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ACC NZ released documentation to employees yesterday which requires employees to ‘support’ the transition of another employee, that a refusal to use preferred pronouns (not just the changed name) will constitute discrimination, bullying or harassment, and that the person changing their sex can use the toilet of their choice. In fact, under privacy requirements, other staff may not even be aware of this choice.
In other words, ACC is forcing gender ideology on staff. The Public Service Act is quoted in the document to remind employees that the workplace should be “inclusive of all groups”. However, that “inclusivity” doesn’t mention the rights of employees to express disagreement with gender ideology, or to have the right to safety and know that only women can use the women’s toilets. It also forces employees to tell a biological lie by having to use ‘personal pronouns’, which may extend to the fictional “they / them” or “ze / zir” etc.
The Minister of ACC Matt Doocey should tell ACC to stick to their core business of prevention, care & recovery for victims of accidents.
Problematic clauses in the document:
* ACC is committed to working with transitioning employees, their People Manager, teams and clients to ensure everyone is supported throughout the process from start to end.
* People Managers and colleagues should, to the extent practicable, not disclose information that may reveal an employee’s gender or gender non-conforming presentation to others without the consent of the employee.
* Develop a list of people involved
2. Who are the ACC clients who may need to be engaged at some point during the transition?
* Establishing some level of comfort in the team as to what the transition is and why it is happening is important in minimising the risk of misunderstandings. Some transitioning employees have chosen to announce and to celebrate their transition at work by hosting a morning tea for their team, and one particularly creative employee made a themed board game they played with their team.
* Maori who are transgender and identify as male, female or across the spectrum of genders have guaranteed rights that are supported and protected by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Public Service Act 2020.
* ACC expects our people to support an employee’s choice to transition.
* Names/Pronouns
All employees should be addressed by a chosen name and chosen pronoun (he/him, she/her, they/them, etc.) that corresponds with the employee’s gender identity, upon request.
* The intentional and persistent refusal to respect an employee’s gender identity (for example, intentionally referring to the employee by a name or pronoun that does not correspond to their gender identity) may constitute discrimination, bullying or harassment as described in ACC’s policies.
* Change room and bathroom accessibility
ACC employees have access to the change room and toilet facilities corresponding to their gender.
* Definitions
Sex: for the purposes of these guidelines, sex refers to the sex a person was assigned at birth.
Gender: one’s internal sense of being male or female, neither of these, both, etc.
Read full ACC documentation here.
