Ambulance service refutes claims of 'boys club' culture of bullying
The South East Coast trust is calling into question a survey carried out by the GMB union
An ambulance service in the South East has accused a union of making misleading claims about the levels of bullying and harassment faced by staff.
The GMB has accused the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) of fostering a 'boys club' culture among staff.
The union claims a survey of almost 900 workers revealed more than a quarter had experienced bullying at work, with a further one-fifth saying they have witnessed incidents of bullying.
It said discrimination towards women staff members, sexual harassment, bullying, staff being scared to speak out were among the key themes raised.
SECAmb, which operates across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and north-eastern Hampshire, claims the questions used by the union were left deliberately unclear and have said the survey does not represent the true views of its workers.
Gary Palmer, South East regional organiser for the GMB, said:
"The members’ testimony made very difficult reading at times and the overall message was deeply concerning.
"I would presume (chief executive) Simon Weldon will want to commission his own investigation in light of our discoveries, and we are calling on him to do the right thing sooner rather than later.
"If he doesn’t think an investigation is warranted, you have to ask if his position is tenable any longer."
A SECAmb spokesperson said:
"We absolutely recognise that as a Trust and as a wider ambulance sector, we have issues we need to address. We have been very open about these and are working hard, with our people, to address them.
"We are also committed to working in partnership with our unions on these, and other issues.
"However, we have some very real concerns about the credibility of this survey.
"This survey was completed last summer, it is unclear actually how many people completed it and the questions were not subjective.
"There were even strong comments from their (the GMB's) own members at the time regarding the wording of the survey and who refused to complete it."