Workers (Aggravated Assaults) (Scotland) Bill - Public Consultation Document - CWU Response
The CWU has written to a member of the Scottish Parliament, Hugh Henry MSP, confirming the Union's full support for the Workers (Aggravated Assaults) (Scotland) Bill.
The Communication Workers Union is the biggest union for the communications industry in the UK with 250,000 members and it is therefore signifcant that it is supporting the Bill introduced into the Scottich Parliament.
In the Union's response to the Bill it says, " Work-related violence is emerging as one of the greatest concerns in the workplace today. Violence at work has received increasing interest over the last decade. High profile cases have been reported in the media and publicity. Trade Unions including the CWU have campaigned to raise awareness of the issue among the general public, the media, employers, police and the government, calling for initiatives to reduce risks of violence in the workplace and laws to deal with the perpetrators of violence."
It also states," Every day, Royal Mail Delivery Staff, Post Office Counters Staff, Parcelforce Delivery Staff, Royal Mail Customer Services Staff, Drivers, BT Engineers and Call Centre Staff are subjected to incidents of aggression, verbal abuse, bullying, assault, sexual harassment, physical abuse and sadly even the occasional homicide. Linked to their occupation CWU members experience higher incidences of violence than the average member of the national workforce."
Written by Dave Joyce, CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer, the 5 page document ends by saying,
"We want to see an increased level of awareness among staff and promote the reporting of all incidents - the message is "Report it - Don't ignore it". This helps local management to evaluate and monitor the true scale and nature of violence and abuse incidents and so helps to develop an effective policy to deal with the problem."
The full response document and the details of the Bill can be
downloaded.
