THE growing interest in legislation to protect Jamaicans from sexual harassment, particularly in the work environment, has nudged Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) to join with the global trade union network in promoting the ratification of binding international standards to stop harassment in the workplace.

To kick off the efforts the union collaborated with Building and Wood Worker’s International (BWI) to host a three-hour Zoom webinar titled ‘Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Jamaica: Intersections for collaboration and change, considerations for the ratification of the International Labour Organisation’s ( ILO) C190 ‘Violence and Harassment Convention’, last Thursday.

The purpose of the event was to engage in dialogue on the prevention of and remedy for violence and harassment in the world of work, and to promote the ratification of C190 in Jamaica.

Convention 190, supplemented by Recommendation 206, is the first-ever legally binding international standard for workers which deals solely with the issue of violence at work.

Around 6,300 delegates, representing governments, workers and employers from the agency’s 178 member states, including Jamaica, attended the International Labour Conference held in Geneva in the centenary year of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in June 2019.

Of the 476 delegates given voting rights, 439 voted for the adoption of the standard, seven voted against, and 30 abstained. These votes brought this historic international standard into existence.

BITU Vice-President Rudolph Thomas, one of the organisers of the event, said that it was against this background that the union is calling for the full support of all stakeholders to support the international cry for the ratification of C190 – Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No, 190).

“We believe it will adequately complement the current sexual harassment legislation which is being aggressively pursued by the Government,” Thomas pointed out.

The webinar was organised to initiate discussion on violence against women as an issue that must be addressed by social partners, as a critical part of wider social support that is needed to provide protection and support.

Among the most devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rise in violence against women, which is being called the second pandemic, the union noted.

“Trade unions can play a critical role in the support of women who have been victims of gender-based violence, as well as in the prevention of violence against women, by working with men to address prejudices, possessiveness and aggression” Thomas said.

“Trade unions can also engage with social partners, particularly for the political support and leadership from Government that is needed to address this issue, [and]with other actors in society – including those in the world of work,” he added.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer on the issue, BITU president general, Senator Kavan Gayle, who is also a member of the joint select committee (JSC) of Parliament currently reviewing the locally drafted Sexual Harassment Bill, noted that the union was collaborating with its International Trade Union (ITU) affiliate, to stage the event.

“It is the first in a series of thought-provoking educational outreach campaigns aimed at our delegates, members, workers and the wider society,” Senator Gayle said.

He said that BITU is supporting all global trade unions in the call, not only to ratify the convention, but also to bring into force new legislation to end violence and harassment at the workplace. He also added that there are some key points that must be retained in pursuing the initiative:

“We must recognise that this quest is the emergence of a new right at the international level, where there is a right for the workplace to be free of violence and harassment in any way shape or form. The scope of this takes into consideration that it includes the world of work [workplace] in its entirety rather than just the physical space,” he stated.

“We must endorse and promote the role and freedom of association and collective bargaining in ensuring the protection of this right, and we must never forget that the right to equality and non-discrimination in employment in all occupations, for not only women but young workers and other vulnerable groups including the disabled, are disproportionately affected by violence and harassment,” he suggested.

“We must also recognise that third parties can also be victims or perpetrators of violence and harassment, and that businesses must commit to the establishment of policy statements to protect those who are exposed,” he added.

Senator Gayle pointed out that there is a need to recognise that domestic violence has an impact on the world of work, and it is necessary to include it in policies concerning mitigating measures.

He said that, at present, sexual harassment is considered one component of harassment that is not specifically recognised in any existing legislation in Jamaica.

“The consensus that legislation is necessary to address concerns that sexual harassment, which is employment related, is occurring in institutions or arising in landlord and tenants relationships is recognised and is being addressed through a legislative framework.

He said that through the webinar, the union was embarking on a very important medium to make the necessary changes that involve the victim.

Taking part in the webinar were: The University of the West Indies (UWI) lecturers Dr Dale Beans and Dr Herbert Gayle; senior director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Sharon Coburn Robinson; and president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), Helene Davis Whyte.