Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has today (9 May) unveiled new plans to crack down on the sexual harassment of interns and volunteers in the workplace, pledging to give women ‘the best start at working life’.
In a keynote speech at the Chartered Management Institute’s women’s conference, Labour’s deputy leader outlined plans to make employers liable if they are made aware of an incident that affects interns and volunteers and fail to take action.
Labour had already said it would strengthen protection for employees by ensuring businesses took “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment. But Rayner said this would be extended to those who are not employed by the company but are undertaking internships or volunteering.
In part of the speech released in advance, Rayner said: “Sexual harassment remains rife in workplaces across Britain. For any employee, but especially interns and volunteers, experiencing sexual harassment can destroy confidence and ruin early careers.
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“Women leaders in business are already leading the way to stamp out sexual harassment from their workplaces, with organisations like the CMI creating positive workplace cultures where women thrive.
“The next Labour government will strengthen the legal duty requiring employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment at work and will ensure this duty applies to contracted interns and volunteers as well as employees.
“My message to working women is clear: with our New Deal for Working People, a Labour government will have your back.”
Last September, Labour also committed to strengthening the legal duty for employers to prevent sexual harassment before it starts, saying a Labour government would require employers take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment within their organisations.
However, trade unions are pressing for changes to a draft document outlining the proposals after it was presented to them this week.
Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said: “Measures that strengthen employee wellbeing are always a good idea. Ensuring that women are protected from behaviour that has no place in a modern workforce is not just good for those employees, interns or volunteers, it is ultimately good for business.”
New Deal consultation
Meanwhile, the Unite union, has strongly criticised a draft document that consults on changes to the New Deal for Workers, calling some modifications a “betrayal”. It has threatened to withhold general election funding unless they are ditched. It is not thought that all unions agree with Unite’s stance but many believe Labour has compromised too much in order to meet employers’ concerns.
The main concerns surround Labour plans on zero hours contracts. Instead of an outright ban, contracts will allow workers to opt to choose zero hours working.
Other proposals to be altered include giving people unfair dismissal rights from day one, which many business leaders have said could make probation periods unworkable and lead to the hiring of agency staff instead of employees. Under the draft documentation probation periods will be protected, leading the British Chambers of Commerce to say: “the Labour Party have heard us clearly on this”.
‘Unrecognisable’
After seeing the updated measures, Sharon Graham, leader of Unite, said they were “totally unrecognisable from the original proposals produced with the unions”, adding that Labour was “effectively ripping up the promise of legislation on a new deal for workers in its first 100 days”.
But other union leaders were said to have been expecting alterations to the plans and that these could be addressed privately.
Emma Wayland, employment partner at Keystone Law, emphasised that public consultation was now an “established feature of the legislative process” and could include informal input from stakeholders, formal consultation on proposed new laws and pre-legislative scrutiny.
She said: “It would be naive of anyone, including trade unions, to think that headline ‘cast iron’ commitments could translate directly into law without further ado.”
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