New alliance calls on government to make employers prevent sexual harassment 1 July 2019
An alliance of more than 20 unions, charities and women’s rights organisations have launched a petition calling for a new law to make employers prevent sexual harassment in their workplaces.
The TUC has reported that it has launched a joint campaign called ‘This Is Not Working’, with women’s rights organisations and charities calling on the government to introduce a new law to make employers responsible for protecting their staff from sexual harassment at work. TUC research found that more than half of women – and nearly seven out of ten LGBT people – have experienced sexual harassment at work. However, under current law there is no legal duty on employers to take proactive action to prevent harassment happening in their workplaces. Instead, the onus is on the victim of the sexual harassment to report it to their employer after it has happened.
In May, the government stated in reply to a parliamentary question that they would soon be launching a consultation on workplace sexual harassment, including the possibility of a duty on employers to prevent harassment:
The new duty would be supported by a code of practice, explaining exactly what steps bosses need to take to prevent sexual harassment – such as carrying out mandatory training for staff and managers, and having clear policies. This simple step would make a huge difference practically, says the alliance. It would mean that the burden of dealing with sexual harassment would be shifted from individuals to employers.
The alliance has launched a petition calling on the government to bring in the new law.
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UK’s gig economy workforce has doubled since 2016, TUC and FEPS backed research shows 4 July 2019
Research supported by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Foundation for European Foundation Studies (FEPS) reveals that the number of people doing gig economy work has doubled in the last three years.
The survey – carried out by the University of Hertfordshire with fieldwork and data collection by Ipsos MORI – shows that nearly 1 in 10 (9.6%) of working-age adults surveyed now work via gig economy platforms at least once a week, compared to around 1 in 20 (4.7%) in 2016. The majority of gig workers don’t do this kind of work full time. Rather “platform work” is used to supplement other forms of income, reflecting that UK workers are increasingly likely to patch together a living from multiple different sources. The term “platform work” covers a wide range of jobs that are found via a website or app – like Uber, Handy, Deliveroo or Upwork – and accessed using a laptop, smartphone or other internet-connected device. Tasks include taxi driving, deliveries, office work, design, software development, cleaning and household repairs. The survey also reveals that: • Younger workers are by far the most likely to work in the gig economy. Nearly two-thirds (60%) of intensive (at least once a week) platform workers are aged between 16 and 34. • 1 in 7 (15.3%) of the working age population surveyed – equivalent to nearly 7.5 million people – have undertaken platform work at some point. • 6 in 10 respondents report buying the services of a platform worker at some point.
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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