Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-09-19-Speech-3-160"
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"en.20010919.11.3-160"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we have been intending to discuss the problem of workplace harassment here in the European Parliament for some time. The debate has been a long time coming, for the question which has always arisen is this: is this House the right forum for this debate? Some members of my group reject the report because they believe that this is not a European issue. The majority will follow my recommendation and vote for the report, because it is indeed a Europe-wide issue and problem. Bullying exists in every country of the European Union, in all sectors, and even in the EU institutions themselves. It is a difficult issue. It is very embarrassing for many people, and a large number of cases go unreported because no one really wants to talk about it. Victims feel ashamed, exploited and stressed.
Their distress often has a high cost, not only in terms of their own mental and physical health, but also economically: sick leave, medical and treatment expenses, a high staff turnover, lower productivity, a loss of quality and image for the company or institution, and therefore also a decline in the number of customers. Bullying causes all these problems.
The dignity of every individual should not be upheld solely on paper and in the Basic Law, but also in our social relations. A little more respect and fairness and a little less egotism would probably make our debate about harassment unnecessary. European legislation is unsuitable as a means to address the causes of bullying and is likely to be ineffective. I would therefore like to thank the rapporteur for his cooperation and for including my ideas in his report.
Measures to tackle bullying should focus primarily on the Member State and actively include the social partners. It is in companies' own interests to ensure that these incidents do not occur within their organisations. Due to the difficulties in arriving at a precise definition, the Commission will not find it easy to draft its proposed Green Paper. However, there are a few models of good practice in tackling bullying here in the European Union, and I believe that everyone should learn from each other. Tasks must be assigned effectively to the most appropriate levels; this will also increase the desire to take action and ensure that this difficult issue is taken seriously."@en1
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