The (lack of) action against workplace bullying

study on a union

Abstract

The workplace bullying can be understood as a set of hostile actions that occur as a process and may be instructed by work organizations. Unions, which are associations that defend the interests and rights of professional categories, must be attentive to this form of psychological violence. In order to identify the perception and action of union leaders against situations of workplace bullying, a qualitative research was conducted with union representatives of the urban collective transport workers from a capital in the South of Brazil. The union to which these leaders belong is known for its struggle and confrontation tradition, as well as for the gains and improvements accomplished in the work conditions of its members. Regarding this kind of bullying, the results obtained in this study have showed a narrow view of the phenomenon, instead of understanding it more globally and as a process. This current view associates workplace bullying practices with specific people – the aggressors –, which tends to reinforce a timid union action against this kind of violence within working relationships. Unions, which play a social and political role, are organizations to support and protect workers, and when they have an information framework to support their view, orientation, and the implementation of actions of struggle and search for better working conditions, they can become instruments to fight against unacceptable behaviors in the workplace.