Douglas Council condemns abusive behaviour towards staff

Douglas Borough Council says it 'won't tolerate abusive behaviour towards its staff'.

In a statement released yesterday, the council says waste collectors and staff at the Civic Amenity Site have been subjected to 'hostility and abuse' from members of the public since a change in policy was announced.

The local authority says the behaviour, which stems from some of those unhappy with the move to fortnightly bin collections, won't be tolerated.

Council Leader Claire Wells said: ‘All at Douglas Council are committed to a work environment free of assault, abuse, harassment and bullying where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

‘While the behaviour of the majority of members of the public is great, some people believe it is acceptable to abuse, intimidate or even threaten Council employees, and to generally treat and speak to them in a fashion that they would never dream of doing when dealing with other organisations.

‘To verbally abuse members of staff because you don’t agree with a change in policy, or for any other reason, is totally unacceptable. If someone is dissatisfied with a service, we have processes in place that enable people to report issues – please don’t take it out on a member of staff.'