Each year on March 8, we take time to recognize and celebrate women’s and girls’ achievements – those social, economic, political, and cultural. We also use International Women’s Day as an opportunity to talk about progress made toward gender equity as well as the work that still needs to be done to address gender-based barriers.
In saying that, we know that many of the struggles faced by women are also often experienced by gender-diverse people and that they, too, need to be celebrated and included in meaningful ways. All women, girls and gender-diverse people deserve a sense of belonging, empowerment and access to safe spaces where they can live authentically and without fear of violence or discrimination.
This year, to coincide with International Women’s Day, we are launching a resource page on the PSAC BC regional website regarding domestic violence (DV) as a workplace issue. We thank the PSAC BC Vancouver Island Regional Women’s Committee for bringing this idea forward.
The PSAC recognizes that domestic violence is an issue for all genders, but especially for women and gender-diverse people. Some of the ways that unions have been involved in working to stop domestic violence and how it impacts workers and the workplace is through awareness-raising and education, fighting for leave provisions during collective bargaining, and lobbying for legislative change.
In November 2023, the PSAC BC Region held, “PSAC Representatives Training: Domestic Violence at Work”, attended by members from across BC. The objectives of the course were to:
- explain why domestic violence is a workplace issue and what the union can do to support members who experience domestic violence;
- identify the role and responsibilities of the parties with regard to supporting someone in the workplace who experiences domestic violence;
- recognize the signs, in the workplace, that someone might be experiencing domestic violence;
- support and refer members who experience domestic violence; and
- deliver a short awareness presentation to members, on domestic violence in the workplace to continue to raise awareness of domestic violence at work and ways in which we can all address it.
The PSAC is planning more domestic violence awareness-raising and education for members.
We encourage you to take a look at the DV resources offered on the PSAC BC regional page, which include: sources of support in BC that were updated by our friends at the BC Society of Transition Houses; PSAC collective agreement excerpts where we have language around domestic violence leave; responsibilities of the parties (including the employer, supervisor, worker and union); the Canada Labour Code and its regulations; as well as the map that provides an update on domestic violence legislation across Canada.
We hope members find this resource page and its links helpful should the need arise. PSAC BC plans to continue adding to this page as more resources and materials become available. We encourage you to let us know when information needs updating by emailing REVP-BC@psac-afpc.com.
It is our fundamental belief that every worker has the right to feel safe, and it is our obligation to stop domestic violence and protect those who are already affected by it.
This International Women’s Day, and every day, we recommit to raising awareness on the need for gender equity but also on the issues that disproportionately affect women, girls and gender-diverse people, including domestic violence.
In Solidarity,
Priscilla Lam
PSAC BC Women’s Coordinator
Jamey Mills
PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President, BC