Unions pleased Cabinet wants to force employers to handle harassment

Trade unions welcomed the Cabinet's plan to make a code of conduct in the workplace mandatory to combat sexually assaultive behavior. FNV and CNV both called it a "good first step." However, they stressed that ultimately it comes down to enforcement of the new regulations, with FNV Vice President Kitty Jong seeing that task reserved for the Labor Inspectorate.

Both unions also wanted a confidential adviser to become mandatory. No more was said about this on Friday, but FNV Vice President Jong assumed, based on previous announcements, that this obligation will exist.

According to Jong, many organizations already have a code of conduct and a confidant, but there is a need to make this mandatory to prevent sexual misconduct in the workplace. "This is long overdue," she said.

According to CNV, "It's really up to employers now." "There really shouldn't be anything like this in the workplace. Especially because there is a power relationship at work: You need your job for your income," CNV Chairman Piet Fortuin said in a statement. "Employers without trustees don't need to wait for a Cabinet commitment, they should start today."

Ministers Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education) and Karien van Gennip (Social Affairs) reported on Friday that they are considering making such a code of conduct mandatory for employers, as well as a complaints mechanism. They want to invest 11 million euros into this action plan. Laws and regulations should prevent people from crossing borders and ensure they are punished more quickly if they do.

Also employers' organizations VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland recognized that it is an important task for companies to counteract sexual cross-border behavior. According to the organizations, this primarily requires a change in culture, as the Occupational Safety and Health Act already requires employers to ensure a safe workplace.

"Several high-profile cases in recent years have shown that there is much room for improvement in this area across society," said a spokesperson for Transboundary Behavior. "This has, in part, led to a lot more attention being paid to this issue within companies, and that's a good thing. In this context, it's important that it becomes normal to talk to each other when someone goes too far, stated the representatives of the business community.