More and more construction workers are breaking the silence to denounce situations of psychological and sexual harassment on construction sites, but there is still a lot of work to be done to put an end to the “culture of silence” which is plaguing this industry, several note. actors in the field.
On average, since 2018, 173 complaints for psychological and sexual harassment have been filed each year before the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST), according to the results of a recent request for access to information made public by the organization. This number, however, climbs to 194 for the current year, as of October 31, this data shows. For the whole of 2022, the CNESST had identified 169.
Without being able to provide data to Duty, the FTQ-Construction also indicates that it has noted an increase in grievances that have been sent to its member unions since the start of the pandemic, in connection with cases of psychological and sexual harassment. “We have an increase in complaints, but for us, the fact that people are complaining and no longer accepting harassment in construction is good news,” emphasizes Simon Lévesque, who is responsible for health and safety. work safety at FTQ-Construction. People are less afraid to denounce than before. »
“While there is still work to be done to raise awareness in the industry, a shift appears to be happening and people on construction sites who experience harassment, but also colleagues and employers who witness it, seem more inclined to denounce these situations”, also notes by email the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), which is committed to “strengthening the offer of services to people who are victims of these situations”. The CCQ already offers a telephone line for people who are victims of harassment or intimidation.
A culture to “break”
The number of complaints recorded by the CNESST, however, remains low compared to the total number of employees in the construction industry, which stands at approximately 197,000. A situation which reflects a “culture of silence” which persists. on construction sites, where employees do not report situations of harassment, for fear of suffering reprisals, notes the head of public affairs at the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ), Guillaume Houle.
Moreover, although employers in Quebec have the obligation to implement a policy for the prevention of psychological and sexual harassment, many of them do not promote it among their employees, notes the door – ACQ spokesperson.
“Employers must take leadership in this, display their policy and [présentent] to employees. And on the other hand, employees must denounce each other, insists Guillaume Houle. When we see that one of our colleagues is harassing another colleague, we must report it. »
This culture, “which must be broken,” insists Simon Lévesque, also disproportionately affects women, who are increasingly numerous in this predominantly male environment. In 2022, the CCQ counted 7,200, which then represented 3.65% of the total active workforce in this sector.
A CCQ report also showed in 2021 that 2% of workers who left this environment did so after experiencing discrimination, intimidation or harassment. A percentage which rises to 3.8% among women who have left the construction industry. Another study commissioned by the CCQ, this time in 2017, noted that around 11% of the workers surveyed for the exercise then claimed “to have been victims of sexual harassment”. For men, this proportion was 1%.
“I remain convinced that many women do not file a complaint for fear of reprisals or losing their job,” notes Josée Dufour, the outgoing president of Elles de la construction, an organization that promotes the rights of women in this industry. . “There is no other field that would be as tolerant of psychological and sexual harassment in the workplace,” continues M.me Dufour, according to whom “we must find a way to change this culture”.
Legislative measures
In this regard, the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, is banking on his Bill 42, which he presented this fall to the National Assembly, in order to combat psychological and sexual harassment in the workplace. The bill should in particular force all companies to adopt a policy for the prevention and management of harassment and intimidation, at a time when many still do not have one. The legislative measure also aims to prohibit employers from taking reprisals against an employee because the employee has reported a situation of psychological harassment that occurred in his or her workplace.
“The health and safety of Quebec workers are the minister’s absolute priority,” assures the press secretary for Minister Boulet’s office, Louis-Julien Dufresne.
It remains to be seen whether the necessary resources will be deployed to enforce this bill, warns Simon Lévesque. “I think it will develop over time, but I don’t think we can say that inspectors are ready to intervene” to respond to harassment complaints, notes Mr. Lévesque.
Joined by The duty, the CNESST reports an increase this year in the number of complaints filed regarding psychological and sexual harassment, all employment sectors combined, after a slowdown noted between 2020 and 2022, in the context of the pandemic. Added to this is an increase in injuries noted in particular in the construction sector, injuries which mainly affect employees “who have been recently hired or newly assigned to their position,” notes the CNESST.
In this context, the organization indicates that it has increased the visits of its inspectors to construction sites by 5.8% this year, as of November 30, compared to last year. The CNESST has also hired more inspectors and prevention advisors in recent years, in a context where “harassment cases are more complex and require more time for those involved in their processing compared to other health and work safety,” indicates the organization.