Violence and harassment increase: union calls on employers to take action

By EducationHQ News Team
Published 3 hours, 40 minutes ago

The Independent Education Union (IEU) is calling on non-government school employers to provide clear data on rates of violence and harassment in schools, and to implement stronger measures to ensure teachers and support staff are safe from rising rates of violence and harassment.

Employers are obligated to eliminate unlawful behaviour, which includes not just sex discrimination but also sexual harassment, conduct that creates a hostile workplace on the grounds of sex, and related acts of victimisation.

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Deputy Secretary David Towson said the problem is escalating in all school sectors and it is “unacceptable”.

“Our members are reporting increasing incidents of violence and sexual harassment by students directed towards teachers and other staff in schools, and we are calling on their employers to produce a clear picture of what is happening and what they’re doing about it,” he said in a statement.

The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch represents more than 32,000 staff in Catholic and independent schools, early childhood centres and post-secondary colleges.

The union wrote to all Catholic Dioceses and the Association of Independent Schools on August 23 seeking meetings on this issue. It said some are yet to respond.

On Sunday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that new figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showed that in the year to June, there had been almost 2300 assaults occur on public and private school premises, which is only just below 2460 the year before.

Incidents of intimidation and stalking are increasing, as are reports of sexual touching. Possession of weapons is on the rise, and police are being called to schools more frequently.

“We call on employers to provide confidential reporting mechanisms, prompt and thorough investigations and appropriate action against perpetrators,” Towson said.

“We’re also asking for training programs for all staff and students to raise awareness about harassment and its impact, as well as strategies for prevention and intervention.”

The union said all working people are entitled to a safe workplace, and the Respect@Work reforms, passed in late 2022, impose a positive duty on employers to eliminate unlawful behaviour.

Unlawful behaviour includes not just sex discrimination but also sexual harassment, conduct that creates a hostile workplace on the grounds of sex, and related acts of victimisation.

“This positive duty imposes a legal obligation on employers to take meaningful action to prevent unlawful conduct in the workplace, including behaviour by students towards employees,” Towson said.

“We urge all non-government school employers to clarify the extent of the problem and to take real action to create the safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces to which all staff are entitled.”