Every employee is entitled to a work environment free of psychological or physical harassment, and the employer must take reasonable action to prevent harassment in any form and, whenever the employer becomes aware of such behaviour, to put a stop to it.

"It is the employers' responsibility to create a working environment free from sexual harassment".

The Committee regrets that the Commission's proposal contains no reference to the employers' responsibility to create a working environment free from sexual harassment.

5. Supports in its resolution of 20 September 2001 on harassment at the workplace, the "global approach to well-being at work" including all kinds of risks such as stress, harassment, bullying and violence ; this echoes the judgement of the Court of Justice as to the wide interpretation of "working environment" (Article 137(1) TEC); however, the Commission should recognise gender as important in this context and be more concrete by, for example, proposing legislation on workplace bullying; the global approach should also include a ...[+++]commitment to extend strategic action to address or combat future risks posed by new processes or changes to existing ones;

8. Urges the Commission in the communications on a Community strategy on health and safety at work and on strengthening the quality dimension in employment and social policy and in the Green Paper on corporate social responsibility also to take into account mental, psycho-social or social factors in the work environment, including the organisation of work, thus emphasising long-term, systematic and preventive efforts concerning health and safety with the aim, inter alia, of counteracting bullying at work, and to consider also the need for legislative initiatives to this end;

13. Urges the Commission to consider a clarification or extension of the scope of the framework directive on health and safety at work or, alternatively, the drafting of a new framework directive as a legal instrument to combat bullying and as a means of ensuring respect for the worker's human dignity, privacy and integrity; emphasises in this connection the importance of systematic work on health and safety and of preventive action;