Ms Phil N? Sheaghdha:

This issue has been a scourge in many occupations. All the research that has been conducted shows that it is an issue in hospitals, schools and the armed forces. All the unions representing healthcare workers have agreed a dignity at work policy from the code of practice. What is lacking is continuous and mandatory training for all those who are in management positions. That is one of the calls we have made regularly. It is fine. We do our jobs. We represent people who have been accused of bullying and we represent people who are making that allegation. Across all the unions, we take the issue seriously and do our jobs well. The best advice anybody can give somebody in a situation where they believe they are being bullied is to contact their trade union and they will be represented.

The bigger issue is that we are trying to move the focus away from investigation to preventative measures. The Deputy is correct that pressurised environments lead to all sorts of bad behaviour. None of it is correct. We believe there is a requirement for mandatory training on dignity at work. It is currently one of the few policies that is not mandatory. Manual handling training is mandatory.