Workplace harassment as a cause for the termination of the employment relationship in Ecuador

Abstract

Ecuadorian legislation, as of 2017, recognizes for the first time the legal figure of workplace harassment, through the Organic Law Reforming the Organic Law of Public Service and the Labor Code to prevent Workplace Harassment. Although there were already regulations that prohibit ill-treatment and guarantee the right to a healthy work environment, the relevance of this figure lies in the fact that it is currently considered an eminent psychosocial risk; and, there is already a general regulatory framework that regulates the private and public spheres to prevent and deal with these acts that threaten the integrity and health of workers. The objective of this research is to analyze workplace harassment as a cause for the termination of the employment relationship, the complaint procedure before the Labor Inspectorate and its legal effects. This qualitative research uses the inductive - deductive method and will allow to focus from reality, the application of national regulations and their effects regarding the employment relationship.