Bullies may face criminal charges

Chief executives and senior managers will face criminal charges shortly if cases of bullying or sexual harassment are proved …

Chief executives and senior managers will face criminal charges shortly if cases of bullying or sexual harassment are proved against them, a conference on bullying in the workplace has been told.

Mr Raymond Byrne, a barrister who specialises in employment law, said a new code of practice due out later this year under the 1989 Health and Safety Act would force senior management to face up to bullying.

One of the organisers of yesterday's conference in Dublin, Ms Eithne Harley, who is training business manager with NIFAST, said the message must go out in every organisation that there would be "zero tolerance" of bullying.