"What you permit, you promote." Famous Words of the Permanent Secretary, Leslie Evans to the Scottish Government. She said, “As your employer we have a responsibility and a duty of care to everyone to ensure the working environment and culture reflects our values as civil servants. So I encourage you to talk to your colleagues and managers. Take this opportunity to reflect on your own team’s culture and your behaviours towards each other. Does it feel comfortable for everyone in the team? Is everyone included – do you each have a voice? If not, what do you need to do to change that?
In a public forum the name of the senior fishery officer who allegedly sexually harassed a young female member of staff at her home while working in the Scrabster, Caithness fishery office has been named. He allegedly demanded sexual favours to cease bullying her for her work life to improve. He had been repeatedly reported for his inappropriate behaviours, misogyny and sexual harassment for over a decade. The inappropriate incidents at work that were reported were witnessed by fellow colleagues on numerous occasions. Formal complaints going back as much as 14 years were lodged with the human resources team by two female members of staff in the Scrabster, Caithness fishery office. Other complaints were raised by another female member of staff to the human resources team years later. The human resources team were stated as being the experts on dealing with these matters by the Permanent Secretary. Her resources team failed on both occasions to investigate the complaints lodged and to offer support. A senior member of the human resources team referred to one of the women as a serial complainer and ignored instruction from her senior manager to contact the staff member to offer support.
Over the years the young female office staff worker was never supported by anyone in the organisation. Not one person stepped up to intervene to stop the inappropriate incidents that she was faced with each day. A male business manager while visiting the office witnessed first-hand the vile language used to refer to her doctor’s visit. Instead of him standing up for her, he returned to his office and kept quiet about the matter. What you permit you promote. Years later there was one woman who did stand up for the young female office staff and that was our sister.
Today within the Scottish Government there is a committee on the Scottish Government handling on harassment of complaints. The committee is to consider and report on the actions of the First Minister, Scottish Government officials and special advisers in dealing with complaints about Alex Salmond, former First Minister, considered under the Scottish Government’s “Handling of harassment complaints involving current or former ministers” procedure and actions in relation to the Scottish Ministerial Code. The former First Minister, Alex Salmond was acquitted of all charges in a sexual assault trial.
A meeting held on 18th August 2020 by the committee in the government handling on harassment of complaints, the Permanent Secretary, Leslie Evans said that the fairness at work policy had some basic elements such as there was no time bar and they wanted to include it into the new procedure that they were commissioned to undertake.
NO TIME BAR rings a bell because the sexual harassment at the hands of the senior fishery officer was never investigated. Many more incidents of sexual harassment reported to the office manager, human resources and to the Permanent Secretary and the First Minister. How do you discriminate who you should investigate? Is there a tick box exercise that determines if one person is more important than another? Do you choose straws on what cases you will investigate? What we, as members of the public would like to know is why you chose to investigate the complaints made about the former First Minister and ignored the complaints of the women who reported incidents for over a decade while they worked in the fishery office in Scrabster, Caithness? NO TIME BAR only and when it suits those who had hoped to benefit from this rule.
If there is no time bar then all complaints made by the young office staff worker and our sister should be investigated. Our sister made over 35 official complaints and not one of those complaints were ever investigated.
What you permit you promote. Will you now investigate the complaints that have been sitting with your human resources department that date back over 12 years and up to 2019?