Usdaw calls for action to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace

Retail trade union Usdaw has a delegation of members, reps and officials attending the annual Scottish Labour Party Women’s Conference on 30 November in Stirling. Usdaw is calling for action to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace.

Leading the delegation, Lorraine Barr – Usdaw area organiser said:

“The new legal duty that requires employers to prevent sexual harassment arising in the workplace is a step in the right direction. We welcome that the Westminster Labour Government is going further and has included in the Employment Rights Bill the requirement for employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment, along with the reintroduction of specific protection from third-party harassment. These are measures that Usdaw, sister trade unions and women’s rights organisations have long campaigned for.

“Protection from third-party harassment is crucial. Studies show that where the perpetrator is a third-party, women are even more reluctant to report the incident because they believe employers will not deal with it in the same way as they would were the harasser a colleague. This is particularly important for our members working in retail, who far too often suffer abuse from customers.

“The EHRC has a crucial role in monitoring and enforcing the new preventative duty.  Trade unions together with other key stakeholders such as the Scottish Labour Party also have a key role in establishing what preventative steps employers are taking and monitoring their effectiveness.”

Usdaw is asking delegates to support a call on the Scottish Labour Party to:

• Give the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace a high priority, recognising that it is a form of violence against women and girls.
• Work with unions and employers to build a broad understanding of what sexual harassment is, the traumatic impact it has on those who experience it and on society more generally, the scale of the problem and it’s causes – so that we can reduce and prevent the harms together.