The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions has welcomed the Coalition for a Safe World of Work at its launch in Auckland
today.
The launch was the culmination of several months of work building the Coalition, which aims to put pressure on the
Government to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s Violence and Harassment Convention.
Known as C190, this convention provides a framework for the legal, cultural, and industrial changes necessary to
eliminate violence, in all its forms, from the world of work.
The launch featured prominent speakers EEO Commissioner, Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo, Unite co-president, Xavier Walsh,
employment lawyer, Steph Dyhrberg and CTU vice-president, Rachel Mackintosh.
The Convention has been ratified by 14 other countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Fiji, and others in Africa
and South America.
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) vice-president and coalition coordinator, Rachel Mackintosh, says the C190
convention is a vital step to eliminate violence and harassment from the world of work, as it sets this down as a right.
“The convention provides a comprehensive response that will complement mechanisms that we already have in place.
“What this looks like in practice is a nation where both employers and working people will have the tools they need to
stop bullying and harassment in its tracks and support survivors.
“We’ll also know how to create safe workplaces where the focus is on preventing bullying and harassment from occurring
in the first place,” she says.