To accomplish this, we held forums with our members and what we heard from our members was troubling. Local employers were failing to do the bare minimum to prevent workplace sexual harassment. Many local businesses lacked sexual harassment prevention plans and policies, and when these policies existed, they were often inadequate or ignored, allowing incidents of harassment to fester. We heard that managers weren’t being trained on how to handle sexual harassment disclosures, managers did not hold valid Working with Children Checks (WWCCs), and workers were not being told their workplace rights when making a sexual harassment complaint. We officially launched the project on 21 June 2023 at the Mid Valley Shopping Centre in Morwell and over the following weeks, we presented the demands to every local retail and fast food business. These demands infuriated some bosses, who stated our demands were ‘hostile’ and ‘inappropriate.’ What’s inappropriate is the failure of these businesses to take even the most basic steps to combat workplace sexual harassment, and the actual hostility lies in the toxic working environments the bosses perpetuate by turning a blind eye to the rampant issue of sexual harassment within their stores. We also held petitioning events, with massive local support for our demands. In response to our campaign, several businesses not only committed to adopting our demands in their Gippsland stores, but also pledged to implement them on a national scale. This is a massive success and a testament to the dedication of our members to this project. This project’s success in gaining commitments from businesses and raising awareness demonstrates the potential for change through collective action. However, while we have seen fantastic changes across Gippsland due to the demands, we still have a long way to go. Of the businesses that responded to our demands, 34.78% agreed to the demands, 60.87% partially agreed to the demands, and 4.35% rejected every demand. Employers partially agreeing to our demands isn’t good enough. Every business that partially agreed to our demands rejected the WWCC requirement, and 50% of those businesses rejected one or more other demands. It’s essential that employers obtain WWCCs for anyone placed in a position of power over workers under the age of 18 to ensure that they have been screened for offences that pose a risk to young people. They profit on junior rates but allow predators to supervise their child workers. Young workers are significantly more likely to experience sexual harassment than older workers, and in retail workplaces, 36% of harassers are managers. Protecting young workers from predatory managers shouldn’t be optional; employers have a responsibility to ensure a safe working environment for all employees. WWCCs are now a common and accepted part of interacting with children in our community, and employers who employ children should meet this minimum community expectation. It’s a simple and inexpensive process that employers can easily accomplish as part of the hiring process. It’s time to hold businesses accountable for failing to do the bare minimum to prevent workplace sexual harassment. We need to stand up for our right to work in safe and respectful workplaces free from sexual harassment. RAFFWU will continue to fight back against sexual harassment, and we encourage any members who have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in their workplace to contact us for assistance, representation and advocacy. We took what we heard during those forums, and together with our members, we compiled a list of four demands: 1. The workplace develop or maintain a sexual harassment prevention plan, which includes a sexual harassment policy, that is accessible to workers and easy to understand. 2. The workplace train managers on how to handle sexual harassment disclosures and their responsibilities as an initial contact person. 3. Any workplace employing a child worker (a worker under the age of 18) obtain, at the employer’s cost, Working With Children Checks (WWCCs) for all business owners, managers and supervisors. 4. The workplace ensure that workers are aware they can have a support person present when making a sexual harassment disclosure or in any related step having made such a disclosure, if requested by the worker. 23 If you or someone you know has been impacted by the contents of this article or things it may have bought up, we encourage you to contact the services we have listed below. In an emergency, please contact 000. 1800RESPECT: Confidential information, counselling, and support service open 24 hours to support people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse. www.1800respect.org.au | 1800 737 732 Lifeline: 24/7 crisis support services from trained professionals. Free from mobiles and the cost of a local call from a landline. www.lifeline.org.au/ | 131 114
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