“Despite providing vital, life-changing services to survivors of violence, their families,
and communities across the country, Canada’s GBV sector remains severely
underfunded and faces similar challenges to other women and gender diverse majority
workforces,” said Siobhán Vipond, Executive Vice-President of the CLC.

A groundbreaking new study on the GBV workforce outlined that this workforce is
primarily made up of women (89%) identified workers, with a large proportion (67%)
also identifying as a member of at least one other equity group. Unfortunately, the
systemic devaluation of this work, as well as the consistent and never-ending financial
precarity facing the sector, makes it impossible for far too many GBV workers to sustain
themselves and their families when compensation for these critical jobs fail to keep up
with the rapid increases in cost-of-living post pandemic.

In fact, one in four GBV workers in this study revealed that they experienced
consistent employment insecurity.

“The lack of consistent and reliable funding for the sector is pushing GBV workers to the
margins of an already worsening national affordability crisis facing us all,” adds Vipond.

In addition, GBV work is trauma-exposed work that carries significant occupational
health and safety risks. According to that same study, just over half of respondents
(56.2%) shared they feel emotionally exhausted and/or worn out due to their work, and
50% agreed the vicarious trauma negatively impacts their mental health and personal
life.

Canada’s GBV sector needs core, stable and adequate funding from governments to
protect occupational health, safety, and wellness of workers.

This is why Canada’s unions are calling for our federal government to develop a
workforce strategy for the sector, in collaboration with unions and sector organizations,
to improve wages, working conditions, and retention. This strategy must be part of
broader efforts towards comprehensive, long-term funding to sustain the feminist and
women’s rights organizations that provide life-saving services to survivors across the
country.

“Promises and half-measures are not enough; workers are ready to rise up for justice
for the GBV workforce, and demand that our elected leaders take action to meaningfully
support and sustain the gender-based violence sector,” said Vipond.

Learn more about the state of Canada’s Gender-Based Violence Workforce here.

The post Canada’s unions rise up for justice for gender-based violence (GBV) workforce appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Gender-based violence and harassment continue to threaten the safety, dignity, and equality of women and gender-diverse workers. The CLC’s own research revealed that gender diverse workers (82%) and women (76%) experience higher rates of harassment and violence at work compared to their colleagues. In addition, a recent report on harassment and violence in Canadian workplaces revealed 843 reported occurrences of third-party (meaning clients, patients, customers, etc.) violence and harassment in 2022, reflecting a whopping 41% increase from 2021.

“These are not just numbers,” said Siobhán Vipond, Executive Vice President of the CLC. “They reflect the alarming, daily reality of workers whose safety and dignity are still at risk. They tell the story of a crisis that demands action, now.”

There are several factors contributing to this increase in third-party violence and harassment. People are facing mounting pressures from a worsening affordability crisis, with scarce resources to address their needs. Staffing shortages and systems stretched too thin may also impact the way people interact with front-line workers, leading to dangerous situations for these workers.

Moreover, in recent years, we have seen some conservative political leaders stoke fear, anger and hate to distract from their lack of solutions. This emboldens third parties to harass workers in public-facing jobs, disproportionately targeting 2SLGBTQI+ workers, Black, racialized, Indigenous workers, and those with disabilities at an alarming rate.

Despite unions sounding the alarm, the federal government has yet to work with provinces, territories, unions and employers to meaningfully implement ILO C-190, the world’s first global treaty to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work.

“While governments delay, the labour movement is taking action. Across the country, Canada’s unions are leading the fight to end gender-based violence through collective bargaining, education, and political action,” adds Vipond.

While we are proud of the workers and activists who are fighting every day to make workplaces and communities safer, fairer, and more inclusive, unions cannot do it alone.

We are calling on all levels of government to make work safer for everyone by:

• Coordinating a tripartite national strategy to implement ILO C-190 that includes measures to address the specific challenge of growing violence and harassment from third parties; and

• Conducting a national public awareness campaign about third-party violence and harassment as part of Canada’s National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and the implementation strategy for ILO C190.

“Canada’s unions will continue to rise up, to demand accountability from those in power, and to fight for a future where every worker is safe, respected, and free from violence and harassment,” said Vipond.

Check out the CLC’s research on violence and harassment at work here.

The post Canada’s Unions Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“Trans and gender-diverse workers are disproportionately impacted by violence and harassment, both at work and in our communities. Trans Day of Remembrance is a powerful opportunity to channel our grief towards justice by demanding that our federal government take action to end gender-based violence, and make work safer for all,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

The CLC’s research reveals that when compared to their colleagues, gender-diverse workers are 82% more likely to experience harassment and violence at work. Additionally, 73% of gender-diverse respondents stated they had experienced sexual harassment and violence in the last two years. 

This is why Canada’s unions are calling for the federal government to conduct a national public awareness campaign as part of Canada’s National Action Plan on Gender Based Violence. This must include a comprehensive and tripartite implementation strategy for ILO C190, the international convention asserting the right of all workers to a world of work free of all forms of gender-based violence. 

“When trans and gender-diverse communities continue to be disproportionately targeted by gender-based violence at alarmingly high levels, including harassment and violence in the world of work, we cannot afford inaction,” said Larry Rousseau, CLC Executive Vice-President.    

Labour’s solidarity in action means we will continue to show up: in our communities, in our workplaces, and in legislatures. We’re re-committing ourselves as trade union activists, allies, and supporters in the fight for justice for trans and gender diverse peoples towards an equitable and inclusive vision for our society. 

“From coast to coast to coast, workers are united against hate. With provincial governments—like Danielle Smith’s UCP in Alberta—attacking trans and gender-diverse people any chance they get, we must continue to take action against transphobia,” said Rousseau. “We strongly condemn the UCP government’s use of the notwithstanding clause to force through harmful bills that violate the rights of trans youth and their families. Our solidarity will never waver; when it comes to justice in the fight against transphobic hate, violence and gender-based violence in all its forms, we will win.”

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Do you have a story to share on harassment and violence at work? Add your voice now, and help make work safer for all workers in Canada.

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Canada’s unions are marking 2025 gender equality week by rising with a bold vision for gender justice at the heart of our economy.

“Unions know thatthe economic resilience of our country, depends upon the labour of women and gender diverse workers, whether that is in the workplace, at home or in our communities,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Unfortunately, women, and in particular Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomer, young, 2SLGBTQIA+, and women with disabilities, continue to bear the brunt of the affordability crisis.

This is why the CLC is urging this government to act now on gender inequities in our economy by: 

• Investing in the value of women’s work by adding an additional $20 million over three years to expedite the work of the Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner. This includes ensuring that this office has the resources necessary to support and enforce compliance, including regular independent public reviews and sustained funding for the development of the disaggregated data needed to support pay equity initiatives. 

• Providing sufficient and long-term core operational funding to women’s rights and equality-seeking organizations so they have the stability they need to continue to provide services and carry out vital advocacy and research, including an initial investment of $1 million for consultations on the development of a National Strategy for the Gender-Based Violence Workforce that addresses issues of precarious work, access to decent salaries, pensions, benefits, supports for workers, and retention and recruitment issues. 

• Investing in key social infrastructure to address the epidemic of gender-based violence, including fully funding the continuation of the 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender Based Violence.

• Modernizing the Employment Equity Act with a commitment of $20 million over the next three years to establish:

• A dedicated Employment Equity Commissioner (similar to the Pay Equity Commissioner);

• Two new designated equity groups under the Act: Black people and 2SLGBTQIA+ people; and

• Improved data collection and disaggregation to support intersectional analyses and a better understanding of the distinct and nuanced challenges and barriers to employment faced by equity groups.

• Committing $30 million over the next three years to the operation of the Sectoral Table on the Care Economy to meaningfully respond to the gendered impacts of Canada’s care crisis.

“Any plan on the part of the government to strengthen our economy, which does not include investments in care and care work, will fall short of ensuring all workers, particularly women, are able to fully participate in the labour market,” said Siobhan Vipond, Executive Vice-President of the CLC and member of Canada’s inaugural sectoral table on the Care Economy.

“As this government prepares to unveil its first full budget this fall, Canada’s unions are putting our federal leaders on notice: it’s time to centre gender equity in our budgetary policy and ensure it is a key proponent of sustaining Canada’s economic growth,” added Vipond.

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For the past three decades, during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, individuals and groups around the world have called for the prevention and elimination of all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls.

This year, we are casting a light on the disturbing and growing phenomenon of third-party harassment and violence in the world of work.

A recent survey by the Canadian Labour Congress paints a horrifying picture. Seven in ten workers have experienced harassment and violence at work in the past two years–often at the hands of third parties such as customers, patients, and members of the public. That’s the majority of us, and the people we work with. Women and gender-diverse workers are at higher risk of third-party violence because they dominate public-facing jobs.

It’s high time for the federal government to wake up and say ‘never again’ to violence and harassment at work.

The scale and scope of violence are staggering. Last July, a Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) poll demonstrated that the pandemic and never-before-seen hospital staff shortages led to a surge in physical and sexual violence from patients and members of the public against women, who make up 85 per cent of the hospital workforce. The numbers are troubling, particularly for racialized workers, with over 70 per cent saying they are subject to harassment or abuse because of their race or appearance.

For five years now, the United Steelworkers have been drawing attention to the harassment of call-centre workers by customers. Some employers had a no-hang-up policy, leaving workers with no way to escape the harassment. The abuse was often sexual and racist when the workers’ voices were identified as female or racialized.

Widespread verbal and physical violence is known to be a critical factor in the erosion of nurses’ well-being. The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) states that decades-old cycles of gender-based harassment and violence have led to a serious decline in nurses’ health, including mental health. These are the same nurses who spent the past two years on the frontline, caring for us, our family members and our friends.

Another recent survey from SEIU (Canada’s Healthcare Union) paints a grim picture. 4 out of 6 home care workers said they regularly experience verbal assault, 2 out of 5 said they were punched, and 1-in-4 experienced sexual assault while delivering care at a client’s home. These workers are some of the lowest-paid healthcare workers and they are also subject to some of the highest rates of workplace violence outside the walls of big institutional care settings.     

Violence and harassment happen in all corners of the workforce. University of Ottawa researchers found that over half of the educators surveyed experienced physical violence during the 2017-2018 school year–overwhelmingly at the hands of students. More than 70 per cent reported acts of explicit verbal insults, putdowns, and obscene gestures from a student and 41 per cent experienced this sort of behaviour from a parent.

In public-facing workplaces, such as retail and hospitality, the rates of violence and harassment are alarming. 90 per cent of respondents of a United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) survey said they have experienced harassment in their workplaces. Another crushing example from Unite Here Local 40 revealed that more than two-thirds of women workers at one Vancouver hotel had been subjected to sexual harassment from guests.

As you can imagine, workers report feeling stressed, and worthless, and some are even forced to leave their jobs. Few legal protections exist against third-party violence, which leaves workers vulnerable to harm. No one should have to feel unsafe when doing their job.

There is hope. In 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 190, also known as C190, was deemed a historic convention which would establish the right to a world of work free from violence and harassment. We are still waiting for the government to ratify C190 and take this step toward addressing third-party and gender-based violence at work.

However, without an implementation plan, the legislation will fall short. As a first step, Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to host a summit bringing other levels of governments, employers and unions together to examine third-party violence as a persistent and escalating phenomenon.

We are ready to roll up our sleeves to work with governments and employers to develop an action plan to implement C190.

Whether you are a call centre worker answering our questions, a nurse caring for our loved ones, or a barista fuelling us with coffee, everyone has the right to feel safe at work. Let’s make it a reality.

1. Bea Bruske, President, Canadian Labour Congress
2. Linda Silas – President, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
3. Sharleen Stewart – President, SEIU
4. Chris Aylward – Public Service Alliance of Canada
5. Daniel Boyer – Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec
6. Marc Hancock – Canadian Union on Public Employees
7. Paul R. Meinema – United Food and Commercial Workers
8. Bert Blundon – National Union of Public General Employees
9. John Di Nino – Amalgamated Transit Union Canada
10. Marty Warren – United Steelworkers

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Bea Bruske is president of the Canadian Labour Congress. Follow her on Twitter @PresidentCLC

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post It’s time to end gender-based violence at work appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

We know that gender-based harassment and violence continue to pose a major risk to worker safety. In 2020, the CLC’s first-ever National Survey on Harassment and Violence at Work found that 7 in 10 workers have experienced harassment and violence at some point in the last two years. Disturbingly, 1 in 3 of these incidents were perpetrated by third parties such as patients, clients, and customers. 

“Violence and harassment happens in all corner of the workforce. Every day we hear stories of nurses being attacked by patients, hotel women workers being subject to sexual harassment from guests, servers being harassed by customers, and workers in all sectors facing rising rates of third-party harassment and violence,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.  “We know that third-party violence is a persistent and escalating issue for women, two-spirit, trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming workers who are more likely to work in public-facing sectors. Another crushing example is education workers who experience physical violence and verbal abuse from both students and parents. These are the people supporting, helping and caring for our kids. Many of these workers are further targeted by third-party violence due to systemic racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia that permeate workplaces.”

“Addressing gender-based violence from third parties is a matter of critical urgency,” said Siobhán Vipond, CLC Executive Vice-President. “Since the pandemic began, we have seen increased rates of third-party violence and harassment against frontline workers and workers in public-facing jobs. Yet, governments and employers have taken little action and there is a huge gap in Canadian legislation in terms of third-party violence.” 

 “Canadian workers urgently need a gender-responsive and intersectional approach to address this issue,” continued Bruske. “The Canadian Labour Congress is encouraged by the news that the Federal government is taking action to implement International Labour Convention 190 on harassment and violence at work. This Convention offers a comprehensive framework for addressing harassment and violence and recognizes the disproportionate impact on women and gender-diverse workers.” 

“The labour movement wants to work with governments and employers to create a comprehensive plan for implementing C190 so we can tackle the issue of gender-based harassment and violence at work. We are calling on the federal government to hold a tripartite summit so workers, particularly workers who are impacted by gender-based violence, have a say in how the Convention is implemented. Inaction on third-party violence can be deadly for workers in Canada.”

Read more about third-party violence and harassment at work and its impacts on women, two-spirit, trans, non-binary and gender-nonconforming workers.

To read the results of the National Survey on Harassment and Violence at work click here.

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“Here in Canada, we’ve made progress on recognizing gender-based harassment and violence as an issue in the world of work,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “But there is more work to be done. Our previous groundbreaking survey on domestic violence at work helped shape important change for survivors. We’ve once again partnered on a national survey, this time to study harassment and violence in the workplace.”

32 years after the École Polytechnique attack, gender-based harassment and violence remains a daily reality for too many workers. Today, in Canada:

• Homicide is the #1 killer of women in the workplace.
• 1 in 3 workers experience domestic violence, and over half report experiencing this violence at or near their workplace.
• 90% of transgender workers report feeling unsafe at work due to their gender identity or expression.
• 1 in 3 migrant care workers reported having their movement restricted by their employer during the pandemic.
• Gender-based violence and harassment from patients, co-workers, and the public “is endemic within the healthcare sector.”
• 70% of education workers experienced physical violence on the job, and women and gender-diverse workers experience this violence at a higher prevalence than men.
• Racialized women face higher levels of harassment and violence than non-racialized women and experience barriers to reporting, support and access to justice.
• Indigenous women are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violence and six times more likely to be killed than non-Indigenous women.
• Over 60% of women and girls with disabilities experience gender-based violence.

The CLC’s national survey on domestic violence at work helped governments, employers and unions understand that domestic violence has significant impacts on workers and workplaces, putting jobs and safety at risk. It led to new policies and supports, including legislation that recognizes domestic violence as a hazard and gives workers access to paid leave so they don’t have to choose between their job and a paycheque.

Last year, the CLC partnered with the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women to conduct the first ever National Study on Harassment and Violence in Canadian Workplace. The results will be revealed in January 2022, and will help determine the actions we need to take together, in order to reduce risk and prevent violence and harassment, to respond appropriately, and to support survivors.

“For too long, women and gender-diverse workers have been subject to unrelenting workplace harassment and violence. It’s unacceptable,” said Siobhán Vipond, CLC Executive Vice-President. “Canada’s unions have an important role to play, starting with urging the federal government to finally ratify and implement ILO Convention C-190. Everyone deserves safe homes, safe communities, and safety in the world of work. Together, we can build a safer world.”

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

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