witnessed by other staff on numerous occasions – so much so that another supervisor built a partition around her workstation so she couldn’t be viewed by the one casting the innuendo.“
Commenting on the findings, Unite regional officer Michaela Gilroy said: “The results are shocking. We are now calling on Cardiff Council to take a clear and uncompromising stance – sexual harassment in any form is unacceptable and must be tackled.
“Addressing sexual harassment is not optional; it is a matter of dignity, accountability, and basic human rights for its workers.”
A wider survey by Unite released earlier this year found that sexual harassment was endemic in UK workplaces, with 25 per cent of women saying they had been sexually assaulted while at work.
This is despite the introduction of The Worker Protection Act last October, which says employers must take measures to prevent sexual harassment from happening in the workplace and at work events such as conferences.
Through its Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment campaign, Unite is calling for several measures to tackle the problem including the introduction of a standalone sexual harassment policy, mandatory training on sexual harassment for all employees and a commitment to recognising union equality representatives with paid time off.
Unite national women’s officer Alison Spencer-Scragg said: “What is happening at Cardiff council is a microcosm of what is happening in workplaces up and down the country, despite The Worker Protection Act.
“It is clear that, like many other employers, Cardiff council is not taking its obligations seriously.
“This is creating a culture where sexual harassment is going unreported, while those who do take the issues forward are left feeling disbelieved and are forced to work with abusers.
“This must change urgently. The government must take Unite’s demands seriously to stamp out sexual harassment not only at Cardiff council but in every workplace in the UK.”
