Landmark
Friends and readers.Hot on the heels of the Daily Express and its front page bullying article comes the Guardian. In todays edition 03-08-06 the Guardian asks the question -ARE YOU A BULLY-. The verdict handed down has been celebrated as a belated recognition of the perinious presence of bullying in the workplace.
Patrick Barkham the author of the article, goes on to say. The international conference on workplace bullying held at Trinity College Dublin in June was told that 100 people kill themselves every year because of bullying. The tactics of the playground can be reapeated in the workplace.
All kinds of workplaces-from city firms to the army of fast food outlets[Hannah Kirkham,18 committed suicide after being tormented and stabbed in the arm with cornsticks while working for KFC] - may be home to bullying. But now they have to do something about it.
The 1997 Protection from harassment act-dubbed the stalker act-is now being used by employment lawyers to combat workplace bullying. Last month a judgement by five law lords created a new way for people to sue their employers for damages over bullying.
Previously,it was difficult to bring bullying cases to court because workers had to prove both that their employers knew or should have known they were being bullied and that the bullying caused psychiatric illness. Now employers can be vicariously liable for bullying by employees even if management is unaware of it.
This is great news for all those being bullied at work,at last the law has recognised the seriousness of bullying in the workplace and the blind eye that is being turned to it. We as you know have been activly campaigning against workplace bullying and we will continue,it seems the message is getting home. the case we have been highlighting of the MUIRHOUSE TWO now takes a twist. probability is enough to set the ball rolling and there is more than probability in this case.
For to long workplace bullying has not been seen as a problem,all that is now finished. Both the Daily Express and the Guardian,followed by the Daily Mail and even The News Of The World have highlighted bullying in the workplace,once the papers have got a hold of it and realise the extent of the problem they will have a field day.
Our own papers the Evening News and the Scotsman once informed may well want to know of the extent of bullying in the workplace. Our website is available to both and we await the call.
Depression, Suicide attempts, systematic destruction of people in the workplace is without doubt a crime. This is the effect workplace bullying has on people and those that know and still do nothing are as guilty as the bully themselves.
Previously we reported that the Muirhouse bully was well known for his terrible behaviour yet it seems nothing was done to prevent him harming others. What kind of working enviroment is that colusion in bullying then pleading innocence in knowing anything about it.
Well sit up and take notice for the doomsday scenario could well be coming your way. Saying we did not know is not good enough, attacking the victim is not on, allowing the bully to go unpunished is guilt by stealth. The game is up best come clean and use the broom to sweep clean before the law does it for you. Â