National Delegate Conference 15-18 June 2010

Taking domestic violence seriously in the workplace

Elaine Wishart

Gray Allan

Kate Ramsden

UNISON will call for a statutory requirement in the public sector for workplace agreements to deal with the complex issues of domestic abuse and violence.

These workplace policies should not only provide support for the victims of the abuse, but also provide procedures for dealing with the perpetrators.

Elaine Wishart, City of Edinburgh Branch, said "The human cost of domestic abuse affects the whole of society and we all have a responsibility to challenge it. Unfortunately too many work places still view domestic abuse as a private matter, it is not. When our members are perpetrators, which they will be, we need to have appropriate measures in place to ensure they are held responsible and accountable for their behaviour."

Elaine recommended the Refuge and Respect Toolkit as an invaluable resource for branches who seriously want to tackle domestic abuse as a workplace issue. Elaine said that in response to the gender equality duty, Edinburgh City Branch had negotiated a new workplace agreement which deals with both victims and perpetrators, and incorporates an effective communication and training strategy, providing in depth awareness training to both UNISON reps and human resource officers.

Gray Allan, Falkirk Branch, explained that two women are killed every week in the UK by their partner or their ex partner and that 10 suicides every week are due to the experience of domestic violence, "Domestic violence will touch many UNISON victims, relatives, colleagues. Many perpetrators will also be UNISON members. They will interact with colleagues and supervisors. 44% will tell colleagues about their behaviour. We need Zero Tolerance. We still need a workplace procedure for perpetrators. Early intervention could save those two lives."

Kate Ramsden, Aberdeenshire Branch said that domestic abuse does cross gender boundaries both in terms of those who perpetrate domestic violence and those who experience it, though the majority of those who experience it are women.

She added, "We should remember that the victims of domestic abuse are not just those who experience it directly. We know that children who live in households where domestic violence takes place, or who witness it on a regular basis can also be significantly affected.

"Those who perpetrate domestic abuse do so often as a result of their own life experiences. They too need support to confront and address their behaviour," she said, adding that we need a broad based approach to combat domestic violence including support for perpetrators to change their behaviour.

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