Orenes Group signs UNI guidelines against violence and harassment

On 11 April 2024, Spanish company Orenes Group signed UNI’s EU cross-sectoral guidelines against violence and harassment. Orenes is one of the key companies in the leisure, gaming and restaurant sector in Spain, with a presence in other countries in Europe and Latin America.

Giedre Lelyte, Head of UNI Gaming, said at the meeting: “This is an important step in ensuring that workplaces in the gaming sector are safe and fair for everyone. We welcome Orenes Group’s commitment to fighting violence and harassment.” 

UNI Europa Vice President Pilar Rato commented: “A few years ago, there was widespread reluctance to address issues of violence and harassment in the workplace. But since the signing of our EU guidelines last year, we have clearly seen momentum towards ensuring safer workplaces – and Orenes Group proved it last week by joining up.” 

Orenes Group said that it “continues to work under the commitment to promote and implement measures to raise awareness and social awareness against gender-based violence, in order to jointly build, among all social agents, a society free of any form of violence.” 

Soon, UNI Gaming plans to continue developing the global dialogue with Orenes Group on preventing violence and harassment at work. 

Pioneering guidelines

The first-of-its-kind guidelines were launched by UNI Europa, the European Services Workers Union, and and employers in telecommunications, finance and gaming in November 2023. It was the first time that a trade union federation has signed such far-reaching guidelines with employers and companies across different economic sectors. The scope of the guidelines has now expanded to Orenes Group.

The guidelines focus on: 

• Third-party violence  
• Tackling domestic violence – Home being the “new workplace” 
• Psycho-social risks of telework. 

They built on previous similar guidelines in line with international standards, including the ILO Convention 190 and the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention).  

Amel Selma Djemail, UNI Europa Equal Opportunities Director, said: “This is another step forward to a fairer and healthier workplace environment. Now, we need to broaden the scope to other UNI Europa sectors and beyond, as well as to link up with work at the global level. Even though the road to equality in the workplace and elsewhere is long, we are moving forward.”