“Every worker has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be free from discrimination and harassment at work.”

WHAT IS HARASSMENT?
The following quote is from the BC Federation of Labour policy on harassment. It accurately defines harassment:

“Harassment is a power play by people who want to control or torment others. It is fueled by sexism or racism, or a fear and dislike of what is different. It includes remarks and actions intended to hurt, to embarrass, to confuse, and to destroy an individual’s self-confidence and self-esteem.”

Harassment not only violates your collective agreement, it is incompatible with the spirit of the labour movement, which tries to achieve justice and equality for all working people.

RECOGNIZING HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION
Under the Human Rights Code of British Columbia, discrimination occurs if a distinction, which imposes burdens, obligations, or disadvantages on others, is made on one of the following prohibited grounds: Age, Ancestry, Colour, Family Status, Marital Status, Physical or Mental Disability, Place of Origin, Political Beliefs, Race, Religion, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Unrelated Criminal Conviction.

Harassment, including sexual harassment, is discrimination. It includes any unwelcome conduct or comment with respect to the foregoing protected grounds that has a negative impact on you or your work environment. Examples of such behaviour include: unwelcome remarks, jokes, touches, or innuendo; verbal abuse, intimidation, or threats; and offensive e-mails, pictures, graffiti, cartoons, or sayings.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment is deliberate, unsolicited, coercive, and one-sided behaviour of a sexual character, which threatens a persons’ job or sense of personal well-being. It can be comprised of objectionable or offensive comments, gestures, or actions. Both males and females can be victims.

HARASSMENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Employers are responsible for providing harassment free work environments. They must respond immediately to complaints about harassment. If they find that a complaint is well founded, employers must provide prompt and effective remedies. Employers are responsible for acting promptly to ensure they are not condoning prohibited behaviour.

HOW YOU CAN PREVENT HARASSMENT
You can help to ensure that your workplace is a positive and productive environment by: speaking up if you are harassed; raising concerns about harassment in a timely manner; supporting coworkers who are being harassed; challenging inappropriate behaviour; treating everyone with dignity and respect; refusing to take part in or condone subtle forms of harassment; examining your own behaviour to ensure that you are not harassing anyone; and asking your managers and union representatives to respond to incidents of harassment.