Conference on Violence Prevention

On 13 March 2024, the trade unions vida and GPA, the Vienna Chamber of Labour (AK) and the WEISSER RING association organised their international violence prevention conference "Tatort Arbeitsplatz" for the 15th time. The anniversary edition not only created more awareness of the topic, but also gave valuable tips to those potentially affected.

Working together to combat violence at work

More and more colleagues are experiencing violence, harassment and discrimination in their work. Wars, inflation and the climate crisis trigger existential fears and push many people to the limit. The forms and consequences of violence at work vary – they range from insults and spitting on to abuse of power by superiors and physical assaults. At their conference on the topic of "Violence in the world of work and what we can do about it", the AK Vienna, the trade unions vida and GPA, together with the Association for Crime Victim Support WEISSER RING, focused on violence prevention in the workplace. The event of the initiative "Tatort Arbeitsplatz" took place for the 15th time. Experts, managers and works councils informed the approximately 250 visitors about how violence can be prevented and how best to react in an emergency.

Do not accept physical assaults as an occupational risk

The cross-border conference was opened by AK Vice-President Helmut Gruber. He pointed out that incidents of violence in the workplace had increased, which was also reflected in the inquiries to the Chamber of Labour and trade unions. "According to statistical data, employees from the transport, service and health sectors, as well as from the public sector or trade, are particularly affected," Gruber said, citing a few examples. He described the conference as an important initiative to bring the topic of violence in the workplace out of the taboo area.

He also emphasized that insults and physical assaults are not to be accepted as an occupational hazard, because: "Violence against colleagues impairs the dignity and health of those affected."

According to the Vice-President of the Chamber of Labour, violence in professional life also has an impact on productivity, which causes serious costs for companies and society. Numerous sick leaves can be traced back to the incorrect handling of violence. Suppressing the topic leads to those affected resigning inwardly or giving up their job, says Gruber. "This is a development that none of us want."

Talk about it, act against it

As a representative of the trade union vida, Yvonne Rychly, member of the presidium, Viennese women's chairwoman and deputy federal women's chairwoman, among others, took part in the conference. She co-initiated the project "Crime Scene Workplace. Don't Give Violence at Work a Chance" 15 years ago and now looks proudly at the development so far.

In her speech, she drew attention to the fact that women and men react differently to violence they have experienced or witnessed. For example, a survey in Austria showed that more than half of men and more than a quarter of women have not taken any action when they have seen or experienced incidents of violence. "Because it doesn't help anyway," many respondents cited as the reason for the inaction.

Rychly was convinced that too little was being done against violence and too little was being talked about it. This is reason enough for her to continue the successful initiative "Tatort Arbeitsplatz" even after 15 years: "Let's continue in the interest of our colleagues!"

Cooperation partners and ideas welcome

Event organizer Peter Traschkowitsch was satisfied with the lively interest in the conference and at the same time concerned about the urgency of the topic: "Our colleagues in a wide variety of industries are frequently affected by incidents of violence in the workplace." He advises those affected to contact the trade union or the Weisser Ring directly, where victims of crime can find support and advice. At the end of the conference, Traschkowitsch thanked the cooperation partners of "Tatort Arbeitsplatz", which include the Weisser Ring as well as the women's shelters and the Austrian Women's Ring. And he declared himself open to new collaborations and ideas for the next conference.