TUC: Ministers must bring in new laws to protect women from sexual harassment at work
“Every woman should be safe from sexual harassment and abuse.
“But in the last few weeks alone, we’ve heard reports of sexual harassment from workers in hospitality, women working as surgeons – and now, once again, in the entertainment industry.
“These recent allegations don’t even scratch the surface of the problem. We know that most women, especially young women, experience harassment or abuse at work.
“Six years on from the explosion of MeToo, it is clear that nowhere near enough is being done to tackle this harassment and the cultures that enable it.
“Sexual harassment and bullying have no place in modern workplaces, or in wider society.
“Ministers promised to bring in a new law to put the onus on employers keep their staff safe from this type of abuse.
“But instead, they backtracked under pressure from Tory backbenchers and watered down the legislation, letting down working women across the country – yet again.”
A TUC poll published in May found nearly two-thirds (62%) of young women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work.
- Government consultation on Worker Protection Bill: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace/outcome/consultation-on-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-government-response Ministers consulted on the Bill. They then decided to take it forward as a private members bill – and Wera Hobhouse MP agreed to sponsor it. However significant numbers of wrecking amendments put down by peers in the Lords meant the bill was heavily diluted in order to pass. The bill no longer includes a new duty on employers to protect their staff from so-called third party harassment by customers or patients – including from sexual harassment
- TUC polling on sexual harassment at work: Three in five (58%) women – and almost two-thirds (62%) of women aged between 25 and 34 – have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work: www.tuc.org.uk/news/new-tuc-poll-2-3-young-women-have-experienced-sexual-harassment-bullying-or-verbal-abuse-work
- Harassment at work: This research follows the TUC’s landmark report from 2016 which found that more than half of women had experienced sexual harassment at work: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/SexualHarassmentreport2016.p…;
And TUC research published last year found that two in five BME people have faced racism at work in the last five years – from “banter” and jokes, through to bullying and harassment: https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/2-5-bme-workers-experience-racism-work-new-…;
A survey by shop workers’ union Usdaw in April revealed that nine in 10 staff had experienced abuse at work: https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2022/Mar/Abuse-threats-and-viole…
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