- Conference
- 2013 Energy Service Group Conference
- Date
- 25 February 2013
- Decision
- Carried
Conference welcomes the publication last year of the UNISON Call Centre Charter, which seeks to establish a decency agenda, allowing members to work effectively and efficiently in a safe working environment. The Charter was based on research on call centres and call handling operations by Professor Charlotte Rayner of Portsmouth University, who has a distinguished career in research into workplace bullying.
Conference notes that conditions and practices in call centres have improved over the past 10 years, but there are still disproportionate levels of workplace stress, bullying and harassment which in turn leads to a higher than average level of sickness absence. While any worker can be subject to bullying, conference recognises that some groups of workers are particularly likely to experience bullying and harassment, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers.
Conference therefore calls on the energy service group executive, working with the business and environment equal opportunities working party, the national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender committee, the other self-organised groups and young members committee to specifically develop the equalities dimension of the Call Centre Charter.