Motion #17
During the last plenary of Spring Conference 2022 an Emergency Motion on bullying and harassment in the Green Party had been proposed and was formally introduced. It was not formally debated or voted on in a plenary because conference voted not to suspend standing orders to take the motion. GPEx felt that the systemic issues raised by the motion required further consideration. A subcommittee of GPEx was formed, named the Bullying & Harassment sub-committee. Terms of reference for the sub-committee was agreed in July, tasking members with considering how Green Party processes had historically dealt with allegations of bullying and harassment and with creating a single action plan to reduce incidences of these behaviours.
The sub-committee brings together members of GPEx, GPRC, Disciplinary Committee and the Alternative Disputes Resolution Committee. It reports to GPEx, and respects that oversight of the disciplinary process and party wellbeing lies with GPRC. Members met for the first time in July to review previous recommendations from Party reviews touching upon bullying and harassment, several of which have occurred since 2016. The sub-committee discussed a working definition of bullying and harassment and agreed a combined list of recommendations from previous reviews, to which recommendations arising from more recent cases will be added.
It is clear that implementation is key. There is much overlap between recommendations over the years. In many areas it is clear what needs to be done to make the Party a happier, safer place – what is needed is the resourcing and sustained commitment to see those changes come to pass. The need for clear boundaries as to how Party members can work with and sometimes disagree with each other, with clearly enforced consequences for those who step outside those boundaries, is particularly apparent. The sub-committee will work on creating a combined list of recommendations to reduce incidences of bullying and harassment, for Governance colleagues to consider. This list will be underpinned by an intersectional understanding that bullying and harassment can relate to people’s protected characteristics, sometimes as a means of defending positions of privilege within an institution.
This work may be folded within the Equality and Diversity work programme to implement the Diverse Matters report, this process decision is for the new GPEx to make. What is crucial that the work itself continues and that a single plan to reduce bullying and harassment is drawn up and - most importantly of all - implemented.