The Antigua and Barbuda Workers' Union is set to participate in an important forum aimed at addressing violence and harassment in the workplace.
The forum takes place on Monday 31 January 2022, and is being hosted by the Women of the Americas Caribbean Committee of the UNI Global Union. The virtual event forms part of a global campaign for the ratification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment in the Workplace.
Convention 190 establishes the right of every individual to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.
Industrial Relations and Training Officer, Hazel Luke will represent the ABWU at the event. Luke, who is also a member of the Women of the Americas Caribbean Committee is hopeful that the forum will accelerate the campaign for the ratification of C190.
“This conference will bring more awareness to violence and harassment at work and ensure that it becomes a national issue. We also hope that this event will spark further conversation and dialogue. We need to have a zero tolerance approach to violence and harassment in the world of work,” Luke says.
Deputy Labour Commissioner Pascal Kentish and Program Officer at the Directorate of Gender Affairs, Raisa Charles are among the panelist who will share their expertise with participants.
Convention 190 was adopted on 21 June 2019, by the International Labour Conference. According to the ILO, it is “the first international treaty on violence and harassment in the world of work.”
To date, several countries have ratified the convention, including Mauritius, Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, Namibia, Somalia and Uruguay.
