Harassment at work increases, two seminars for company MSWs

The councilor of equality of the Province of Belluno together with the trade unions set up two courses for April 28 and May 12. “We must recognize these situations, but also try to support those who have suffered them”

BELLUNO. “Discrimination and harassment in the workplace”. This is the title of a mini-review of seminars organized by the councilor of equality of the Province of Belluno Flavia Monego in collaboration and synergy with the trade unions (CGIL, CISL and UIL).

«An initiative aimed at corporate Rsu – explains Monego – to cultivate a different culture of gender equality, starting from the workplace. In fact, despite the fact that in recent years there has been a lot of talk about equal opportunities, and the legislation has been enriched with important anti-discrimination tools, gender discrimination and the gender gap persist, also in Italy and also in the province of Belluno. With these seminars we intend to network all the subjects who can foster a greater culture of equality and respect for the law, and therefore an active and effective collaboration between the equality councilor and the trade unions. The training course is aimed at clarifying the concepts of gender discrimination and harassment, which include cases and cases sometimes not easy to identify; but also to implement knowledge on the subject and therefore provide useful tools to promote the dissemination of good practices within companies. It is important to give the tools to identify and solve problems, starting with the RSU, the first bulwark for the defense of workers’ rights and the first point of reference “.

Two seminars organized within the mini-review, both from 8.30 to 12.30 in the main hall of the Segato di Belluno institute (in Piazza Piloni), introduced by the equality councilor and by the representatives of the trade unions. The first next Thursday (April 28) with the intervention of Davide Piol (vice president of Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti) and of the lawyer Sabrina Bellumat, who will deal with the topic of “Discrimination and harassment in the workplace: tools for protection and prevention” . The second seminar, on the other hand, is scheduled for Thursday 12 May with the interventions of Cinzia Teodoro (labor inspectorate) and Lucia Basso (expert in bargaining, gender policies and equal opportunities) who will explain the role of the RSU.

The Belluno area is not exempt from the problem of gender violence. “Since I became an equality councilor, I have dealt with cases ranging from gender discrimination to violence to stalking” explains Flavia Monego. “I have also dealt with people who have approached me for discrimination on sexual orientation.” «65% of women in Italy have suffered harassment or discrimination. Normally it is the stronger party that harasses or discriminates against the weaker party, and the consequence is the sense of shame on the part of those who suffer. So we need to talk about it, because the feeling of shame must be unhinged at the origin »affirms Denise Casanova (Filctem Cgil), together with Mauro De Carli (Cgil) and Stefano De Bona (Fiom).

«I bring for example two cases in Belluno, one of which I followed directly, which led to the dismissal of the harasser. A positive case because it shows that one can defend oneself and have justice. The second case, on the other hand, represents harassment perpetrated over time, with considerable physical damage suffered by the worker, who in the end – badly advised – gave up her job. Two contrasting cases, children of fear, with different outcomes. This is why an initiative such as the one carried out by the equality councilor is important ». Milena Cesca (Femca Cisl) also agrees on the importance of training seminars, together with Teresa Merotto and Alessia Salvador (Cisl coordination): “There is a culture in our country that is sick: it is often difficult to understand border between the joke and heavy situations that harm people’s dignity. Only through training is it possible to unhinge the system. Among other things, the perception is that in the last two years, thanks to Covid, cases of harassment have increased. These are cases that have been going on for a long time, they come to light after being silenced for years. The first objective is therefore prevention ».

The increase in cases is also noted by the Uil. «In the first four months of 2022 we have already registered three cases that have come to us – explains Sonia Bridda (Uil Equal Opportunity Coordination) -. These are cases of verbal violence against two girls and a boy, targeted by the employer. Three cases in four months is an important fact to keep under control ».