Dutch Ministry looking to curb bullying in workplaces

Lodewijk Asscher, Minister for Social Affairs and Employment announced that the ministry will be paying special attention to the issue of workplace bullying during yesterday’s parliament debate over working conditions.

According to ANP, the minister responded to a plea from Labour MP John Kerstens, who referred to a research stating the increase in cases of workplace bullying.

Minister Asscher said that he wants to handle the problem of workplace bullying. Also he wants to allow his department to inspect companies if they appear to have taken little measure to prevent workplace bullying. The minister also agreed to implement measures against bulling earlier than planned in 2016.

According to the minister, 500,000 employees face bullying from colleagues. It is a '' deep problem'', which causes a lot of stress, he said.

Next week, the minister will be launching the Check You Work Stress Week to address the issue of stress at work. One in eight workers in The Netherlands suffers from stress problems.