A handbook for trade unions on violence and harassment in the workplace

Violence and harassment in the workplace are not simply issues that undermine workers’ dignity; they are occupational health and safety problems with significant implications for well-being and productivity. These should not be viewed as individual, isolated incidents, but as collective and structural problems requiring institutional responses, prevention policies and the active involvement of all stakeholders in the world of work. Trade unions, therefore, have a vital role to play in this process.

FES Romania has launched the guide ‘Eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work: The role of trade unions in implementing ILO Convention No. 190 and ILO Recommendation No. 206’, aimed at trade union representatives and organisations. This publication provides relevant information and practical tools for identifying, preventing and combating all forms of violence and harassment in the world of work, including sexual harassment.

The handboook can be accessed via the following link (in Romanian):

https://collections.fes.de/publikationen/id/1991395

The publication explains what violence and harassment in the workplace are, how they manifest, develop gradually and evolve, who is most at risk, and what their effects are on employees’ health, safety and productivity.

The guide also sets out the existing national legal framework and the main provisions of ILO Convention No. 190 and ILO Recommendation No. 206, as well as their implications for preventing and combating violence and harassment in the world of work.

Ratified by Romania in 2024, ILO Convention No. 190 recognises the right of every person to a world of work free from violence and harassment. In this regard, the Convention proposes a broad definition and understanding of these phenomena: protection is not limited to the physical workplace but also extends to work-related situations.

This category includes, for example, business travel, delegations, work-related training or social activities, professional events and online communications. The resulting relationships and interactions may be between workers in similar or different hierarchical positions, as well as between workers, employers, clients and other people with whom they come into contact in a professional context.

The guide has several sections dedicated to the role of trade unions in preventing and combating violence and harassment. Through their work, trade unions can help develop effective policies and mechanisms for identifying risks, informing and raising awareness among employees, negotiating protective measures, and promoting an organisational culture in which employees can speak about their experiences without fear of stigmatisation, retaliation or marginalisation.

Eliminating violence and harassment from the world of work requires the active and coordinated involvement of workers, trade unions, employers and relevant institutions. This guide provides trade union leaders and representatives with a useful resource for translating the provisions of ILO Convention No. 190 into concrete action and for helping to build workplaces based on dignity, equality and respect.