FFW supports workplace bullying legislation

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said on Saturday that they welcomed the Anti-Bullying in the Workplace Bill as bullying was an occupational safety and health issue that not too many take seriously.

“The Anti-Bullying in the Workplace Bill, if passed into law, would greatly help improve the mental health of workers,” said FFW Vice President Julius Cainglet.

The Anti-Bullying in the Workplace Bill or House Bill 8446 includes "offering, publishing, distributing, circulating, or spreading rumors, false news and information, gossip about, or any act against or directed against an employer, a co-employee, or any person with whom he or she has professional relations or dealings" as a form of office bullying.

It was authored by ACT-CIS party-list Representative Jocelyn Tulfo and her son, Quezon City Representative Ralph Wendell Tulfo.

“For so long, workers have suffered in silence over their horrible bosses. Shouting, cursing and badmouthing by bad managers and supervisors sadly, have long been part of workplace culture, since it is perceived by unscrupulous elements as something that gives results and leads to productivity. This has to stop,” Cainglet noted.

It also noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared "burnout" as a workplace health issue.

If burnout is compounded by bullying perpetrated by horrible bosses, bullies in the workplace should be penalized.

“And if we can prove that bullying has become a management policy, the enterprise should be penalized heavily,” said Cainglet.

He added that enterprises should protect workers who file complaints against bullying bosses, and employees must be protected from management retaliation such as baseless suspensions and even dismissal. — DVM, GMA Integrated News