Simpson: ructions show no workplace bullyproof
WELLINGTON: Conduct within the National Party shows no work environment is safe from bullying and harassment, says National MP Scott Simpson.
The party’s spokesman on workplace relations and safety opened the final day of the Culture Shift Conference in Wellington yesterday.
The conference focused on workplace bullying and its impact.
His appearance follows a tumultuous week for National in the wake of MP JamiLee Ross quitting the party amid multiple accusations of dona tion mishandling and bullying.
Mr Simpson said he did not have a problem speaking at the conference, despite the allegations of harassment by Mr Ross and the general chaos engulfing his party.
‘‘The political events of the last week or so just highlight that actually no organisation is immune,’’ he said.
‘‘The real challenge for political parties, for political organisations, and for all organisations is what have you got in place, what structures, what learnings, what processes are in place to prevent repeats.’’
Workers and their managers needed to talk openly about workplace bullying and harassment, Mr Simpson said.
So why had that not happened in the National Party?
‘‘For precisely the same reasons for instance that nobody was talking about these sort of issues at Russell McVeagh prior to them coming to the fore.
‘‘The nature of workplace bullying issues tends to be that until an issue arises, and is confronted, then it’s not talked about,’’ Mr Simpson said.
CultureSafe director Allan Halse — who organised the conference — stood by his decision to invite Mr Simpson to the conference.
‘‘I think it’s a fair reflection to have somebody here.
‘‘I know Scott himself is somebody who has a good history. I’ve checked him out — he doesn’t have any skeletons in the closet,’’ Mr Halse said.
The behaviour of politicians over the past week had been a bad influence on New Zealanders, Mr Halse said.
‘‘Everybody is watching that behaviour and unfortunately people joined in.
‘‘Because they saw the behaviour of the politicians, they felt entitled to comment similarly.’’
Public Service Association national secretary Glenn Barclay told the conference workplace bullying was prevalent in the public sector.
He said parliament, in particular, was a highpressure workplace.
‘‘This is an example of a charged working environment in which relationships can be put under pressure, so I think that just needs to be managed carefully,’’ Mr Barclay said.
National leader Simon Bridges has promised to review his party’s culture.
However, Mr Bridges said it was unlikely the findings would be made public.
Earlier in the week, Justice Minister Andrew Little said workplaces riddled with people who bully and harass are nothing new.
‘‘What we’re dealing with is behaviour that has always been there, but we are dealing with it in a time when more people are showing the courage and calling it out.’’
He told the conference some employers are tackling the problem, but old habits die hard.
‘‘We still have some old, inherited cultures of power, of absorption of power and of misuse of power.’’
In the past four years, Work Safe New Zealand has received 159 complaints of bullying.
Thirteen of those complaints were investigated but to date, noone has been prosecuted. — RNZ