This policy is designed to protect human rights, prevent bullying and encourage mutual respect.
Mutual respect must be the basis of interaction among members and staff of the Hospital Employees’ Union at all times, but particularly at HEU conventions, HEU conferences and other HEU-sponsored events and in day-to-day interaction between members and staff.
The Hospital Employees’ Union will not tolerate, condone or ignore behaviour that is likely to undermine the dignity or human rights of an individual either during working sessions or during social activities.
In order to ensure an environment that is supportive of mutual respect and fair treatment, the Provincial Executive has established the following policy and procedure. It defines what is unacceptable behaviour and sets out a complaint procedure to effectively deal with violations of the policy.
Protecting the human rights, prevent bullying and encouraging mutual respect of members and staff is fundamental in ensuring a strong and united union. This policy enshrines the anti-bullying and harassment protections of the Workers Compensation Act and OH&S policies and the anti-discrimination protections of the B.C. Human Rights Code.
Under the Workers Compensation Act, bullying and harassment includes any inappropriate conduct or comment by a person towards a worker (includes a member at an HEU event) that the person knew or reasonably ought to have known would cause that person to be humiliated or intimidated.
Under the BC Human Rights Code discrimination is prohibited on the following grounds: Indigenous identity, race, ancestry, colour, place of origin, political belief, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, and conviction for which a pardon has been granted.
Harassment based on these grounds include:
- verbal abuse or threat;
- unwelcome remarks, jokes, innuendos or taunting about a person’s body, attire, age, marital status, ethnic or national origin, religion, sex, gender etc.;
- displaying of pornographic, racist or other offensive or derogatory pictures or materials;
- practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment;
- unwelcome invitations or other requests, whether indirect or explicit, or intimidation;
- leering or other gestures;
- condescension or paternalism which undermines self-respect;
- unnecessary physical contact such as touching, patting, pinching, punching;
- physical assault;
- repeated behaviour which a person has objected to, and therefore is known to offend.
What are my rights?
All HEU members have a right to be free from discrimination. Here are some important resources.
Find your HEU shop steward: 1-800-663-5813 (toll-free), heu@heu.org, or contact your HEU joint occupational health and safety representative. Employers are required to post these contacts at workplaces.
Other resources:
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
B.C. Human Rights Clinic