Fiona introduced herself as a first-time delegate and speaker, now working as a Health and Safety Officer, previously in a public-facing visitor assistant role — where she experienced sexual harassment from third parties.She shared one incident where she was cornered by a visitor and forced to quickly judge how to safely respond.
While her own management team were supportive, Fiona made the point that this is not the case everywhere — sexual harassment often goes unreported, dismissed, or not recognised as a workplace issue.
She urged support for the motion — so that activists have the tools to tackle harassment, treat it as a health and safety issue, and work towards eradicating it from workplaces.
Fiona stressed the need for safe spaces for members and activists to talk about harassment openly, and to build awareness that harassment can happen to anyone and takes many forms.