Sexual harassment 'epidemic' at Cardiff council

Martin Shipton

Cardiff Council is facing an epidemic of workplace sexual harassment, according to the trade union Unite.

A survey by the union has found that almost 70% of workers at the authority said management did nothing about such incidents

The poll found 6% of workers had been sexually assaulted by a colleague, 3% had been sexually assaulted by a manager and 3% had been sexually assaulted by a third party, such as a member of the public using Cardiff council services.

It also revealed that 15% had been shown pornography by a colleague, 4% by a manager and 3% by a third party, while 14% had been inappropriately touched by a colleague, 9% had this happen at the hands of a third party and 7% by a manager.

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Sexual coercion

Meanwhile 6% 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% had had this happen more than twice while 36% had experienced it at least once.

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 there deserves a safe working environment and what is happening is completely unacceptable."

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Lack of reporting

The survey found a lack of reporting when it came to sexual harassment, with 75% of people saying they did not do so when they had experienced an incident.

But workers said that when they do report incidents, they are not taken seriously by management. Over two thirds, 69% of respondents, said the issue was not addressed or tackled by management.

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 about their employees."

Other workers have had to go on working with the person who harassed them. 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."

'Shocking'

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 taken seriously.

“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% 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 stand-alone 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 despite the fact it is the law. 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.”

'Out of control'

Cardiff councillor Neil McEvoy, who leads the Propel party, said: “Cardiff Labour council is out of control. The organisation is riddled with a culture of cover up, with staff being threatened, bullied, forced out and sacked. I have also been threatened regarding my social media content, which has now been vindicated.

“The Unite the Union survey evidences that staff are being sexually harassed in the workplace. Every case I have heard of is one of women sexually harassing men. People speaking out have either been sacked or forced out.

“Some incidents should be police matters, but staff fear losing their livelihoods, so they have had to accept the unacceptable. The mental health toll on victims is significant, yet unrecognised.

“I commend my union Unite for having the courage to act. I will be consulting with staff before making further comment.”

Zero tolerance

A spokesperson for Cardiff council said: “Cardiff council operates a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment in the workplace and any reports are acted on and investigated in line with strict policy and procedure. A comprehensive mandatory training programme is in place in Cardiff council, including training on tackling sexual harassment.

“Cardiff council and GMB, Unison and Unite have a long established trade union partnership in place, where issues and concerns are discussed collaboratively and constructively. The council will seek discussions on the matters Unite has raised through that trade union partnership.”