Petition A petition to outlaw bullying in the voluntary sector (including charities)

There is an urgent need to introduce a law to protect volunteers from abuse and bullying in the workplace. Volunteers are not given the same legal protection in the workplace as employees. Volunteers have:
- no contract of employment,
- no Union representation,
- no access to ACAS, and
- all anti-bullying policies are discretionary and internally policed within the organisation (and open to abuse).

With the Government pushing the Big Society and the positive spin put on volunteering, potential volunteers must be warned of the dangers and be protected by a new law. The new law should define bullying as a hate crime in the same way as sexism, ageism, racism, etc., are. Bullying is a pernicious, cowardly and corrosive act that is damaging to the individual and the whole of society. Without the legislation, organisations will remain complacent and bullies will continue to hide within them. Please vote for zero tolerance of bullying.