“Bosses do everything they can to turn us against each other. We should not make it easier for them.”
People are speaking out about harassment and violence. What impact does this have on the workplaces? We spoke with two shop-stewards, Pierre and Julien, who are active in different sectors and regions.
What does the problem of sexism look like in your workplace?
Pierre: “Sexism has many forms. There are of course particularly serious forms such as sexual violence, often in the context of a relationship of subordination, but not always. But there are also ‘jokes’ aimed at certain categories of people. Oppression happens every day and can lead to a deep sense of unease at work.”
What happens when a colleague is harassed or attacked?
Julien: “Generally, the first people to know about it are colleagues. But they are often wary and not sure how to react. Then there is the ‘confidential advisor’, a person usually appointed within the company who is responsible for listening confidentially to colleagues who feel they have been victims of harassment or violent behaviour. This advisor can make informal contact with all parties involved. Or the prevention advisor who takes more formal action. But their names and how to contact them are not always known. So when the victim wants to take action, the reflex is often to go to their supervisors. Of course if the problem doesn’t come from the boss…”
More and more companies are taking this problem seriously, right?
Julien: “Some companies, like mine, have implemented a zero-tolerance policy. It’s good that this problem is being taken very seriously. But in our case, the only response is more repression by the bosses. The result: to avoid being seen as a ”snitch“ and the cause of dismissal, the threshold for victims to speak up has just gotten higher. This approach does not encourage people to speak freely, quite the contrary. In fact, firing someone without paying attention to awareness only shifts the problem.”
“In terms of education, there’s almost nothing, just a PowerPoint that you click on a few times and at five minutes you’re done. This is not serious! It is not consistent with a real desire to fight oppression in the workplace.”
“Moreover, we should not forget that large companies shy away from contributing to the community’s burdens at the social level, which would allow, for example, more public child-care. They refuse to reduce our working hours (without loss of pay) and adapt the organization of work so that we can combine work and family. This leads to tensions among colleagues, especially among mothers who want to be able to work part-time on Wednesdays when the schools are closed in the afternoon and avoid the evening shift.”
What can the union do?
Pierre: “It is important that the union delegations support the victims, stand by their side, listen to them from a presumption of sincerity and gather all useful information. It is crucial that the union is on the side of the victim, whether they are members or not, and even if the accused is a member! But that does not mean that the rights of the accused should not be defended. We certainly cannot leave this to the whims of employers!”
Julien: “Before any defense of a person accused of transgressive behaviour, a conversation is essential. The employee must be honest and be able to apologize for creating a situation in which others do not feel comfortable. Transgressive behaviour tends to divide and therefore distort the balance of power between us and the boss. As well as being highly damaging to the victim, it’s damaging to us all.
Pierre: “The first step in addressing oppression is internal union education. Sexism, racism and LGBTQIA+phobia are pervasive throughout society and the union is unfortunately no exception. So we must tackle this problem head-on. Some unions abroad — such as the CGT in France and Unite in the United Kingdom — have developed interesting material on how to deal with and respond to complaints. They also bring up focal points to combat sexism in our organizations and develop union demands and propositions against transgressive behaviour.”
“Here we don’t have such tools yet. I hope those come soon… But things are changing. I hope that at the demonstration against violence against women on November 26 we can form a union bloc and spread a call for this among our colleagues. This could start with posters on the bulletin boards, to spark discussion, a leaflet or an awareness stall in the week leading up to the demonstration.”
Julien: “We should also put this issue on the agenda of the Committee for Prevention and Protection at Work (an official organ including elected workers representatives) so that we have a prevention policy against all types of harassment and violence at work. We need sufficiently broad prevention campaigns that don’t just come from management.”
Since #MeToo, some feel like they can’t say anything anymore. What do you think about that?
Pierre: “We certainly don’t want colleagues to stop laughing together — on the contrary, it’s good for the work atmosphere and it makes the day go by faster. On the other hand, it is possible to have a sense of humour that is not at the expense of those who generally have a harder time in life. Humour should help lighten the mood, not make some colleagues feel uncomfortable.”
“When sexist, LGBTQIA+-phobic or racist ‘jokes’ or comments are made, it is important to respond. It is important not to get carried away, but to take your time calmly and patiently to explain the impact it may have. These kinds of jokes reinforce the dominant ideology, the objectification of women and the logic of domination and division within our social class. The bosses are already doing everything they can to turn us against each other, let’s not make it even easier for them! As union members, we must fight against ”unwellness” at work.”
Any final comments?
Julien: “Through struggle we understand best that the whole working class has common interests and that we must not allow ourselves to be divided. In times like these, awareness of this issue can take impressive leaps forward. We saw it in the past with racism. This legacy is still present in unions: ‘In the mines, we are all black’ was a popular slogan for decades. However, we will not escape oppression and discrimination until we overthrow capitalism…”
