Vol. 505 No. 7
41 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the course of action open to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 who complains of constant discrimination and harassment at work and who has never had any complaints regarding her work; and if she will supply helpful information in this regard. [14717/99]
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, sets out the duties of employers with regard to protecting the safety, health and welfare of their employees at work. In this context it is incumbent upon employers to ensure any work practices, such as bullying, which are detrimental to the safety, health and welfare of employees are not tolerated within the workplace. Employers should ensure that anti-bullying policies, including procedures for dealing with bullying, are put in place. Such policies should be specified in the safety statement which all employers are legally required to prepare under the 1989 Act.
At my request, the Health and Safety Authority, which is the statutory body responsible for the promotion of occupational health and safety and the enforcement of national legislation in this area, has produced an awareness-raising booklet on the subject of bullying at work. The booklet is available from the Health and Safety Authority at 10 Hogan Place, Dublin 2, telephone number 6147000, fax number 6147020. I would suggest that any individual who is being subjected to workplace bullying should obtain a copy of this booklet from the authority, and should also provide the authority with specific details of their own situation.
