European Parliament resolution on harassment at the workplace (2001/2339(INI))
Date: 2001-09-20
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: mental stress, psychological harassment, working conditions, working environment, workplace

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including the increase in atypical forms of employment, the definition of (cid:145)pay(cid:146) and the impact of the
organisation of work on women(cid:146)s pay structures; asks the Commission to investigate best practices in the
Member States and on this basis propose supporting strategies to bridge the pay gap;

Calls on the two sides of industry to include more women in wage negotiations as well as in their
16.
decision-making bodies, and requests that they provide all employees with training, including instruction
and practice, relating to gender-neutral job evaluation systems and wage formation mechanisms;

Calls on the Member States cited in point 5 of the Explanatory Statement of the report of its
17.
competent committee as being at or near the bottom of the list of European Union countries in terms of
equal pay for men and women for work of equal value to take particular note of this resolution and take
urgent measures to improve their respective positions;

Urges the candidate countries to develop measures to narrow pay differentials between men and

18.
women;

19.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States, the governments of the candidate countries and the two sides of
industry.

10. Harassment at the workplace

A5-0283/2001

European Parliament resolution on harassment at the workplace (2001/2339(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to Articles 2, 3, 13, 125-129, 136-140 and 143 of the EC Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolutions of 13 April 1999 on modernising the organisation of work (cid:129)
a positive approach to change (1), of 24 October 2000 on guidelines for Member States(cid:146) employment
policies for the year 2001 (cid:129) the joint employment report 2000 (2) and of 25 October 2000 on the
social policy agenda (3),

(cid:129) having regard to the relevant sections of the conclusions of the European Councils of Nice and Stock-

holm,

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinion of

the Committee on Women(cid:146)s Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0283/2001),

A. whereas, according to a survey of 21 500 workers carried out by the European Foundation for the
Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation), 8 % of the workforce in the EU,
which is equivalent to 12 million people, state that over the last 12 months they have been subject to
bullying at work, and whereas this figure can be assumed to constitute substantial under-reporting,

B. whereas the incidence of violence and harassment at work, under which the Dublin Foundation
includes bullying, displays major disparities between the Member States; according to the Foundation
this is due to under-reporting in certain countries, greater awareness in others, differing legal systems
and cultural differences; whereas insecure employment is one of the main reasons for the increase in
such occurrences;

(1) OJ C 219, 30.7.1999, p. 37.
(2) OJ C 197, 12.7.2001, p. 68.
(3) OJ C 197, 12.7.2001, p. 180.

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C. whereas the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions observes
that persons who suffer from bullying are significantly more susceptible to stress than workers in
general; whereas the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work observes also that bullying
and harassment are potential health risks that often lead to stress-related illnesses; whereas gender-
specific national data on bullying at work do not, however, reveal a uniform picture according to the
Agency,

D. whereas data from one Member State show that bullying is by far most prevalent in the case of work
with a high anxiety level, which is a category of work more common amongst women than amongst
men, and that it expanded considerably during the 1990s,

E. whereas studies and empirical analysis taken together point to a clear link between, on the one hand,
bullying at work, and on the other, stress or work with a high level of anxiety, greater competition,
less job security and precarious employment status,

F. whereas possible causes of bullying include, for example, shortcomings in the organisation of work,
in-house information and management; whereas unresolved and longstanding organisational problems
are a heavy strain on work teams and may lead to (cid:145)scapegoating(cid:146) and bullying; whereas the con-
sequences for individuals and work teams may be significant and likewise the costs to individuals,
companies and society,

Believes that bullying, a phenomenon the true extent of which is not yet known, is a serious problem
1.
in the world of work, and that the problem urgently needs greater attention and more countermeasures,
including consideration of new ways of combating the problem;

Draws attention to the fact that the growing number of short-term contracts and insecurity of
is creating conditions that encourage the practice of various

2.
employment, especially among women,
forms of harassment;

Points out the devastating effects of harassment on the physical and mental health of its victims and
3.
thus also their families, often necessitating medical and psychotherapeutic treatment and usually leading
them to take sick-leave or resign from their jobs;

4.
Points out that, according to some research, women are more frequent victims than men of every
type of harassment, whether it is (cid:145)vertical(cid:146) harassment of a subordinate by a superior, or vice versa, peer-
group ((cid:145)horizontal(cid:146)) harassment or harassment of a mixed type;

Points out that false accusations of harassment can themselves constitute an effective form of har-

5.
assment;

Emphasises that measures to combat bullying at work must be seen as an important part of the
6.
efforts to achieve higher quality and improved social relations in the workplace; believes that they will
also help to counteract social exclusion; considers that this can be regarded as the reason for Community
initiatives and is in line with the European social agenda and employment guidelines;

7.
Points out that the problems associated with bullying at work are still probably underestimated in
many quarters within the Union and that there are a series of arguments in favour of joint action at Union
level, for example, the difficulties in devising effective instruments for counteracting and preventing bully-
ing, the fact that guidelines on measures against bullying at work may have the effect of setting standards
and influencing attitudes and the fact that reasons of fairness also justify such common guidelines;

8.
Urges the Commission in the communications on a Community strategy on health and safety at
work and on strengthening the quality dimension in employment and social policy and in the Green

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Paper on corporate social responsibility also to take into account mental, psycho-social or social factors in
the work environment, including the organisation of work, thus emphasising long-term, systematic and
preventive efforts concerning health and safety with the aim, inter alia, of counteracting bullying at work,
and to consider also the need for legislative initiatives to this end;

9.
Urges the Council and the Commission to include quantitative indicators relating to bullying at work
in the indicators for the quality of work that are to be developed for the European Council(cid:146)s meeting in
Laeken;

10.
Calls on the Member States, with a view to counteracting bullying and sexual harassment at work,
to review and, if appropriate, to supplement their existing legislation and to review and standardise the
definition of bullying;

11.
Emphasises in particular the responsibility of the Member States and of society as a whole with
regard to bullying and violence at work, and sees this as the main focus for the strategy for combating
them;

12.
Recommends to the Member States that they require businesses, public-service departments and the
social partners to put in place effective prevention policies, to provide a system for exchanging experience,
and that they specify procedures to solve the problem of harassment for victims and prevent any recur-
in this context, that information and training of employees, managers, the social
rence; recommends,
partners and workplace doctors be developed, in both the private and public sectors, and here draws
attention to the possibility of appointing a confidential mediator at the workplace to whom employees
can turn if they so wish;

13.
Urges the Commission to consider a clarification or extension of the scope of the framework direc-
tive on health and safety at work or, alternatively, the drafting of a new framework directive as a legal
instrument to combat bullying and as a means of ensuring respect for the worker(cid:146)s human dignity, privacy
and integrity; emphasises in this connection the importance of systematic work on health and safety and of
preventive action;

14.
Emphasises that the state of knowledge, including research, can be facilitated and improved through
better statistical data and draws attention to the roles of Eurostat and the Dublin Foundation in this con-
nection; urges the Commission, the Dublin Foundation and the European Agency for Safety and Health at
Work to initiate in-depth studies into bullying;

15.
Emphasises the importance of closer investigation of the incidence of bullying at work related both
to aspects concerning the organisation of work and, for example, to sex, age, industrial sector and pro-
fession; calls for this study to include an analysis of the particular situation of women who are victims of
harassment;

Notes that one Member State has already introduced rules to combat harassment in the workplace
16.
and that others have begun the process of adopting legislation to combat harassment, often along the lines
of the legislation to combat sexual harassment; urges the Member States to pay heed to the problems of
bullying at work and to take this issue into account in national legislation or through other measures;

17.
Urges the European institutions to set an example as regards efforts to prevent and counteract
bullying within their own structures and where help and support for individuals and work teams are
concerned; considers that,
if necessary, they should provide also for amendment of their civil service
regulations, including an appropriate sanctions policy;

18.
Notes that victims of harassment in the European Institutions currently receive too little help, and
congratulates the administrative services for having set up, several years ago, a training course specifically
directed at female administrators entitled (cid:145)The female style of management(cid:146) and, more recently, an Advi-
sory Committee on Psychological Harassment (Mobbing);

19.
Urges that thought be given to the extent to which consultation at Community level between the
social partners can help counteract bullying at work and that employees(cid:146) organisations be involved in this
process;

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20.
Calls on the social partners within the Member States and at Community level to develop their own
approaches to combating bullying and violence at work, and to exchange experience about these in
accordance with the principle of best practice;

21.
Recalls that harassment also has negative consequences from the point of view of employers,
adversely affecting the profitability and economic performance of firms as a result of the absenteeism it
causes, the reduced productivity of employees arising from their sense of confusion and loss of concen-
tration, and the need to pay compensation to dismissed employees;

22.
Underlines the importance of broadening and clarifying the employer(cid:146)s responsibility for systematic
action on health and safety at work that results in the achievement of a satisfactory working environment;

23.

Calls for a debate on how voluntary networks or organisations against bullying can be supported;

24.
Asks the Commission to publish no later than March 2002 a Green Paper providing a detailed
analysis of the situation regarding the issue of bullying at work in the various Member States and, on the
basis of this analysis, to present no later than October 2002, an action programme of measures at Com-
munity level against bullying at work; considers that the action programme should include a timetable;

25.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European
Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions and the European Agency for Safety
and Health at Work.

11. External borders and Schengen

A5-0233/2001

European Parliament resolution on crossing external borders and the development of Schengen
cooperation (10846/1999 (cid:129) C5-0042/2000) + (11329/3/1999 (cid:129) C5-0043/2000) + (SCHAC 2533/1/
2000 (cid:129) C5-0729/2000) + (SEC(2000) 1439 (cid:129) C5-0730/2000 (cid:129) 2000/2015(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Council 1998 Annual Report on the implementation of the Schengen Conven-

tion (10846/1999 (cid:129) C5-0042/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to the Council Annual Report on the situation at the external borders of the states in
which the Schengen Convention has been brought into force (cid:129) 1 January 1998 to 31 December
1998 (11329/3/1999 (cid:129) C5-0043/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to Schengen Joint Supervisory Authority Fourth Annual Report (SCHAC 2533/1/2000

(cid:129) C5-0729/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission opinion on the request by Ireland to take part in some of the

provisions of the Schengen acquis (SEC(2000) 1439 (cid:129) C5-0730/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to Title IV of the EC Treaty on visas, asylum, immigration and other policies related to

free movement of persons,

(cid:129) having regard to Title VI on the Treaty of European Union on police and judicial cooperation in

criminal matters,

(cid:129) having regard to the protocols and declarations on integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework
of the European Union, on the application of certain aspects of Article 14 of the Treaty establishing
the European Community to the United Kingdom and to Ireland, on the position of the United King-
dom and Ireland and on the position of Denmark,