‘Is Nigel Farage happy for harassment at work to be left unchecked?’
Labour has slammed Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for claiming that protecting workers from harassment at work could result in the ‘end’ of pub banter.
GB News also published a scaremongering report earlier this week suggesting that under Labour’s new Employment Rights Bill, if a waiter overhears a conversation that they find offensive and the employer fails to take action, management will be “hauled before a committee to answer for your wrong-think”.
The Employment Rights Bill introduces a requirement for employers to prevent third party harassment of employees while they’re at work. An employer will only be held liable if they have failed to take “all reasonable steps” to protect workers from harassment.
A Labour spokesperson told The Guardian: “Everyone has the right to go to work in the knowledge that they will be protected from harassment in their workplace.
“Labour’s landmark employment rights bill is a once-in-a-generation chance to improve the lives of millions of working people. Is Nigel Farage happy for harassment at work to be left unchecked?”.
A TUC poll found that three in five women, and almost two-thirds of women aged between 25 and 34 say they have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work.
Speaking on GB News, Farage said: “However, the new employment rights legislation, which is designed to protect employees, says that debates should not happen in pubs if they’re offensive to staff.
“And this could well include debates such as transgender rights and veganism. And if they’re being expressed in a contentious way, people in the pub could be asked to leave.
“You might as well close the pubs down!”
In June, an undercover Channel 4 reporter’s recording of Reform out on the campaign trail showed a canvasser describing the Pride flag as “degenerate” and suggesting members of the LGBT community are paedophiles.
When questioned about the footage on Loose Women, Farage said the Reform campaigner made homophobic comments because he’d “watched England play football” and “was drunk”.
A female panellist on the show pointed out “I don’t make homophobic comments when I’m drunk”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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