The Regional Labor Court of the 1st Region published a guide to identify electoral harassment in the workplace. The document highlights that the freedom to choose who to vote for is a fundamental right, and that the vote must be free and secret, with no employment relationship being allowed to attempt to determine this choice.
Electoral harassment is characterized as any conduct that harasses, induces, influences, restricts, discriminates or retaliates against the worker due to their political rights or political choices. The practice does not necessarily require a direct or explicit threat to be considered harassment.
While threats of dismissal for those who do not support a specific candidate represent obvious forms of harassment, there are other less obvious behaviors that are also prohibited. The TRT guide aims precisely to help identify these more subtle practices.
Vertical electoral harassment occurs when the pressure comes from employers, managers or hierarchical superiors, who use their position of power to influence or retaliate against workers.
