The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has been criticised for opposing a binding global convention against gender-based violence and harassment at work.

The International Trade Union Confederation criticised the ACCI for its stance, but the ACCI claims its position has been misinterpreted.

The ILO is trying to alleviate violence and harassment against women and men in work by developing an instrument to create national laws such as paid domestic violence leave.

The ILO’s position paper says the move is backed by 177 national union groups, 79 governments and 13 employer groups worldwide.

The Australian Government has backed the idea, but wants a non-binding recommendation rather than a binding convention.

The ILO says the ACCI has expressed a preference for no instrument.

But ACCI commerce chief executive James Pearson has told reporters that “we have not said that there should not be an instrument”.

“We need to engage with employer and employee representatives, and governments, at the International Labour Conference to determine the best approach,” hesaid.

International Trade Union Confederation general secretary Sharan Burrow, a former Australian Council of Trade Unions president, says a lot of the world’s gendered violence occurs in the workplace.

“Making basic global rules about gendered violence is an important step to making a safer, freer world for working women,” she told The Guardian.

She said it is “appalling” that an employers’ group would oppose measures to eliminate violence and harassment.

“Violence at work is incredibly prevalent – employers do have a responsibility for safe workplaces,” she said.

“Beyond that they can also help ensure safe haven is possible ... by providing domestic violence leave - which is one of the central demands of the convention.”

Commenting on the ILO proposal, the ACCI said employers’ responsibilities “must be reasonable and in respect of things over which employers have actual control”.

“Domestic violence is a community problem that can have spillover effects into the workplace and needs to be addressed, but care also needs to be taken to ensure that the responsibility of the state is not placed on the shoulders of employers,” it said.

It warned that new regulations could prove “very onerous for smaller enterprises and informal businesses”.