February 25, 2014

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday Feb. 26, and wear an article of pink clothing to signal that there is no place for bullying nor harassment in the workplace.

Now in its sixth consecutive year, all OPSEU members are encouraged to wear pink. It’s a sign that you won’t tolerate any form of abusive work demands, threats of violence, outright violence, discrimination or harassment that might negatively impact workers’ physical or mental health.

OPSEU’s support for National Pink Shirt Day on Feb. 26 dates to the adoption of Bill 168, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace). The Act has subsequently been amended to expand the definition of harassment and has increased responsibility and reporting levels for all employers.

National Pink Shirt Day was started by a group of teenage boys in Nova Scotia in support of another boy who was the victim of bullying. In 2008 members marked the start of this Children’s Aid Society wide initiative by organizing the first National Pink Shirt Day event in their locals. The day is marked across Canada by students and adults alike wearing pink and who share the slogan "Bullying Stops Here!"