A SEMI STATE company has agreed to investigate complaints of staff being bullied following a meeting with a senior British trade union leader. The MSF general secretary, Mr Roger Lyons, was in Dublin on Monday to tell company management of his concern at the scale of the problem.
Mr Lyons said a survey of MSF members in Britain and Ireland had found 30 per cent felt bullying was a significant feature in the workplace, I 7 per cent believed employers encouraged a bullying style of management and 72 per cent said that its employers had no policy on bullying.
Although the issue could have been dealt with by Irish officials of the union, Mr Lyons's presence in Dublin this week was meant to underline the seriousness with which the union regards the issue.
The union is withholding the identity of the semi state company involved, for the moment. MSF has already initiated legal action against a British insurance company over alleged bullying incidents. In the Republic it has not yet been necessary to take legal action.
One of the most disturbing findings for MSF was that women were the most common victims. Frequently there was an overlap between bullying and sexual harassment. In minor cases, where bad manners was the main problem, the situation could usually be resolved by negotiation and by monitoring the individual.
Often people put up with verbal and physical abuse, or agree to work extra hours for no pay, because they think it is the norm in a competitive environment, Mr Lyons said. But the bullying involved undermined morale and productivity.
Victims might also bottle up the effects until they go home. As a result employees could suffer stress, leading to illness, alcoholism or, in extreme cases, the break up of families.
Sweden is the only EU member state with legislation prohibiting bullying. In Ireland it is covered by section 6(1) of the Safety, Health and Welfare Act of 1989. This places an obligation on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees.
The worst sector for bullying is financial services, Mr Lyons said. This was partly because of the radical changes the sector is undergoing. People who had a large measure of control over their own working environment suffered least from bullying, while those in highly institutionalised work environments suffered most.