Union reps to be trained to deal with domestic violence

The
TUC has announced that 35,000 trade union representatives in workplaces across
the UK will be offered training to understand and support colleagues
experiencing domestic violence.

The
announcement comes on White Ribbon Day (today), international day for the
elimination of domestic violence against women.

The
education programme follows on from a recent TUC report ‘Just a Domestic’, in
which half of the respondents said they had experienced domestic violence and
had found that it affected their ability to do their job.

Forty
per cent of these victims had to take time off from work to deal with the
effects of violence.

TUC
general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Domestic violence does not stay
behind close doors and its devastating effects do not stop when someone enters
the workplace.

"Unions
and employers can play an important role in identifying whether a colleague is
experiencing violence at home and offering support to the victim through the
difficult period," he said.

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By Michael Millar