#Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)

[mxactivist]

UK action: Object to the watering down of trans-supportive guidance from the EHRC

The Equality and Human Rights Commission, who've been leaning in a more transphobic direction in recent years, are removing guidance about how not to discriminate against trans people from their Statutory Code of Practice.

They're running a consultation about it, which closes on 3rd January 2025 - 3 days from now.

Here's some helpful links from a Reddit post:

The EHRC are rewriting the Statutory Code of Practice to the Equality Act in a transphobic way and are holding a consultation. Please respond to that consultation. The deadline is January 3rd 2025 #BWOT The EHRC are rewriting the Statutory Code of Practice to the Equality Act in a transphobic way and are holding a consultation. Please respond to that consultation. The deadline is January 3rd 2025 #BWOT This skeet advises you on how to respond to the consultation: https://bsky.app/profile/philippaeast.bsky.social/post/3ldbhpzbv2c2n This link takes you to the consultation: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/equality/equality-act-2010/code-practice-services-public-functions-and-associations-consultation This link takes you to a Trans Safety Network explainer: https://transsafety.network/posts/draft-ehrc-code-of-practice-concerning-shift-priorities/ The deadline is 5pm on 3 January 2025. Don't leave it until the last minute as they frequently shut down early.

Any amount of response is better than none at all. If you're in the UK please take part, and give as much or as little detail as you would like in your answers. Every little bit helps.

[coochiequeens]

“Pouring piss is an anarchist act of resistance that stakes an urgent and lingering claim on our basic human rights … If you take away our toilets we will make one on your doorstep.” Said no oppressed group ever

Trans activists in London staged a urine-filled protest outside of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on Monday in response to proposed alterations to the Equality Act which would strengthen women’s sex-based rights.

Members of the organization Pissed Off Trannies (POT) gathered outside of the EHRC on May 22 to leave 90 liters of human urine around the perimeter of the building. The protest was in response to a recent statement by chief executive of the EHRC, Melanie Field, in which she affirmed the definition of “sex.”

The statements by Field were made during an interview with Transactual, a trans activist organization headed by trans-identified male Helen Belcher. Belcher pressed Field on the definition of “biological sex,” to which Field responded it was the “sex recorded at birth.”

Field’s comment reflects a slow-moving trend at the EHRC to implement stronger protections for biological sex as a protected characteristic, as well as recent plans to prevent trans-identified males from accessing women’s facilities unless they have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).

GRCs are documents which legally recognize a person’s transgender identity in the United Kingdom. The bar for acquiring one is not particularly high, having two primary requirements of a gender dysphoria diagnosis, and the individual having “lived” as their “preferred gender” for at 2 years. The fee is nominal at £5, but it can be waived entirely for low-income people.

The proposals have been met with extreme backlash by trans activists, who have branded the EHRC’s attempts to consider further protections for women as “anti-trans bias.”

This Monday, masked POT trans activists gathered outside of the EHRC office to leave bottles of human urine in protest of the considerations. The activists also poured the bottles of piss on the sidewalks.

POT posted an artistic video of the demonstration to their Instagram, featuring close-up shots of the bottles of urine with audio and transcription of Field’s interview with Transactual superimposed over the scenes.

“We placed 90 liters of trans piss outside the building and in their revolving doors, rendering the EHRC more explicitly what it already was: an inaccessible mess,” Pot wrote in the description of the video.

“Pouring piss is an anarchist act of resistance that stakes an urgent and lingering claim on our basic human rights … If you take away our toilets we will make one on your doorstep.”

This is not the first time POT has staged a piss-filled protest outside of the EHRC in London.

In September of 2022, POT activists similarly left jugs of human urine around the office’s doorstep, with one masked activist pouring one bottle on himself. 

While the initial exclusive coverage by VICE did not publish the names of the activists involved, allowing them to remain anonymous, it was later revealed that the primary organizer for POT is an artist who has contributed to VICE in the past. 

Jamie Cottle is a trans-identified male from Reading, England, who studied English at University College London. Cottle uses the moniker “Biogal” on social media. After staging his first protest outside of the EHRC last year, Cottle boasted about his actions on Instagram.

Cottle regularly hosts disturbing “performances” he claims are demonstrations of trans activism.

In one performance from 2022, simply titled “FISH,”Cottle strips while slapping himself with a dead fish. In another from that same year, titled “Prayer for the Pearl Oyster,” Cottle is seen wearing women’s underwear, transparent platform heels, and a pearl necklace. He rips fabric, tosses about oysters, and screams while stomping on the shells. Cottle then begins writhing, strips naked, and removes a sex toy from his anus.

In addition to providing words in a VICE article on “trans joy,” last year Cottle contributed to a piece published in the Italian edition of Vogue magazine. 

Titled “The Hairy Boundaries of My Womanhood,” the article asserts that “trans women and non-binary femmes” should find “new ways to express their genders through facial hair,” while drawing a parallel between “dyke movements and women with PCOS” to biological males who claim a female identity.

“When covering my moustache, I experience security from the notion of passing but deal with the dangers of catcalling,” Cottle told Vogue. “When I choose not to cover up, I signal to the world my radical position on gender and resistance to the male gaze.”

In a photo posted to his Instagram account in October 2020, Cottle can be seen licking a knife in a threatening fashion. Behind him were images of Member of Parliament Liz Truss, and a man who appears to resemble former First Secretary of State Dominic Raab. The image is titled “Target Practice.”

In a similarly menacing image, Cottle was photographed in a skin-tight dress holding a sign that reads, “The streets will flow with tranny piss and Tory blood.”

In an interview with Era Journal, the University College of London’s Arts and Culture publication, Cottle acknowledges his admiration for a US-based trans-identified male called Río Sofia, who has made bondage and forced feminization pornography of himself as part of his academic studies at Cooper Union College. In 2020, Sofia presented his self-made pornography during a lecture for Princeton University.

One of Cottle’s performances appears to have been influenced by Sofia, who, during his presentation for Princeton, boasted of stripping down to nothing but “lucite-looking heels” and exposing himself to the then-president of Cooper Union, in an attempt to spark provocation.

Cottle also recently assisted with a fundraiser for his girlfriend’s double mastectomy. Jasmine, 22, a female who identifies as a man, stated on her GoFundMe page that she was “on the GenderCare pathway” due to being “exhausted [with] having to endure my body being sexualized in a way that feels so foreign to me.”

In 2021, Cottle was a member of the Queer Heritage and Collections Network Steering Group and a listed speaker at their taxpayer-funded symposium. The symposium featured prominent UK artists sharing “knowledge, skills, expertise and best practice regarding national and regional heritage sites and collections working with LGBTQ+ histories,” and was held in partnership with the national Art Fund.

Cottle was presented as being associated with English Heritage, a major charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places in the United Kingdom.

While Cottle has put his Instagram on private, his biography does claim he will be appearing at the Tate Britain, a historic art gallery in central London, on June 10.

So he’s appearing at the Tate during pride month. I’m sure that it’s just a coincidence that the Tate just announced that they were going to refer to to a woman artist who has been dead for decades as a transman.

May ‘they’ rest in peace: Tate gallery changes the pronouns of celebrated British artist who died 60 YEARS AGO to become gender-neutral and asks if the sculptor would identify as trans if alive today

Sculptor Marlow Moss was a pioneer in European abstract art who died in 1958 

Works by the artist now feature a sign referring to their gender-neutral pronouns

[ukrfeminism]

Kemi Badenoch believes that “good public servants” must not be “hounded” out of office after the human rights watchdog dropped an investigation into its chairwoman.

Baroness Falkner of Margravine, of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), was the subject of an internal inquiry into allegations about her behaviour by current and former members of staff.

Critics said that the complaints were ideologically motivated because of her position on trans rights. The claims against Falkner were subsequently leaked to Channel 4 News in what her allies said was an attempt to “prejudge” the inquiry.

Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities, was so concerned that she called in an independent legal expert to review the handling of the complaints.

The commission said that on receiving the result of the review it had decided to close the investigation. It admitted to “process failures”.

Falkner, who had been investigated for five months, said: “I am grateful to see an end to this investigation into unsubstantiated claims against me. I am also particularly grateful for the support and encouragement I have received, since the investigation into allegations against me was first disclosed. I have relished public service all my life and continue to do so with vigour and determination.”

A source close to Badenoch said: “Kishwer Falkner has been a courageous chair of the EHRC who has dealt deftly with many contentious issues. Kemi has always been clear that good public servants should not be hounded out of office and she is pleased this process has now concluded.”

The complaints against Falkner were made after the EHRC’s 12 commissioners overruled concerns from its management team and recommended that the government consider creating a legal distinction between people born female and those who transition to become women.

More than 40 complaints were made by 12 current and former members of staff alleging bullying and harassment by Falkner and a toxic workplace. She strongly denied them.

Falkner said: “The organisation has been going through a transformation programme, to take clearer and more measurable action as the country’s regulator of equality law. Our staff are the most important element of achieving this change. I am proud that most have embraced the journey with a clear-eyed focus on the end goal – becoming the trusted equality regulator that serves everyone.

“I remain completely focused on the job I set out to do: advancing equality of opportunity and protecting the human rights of everyone in Britain.”

Behind the story

When Baroness Falkner of Margravine took on the role of chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, she knew it would not be easy. Trying to play referee in the culture wars over transgender rights has led to relentless criticism by those who have variously branded her “scum” and even a Nazi.

What she had not expected, however, was criticism from within. The investigation into her was marred with controversy from the start, with critics directly linking it to Falkner’s position on trans rights and suggesting it was ideologically motivated. These concerns intensified when a dossier of the allegations was leaked to Channel 4 News.

These included claims that Falkner had described a trans woman as a “bloke in lipstick” at a board meeting. She is also said to have “rolled her eyes” at staff who expressed concerns about the stance being taken by commissioners. Staff said she was “rude” and oversaw an exodus of workers unhappy about the direction of the organisation.

The claims were denied by Falkner, with some in the commission saying that things had been “blown out of all proportion”. The leaking of the dossier, they said, had compromised the inquiry. “There is no way she can get a fair hearing now,” they said.

The investigation was halted but Falkner had become an isolated figure. She took leave and it was said that the commission declined to pay her legal expenses. The end of the investigation represents the end of five months of turmoil for Falkner.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Insiders at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) described the seven exits as “massive resignations,” who said some took place as recently as this week, and that they’re “expecting many more over the next few months”.

Currently, a board member – also known as a Commissioner – an executive director, four directors – including two legal directors – and a committee member have left.

[...]

Less than a year ago, VICE World News exposed documents that were exclusively shared with us, which outlined plans to prevent trans people from being in some single-sex spaces. At the time, EHRC bosses denied the documents were real and they said that the plans were not being considered.

However, last week, the EHRC provided advice to the UK government on how to prevent trans people from entering some single-sex spaces – such as women’s changing rooms and domestic abuse refuges – exactly as mentioned in those leaked plans.

[...]

Last year, VICE World News also first exposed concerns that the EHRC seemed to be working against transgender people’s rights. Leaked messages showed that the watchdog’s leaders had been having meetings with openly gender-critical leaders of controversial groups; staff told us that they were quitting because of “transphobic” management decisions; and we uncovered guidance supporting trans young people which was dropped by EHRC bosses.

[damnesdelamer]

The University and College Union (UCU) has raised serious concerns about government plans to review the Equality Act and the advice given by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

In a statement UCU said:

"The Government's plan to review the Equality Act 2010, with a mind to change existing provisions in relation to sex and gender, is an attack on the limited rights and protections to which trans people are currently entitled.

Changing the understanding of 'sex' to refer solely to 'biological sex' would effectively eradicate the ability of trans people to gain full legal recognition for their gender identity. This flies in the face of established UCU policy in favour of self-identification, and would enable acts of discrimination against trans and non-binary people to go unchallenged.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)  is there to protect and uphold the rights of all groups who face discrimination. This must include trans and non-binary people, but at the moment the EHRC is failing in this part of its remit. It's advice to the government on this issue has highlighted a number of ways in which trans people would be excluded as a result of the changes being considered.

Time and again, the Tory Government has shown itself to be against trans and non-binary inclusion - from blocking the path of Gender Recognition Act (GRA) reform in Scotland to their manufactured culture war against the trans community, one the of the UK's smallest and most vulnerable groups.

No legislation is perfect, but seeking to change an established law in a way that would actively remove rights from a marginalised group is deeply troubling. UCU is clear that the existing legal protections for trans people within the Equality Act 2010 must be retained and the government's attempts to sow further division must be resisted.

We are also clear that our own union is an inclusive one which recognises that trans men are men, trans women are women and non-binary people's identities are valid. We are committed to inclusive spaces and practices and will continue to fight for the rights of our trans and non-binary members (for more information see our trans and non-binary inclusion statement)."

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: James Esses

Published: Jul 11, 2023

Given the sad news that Nancy Kelley is leaving Stonewall at the end of this month, I thought it would be a nice send-off for her to compile the greatest achievements she presided over during the past three years.

We witnessed the disintegration of Stonewall’s ‘Diversity Champions Programme’, with swathes of organisations leaving the scheme altogether.

One Government minister even stated that he was “delighted” when his department announced that it was cutting ties with Stonewall.

Nancy came under significant fire for attempting to draw an abhorrent comparison between those with gender critical beliefs (which are protected under the Equality Act 2010) and “anti-Semitism”.

Stonewall found itself at the receiving end of a Stephen Nolan investigation into conflicts of interest and the undue influence it was having over public sector corporations.

The investigation was nominated for multiple radio awards.

Stonewall has, ironically, found itself being sued on the grounds of discrimination by lesbian campaigner, Allison Bailey, following a complaint made by it to her Chambers (which itself has been found to have discriminated against her).

Nancy Kelley presided over Stonewall coming in for significant criticism, after it posted statements online suggesting that it is possible for two year-olds to be trans.

Stonewall was later forced to retract the statements.

International condemnation was levelled at Stonewall after it was discovered that it was promoting books about gender ideology to two year-olds.

Stonewall launched a disgraceful attack on the U.K.’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and even tried to get its status rescinded, all because the EHRC dared to speak out in favour of upholding the rights of all in this country.

Nancy also presided over Stonewall when it took the decision that it would be a good idea to glorify double mastectomies being performed on young women struggling with a mental health condition. It even sold Christmas Cards featuring images of surgical scars.

Nancy led the organisation through some groundbreaking policy decisions, including making a case that ‘asexual’ people don’t have equal rights on the basis that there are tax benefits for married couples in the U.K.

Under Nancy’s leadership, Stonewall also managed to undermine the very ideology it espouses.

When the Isla Bryson saga took place, Chair Iain Anderson could not even answer the question as to which sex Isla Bryson was. Instead, he said: “That person is a rapist”.

Finally, when the 2021 Census results were released, Nancy celebrated an increase in ‘trans’ people (even though this also means an increase in mental disease).

Not long after, it was found the Census figures were likely misleading because of poor question wording.

Thank you for everything, Nancy.

You have done more for us than you will ever know.

Damn, I knew I missed one: ‘Trans lobby group Stonewall brands lesbians ‘sexual racists.‘

This speaks for itself.

==

Thank you, Nancy, for saying out loud and without the slightest hint of self-consciousness, what so many people insisted "LiTeRaLLy nO oNe iS sAyInG tHaT" and "tHaT nEvEr hApPeNs!"

You peaked more people than you will ever know.

It's likely already too late to save Stonewall, though.

[earhartsease]

the ehrc (the so-called equality and human rights commission, a UK organisation that has been fatally infiltrated by right-wingers and terfs) is now considering changing the definition of sex to "biological sex" and is trying really hard not to have it be profoundly obvious that they want to erase trans people - we need all trans people and our allies to write to our MPs to condemn this asap please

[whatthetranspod]

EP86 - How the UK's equalities watchdog became the government's best anti-trans weapon

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) had one job: To protect human rights.

When it comes to trans people they have arguably failed.

On this podcast we go over the history of the EHRC and how it went from being pretty good on trans issues to dancing to the anti-trans tune of the government.

Also: Anti-trans fascist Florida governor has announced his run for the US presidency. Nothing about that was good.

References: https://whatthetrans.com/ep86/ https://linktr.ee/whatthetrans

If the player doesn’t show up, listen here!

[coochiequeens]

Ireland went from sending single mothers to be sent to work for Catholic run laundries to this in an amazingly short amount of time.

ByGenevieve Gluck

July 17, 2023

Ireland’s leading trans lobby group will be participating in an event aimed at “supporting children and young people with transgender identities.” The discussion will be led by Tara Hewitt, the CEO of the Trans Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and a self-professed BDSM fetishist. Hewitt has ties to a trans activist organization that has called for the release of all trans-identified prisoners regardless of conviction.

The event, titled “TENI & Tea,” is scheduled to take place on July 19 and is being supported by the Donegal County Council. It was organized by Bród na Gaeltachta as part of a “community-organized Pride festival” held in July, and is categorized as a “health class” on Eventbrite. According to the registration page, the discussion, led by Hewitt, will “provide up to date information, knowledge and allow for discussion on how best to support trans and non-binary young people.”

Though the Q&A session involves advice regarding the bodies of children, Hewitt has a disturbing history of pressuring health authorities to ignore safeguarding measures.

In his previous role as the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, Hewitt requested that medical personnel ignore a guidance put forward by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) preserving single-sex spaces for women receiving health services.

In April of 2022, the EHRC issued a new guidance assuring that it was lawful to exclude men from women-only spaces, provided the reasoning is “legitimate and proportionate.” The statement was a reassertion of the law, which was being questioned due to misrepresentation by trans activists and lobbying organizations such as Stonewall.

Hewitt promptly condemned the ruling as “transphobic” and urged his colleagues within the NHS to ignore its guidance. 

“This guidance is highly likely to be found unlawful at Judicial review & is incredibly transphobic … When will attacks on trans people end in UK? I urge my equality professional colleagues to give this guidance the credibility it deserves by putting it in bin & continue as usual,” Hewitt said.

With his statement, Hewitt deliberately ignored a widely-publicized incident that had occurred one month prior wherein a woman who had been raped in a single-sex hospital ward by a trans-identified male was told her assailant was a “woman.”

While serving in a role that saw him advising NHS Trusts across the UK and giving lectures to health care students, Hewitt stated in a March 2019 tweet that “trans women’s bodies are not male bodies.”

Hewitt has been politically active in both Labour and, more recently, the Conservative Party, for which he stood as a councilor. During his campaign it emerged that he had an interest in BDSM and dressing up as an animal during sex, euphemistically referred to as “furrydom.”

He is also known for openly having discussed the acceptance of men with sexual fetishes at events focused on healthcare.

During a 2016 presentation for the LGBT Cancer Support Alliance, Hewitt spoke about men who cross-dress for sexual pleasure, and clarified that men who wear women’s underwear to satisfy a fetish are included under the trans umbrella.

Speaking to a room filled with women, Hewitt claimed: “You’ve got people that fetishistically cross-dress and wear clothing to get a sexual desire out of the clothing of the opposite gender. It generally tends to be associated with men wearing women’s underwear.”

At the same presentation, Hewitt revealed that he had also worked with Action for Trans Health, an organization which published a manifesto demanding the immediate release of all trans criminals from prison.

“We demand that trans people are immediately freed from police, military, and government contracts without repercussions. We reject the system of blackmail that corporations and governments engage in, whereby trans people who can work are ‘rewarded’ with slightly less mistreatment in exchange for the exploitation of our labor,” read the document.

The manifesto, which has since been deleted, was published on Tumblr in 2018 and also demanded tax-payer funded access to all forms of plastic surgery and body modification without any questions asked by medical professionals.

“We demand the freedom to alter our bodies without justification. We demand an end to all surgical prerequisites — nobody should have to prove life experience, health, or have to be taking hormones in order to exercise bodily autonomy,” Action for Trans Health stated.

“We demand that these surgeries can be highly customized to meet our individual and unique needs. We demand the right to multiple surgeries, including reversal of previous surgeries if desired, so that we do not have to fear regret.”

Speaking with Reduxx on the event, local women’s rights campaigner Jennifer Kimmel slammed Bród na Gaeltachta and TENI for targeting minors and “vilifying” concerned parents.

“Any person or group with good intentions does not vilify parents, purposely mislead the public nor regard themselves as above reproach. These are clear red flags,” Kimmel said.

“When it comes to child safeguarding, everyone and every group is accountable, whether they cloak themselves in a ‘progress flag’ or not. Parents seeking to protect children from harmful ideologies need community support every bit as much as anyone else.”

[head-post]

McDonald’s workers claim sexual harassment, unsafe working conditions

The controversy surrounding workplace harassment at McDonald’s UK keeps escalating, with employees reporting ongoing concerns, according to The Workers Union.

A year after McDonald’s UK CEO Alistair Macrow pledged to reform workplace culture, employees came forward with allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and unsafe conditions. As a result, the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) intervened.

Workers reported incidents of racism, verbal abuse and bullying by managers. Managers allegedly offered intimacy for extra shifts and sent explicit photos to female employees. More than 700 current and former employees joined legal action against the company, claiming it failed to protect staff.

Following the BBC’s initial investigation, McDonald’s partnered with PricewaterhouseCoopers to audit its restaurants and assess staff welfare. However, some workers claimed the audits were staged, with specially selected staff ready to provide favourable reviews.

Meanwhile, a company spokesperson said it had made progress, citing survey results showing increased confidence among employees to voice their opinions. However, many felt the measures were insufficient.

Although McDonald’s claimed that employees could choose guaranteed working hours, the workers surveyed said they were either unaware of the option or did not have access to it.

Macrow will face MPs for the second time to deal with allegations of harassment and abuse at McDonald’s UK on Tuesday. However, Liam Byrne, chairman of the Business Select Committee, criticised the company’s apparent failure to eradicate the issue, calling the situation “appalling.”

There is a clear pattern of abuse here that suggests that McDonald’s has become a hotbed of harassment.

The revelations highlight the challenges of implementing change in franchise companies where local managers enjoy considerable control. While the company claims to address the issues, worker testimonies point to a large gap between corporate promises and reality.

Read more HERE

[ukrfeminism]

5 minute read

A toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying has been alleged by more than 100 current and recent UK staff at outlets of the fast-food chain McDonald's.

The BBC was told that workers, some as young as 17, are being groped and harassed almost routinely.

The UK equality watchdog said it was "concerned" by the BBC's findings and is launching a new email hotline.

McDonald's said it had "fallen short" and it "deeply apologised".

It added that all employees deserved to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace.

The BBC began investigating working conditions at McDonald's in February, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in which it pledged to protect its staff from sexual harassment.

At the time, McDonald's insisted: "We already have a strong track record in this area."

But our investigation has revealed a very different picture.

Over a five-month period, we reached out to McDonald's workers to ask about their experiences of working there. Of the more than 100 allegations from employees we spoke to, 31 related to sexual assault, and 78 related to sexual harassment.

We also heard 18 allegations of racism, while six people made allegations of homophobia.

Warning - this article contains distressing content

Claims the BBC has heard include:

A 17-year-old current employee in Cheshire who says a colleague 20 years older than her called her a racial slur word and asked to show her his penis, and said he wanted to make a "black and white" baby with her

A former worker who was 17 when a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant choked her and grabbed her bottom. A shift manager also sent her sexually explicit images

A manager in Hampshire who suggested a 16-year-old male worker perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes

A manager who preyed on 16-year-old new female starters in a Cheshire restaurant, trying to pressurise them into having sex

A woman who said she was called a slur word and subject to racist jokes at an Aberdeen branch

A current worker in Essex who says she faced antisemitic abuse

A current worker in Oxfordshire, originally from India, who says crew members spoke in "gibberish" to imitate her and called a Pakistani colleague a terrorist

Male managers and crew members at a branch in Wales making jokes about putting cash bets on which of them could sleep with a new recruit first

An outbreak of gonorrhoea at a branch in Northern Ireland where sexual relationships between staff members were commonplace

Multiple workers told us that McDonald's managers at the outlets across the UK were responsible for the harassment and assaults.

All too often, senior managers are said to have failed to act on complaints.

Staff have also told the BBC of sexual relationships between managers and more junior members of staff, which is against company policy.

Young women have described feeling constantly judged about how they looked.

One current worker said she was seen by her male colleagues as "fresh meat" when she started at her branch in Nottingham. Other female workers told us they were forced by managers to wear uniforms that were too tight for them.

"There is a saying at McDonald's, "tits on tills" - boys in the kitchen, girls on the counter. The idea is to put attractive people at the front," said Lucy, who's 22 and worked in Norwich.

"It's the expectation that if you work at McDonald's, you will be harassed," added Emily, who's 20. She left her branch in Brighton last year, after a male colleague in his 60s kept stroking her hair in a sexually suggestive way and making her feel uncomfortable.

McDonald's is one of the UK's largest private sector employers. The fast food giant has more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants.

Its staff are also one of the country's youngest workforces. Three quarters of its employees are aged between 16 and 25. For many, it is their first job.

Most workers are not directly employed by the company as McDonald's uses a franchise system, which means individual operators are licensed to run the outlets and employ the staff.

'I went to work in fear'

Shelby was just 16 when she started working at a McDonald's restaurant in Berkshire last year.

She said older male colleagues would use the cramped layout in the kitchen as an excuse to touch junior female staff inappropriately.

"They'd grope stomach, waists, bums," she said. "Every shift I worked, there would be at least a comment being made, or I'd be brushed, a hand brushed across me, or it would be a more severe thing, like having my bum grabbed, hips grabbed."

There was one man in his 50s, in particular, that managers "warned" young staff members to stay away from, Shelby said.

One day last summer, she said she was standing at the front counter when he came up behind her and grabbed her onto him, pulling her onto his groin.

"I just froze," she said. "I felt disgusted."

Shelby says she told senior management about what was going on in the store, but nothing was done. In her resignation email, she said it was a "toxic work environment".

McDonald's said it was "deeply sorry" to hear about what Shelby went through. It added that it was investigating why any issues that she raised were not formally escalated at the time.

Managers turning a blind eye

We do not know how many of the workers we spoke to made formal complaints. But a number of them told us they did - only for them to be ignored.

In the case of 17-year-old Chinyere in Cheshire, who was sexually and racially harassed by a much older man, she initially raised it with a female colleague who was responsible for staff wellbeing. She told her to ignore the man's behaviour and go back to work. After months of harassment, Chinyere confided in her stepfather who wrote to the franchise, to corporate headquarters and the police.

The man was then fired. Chinyere believes if her stepfather hadn't intervened, nothing would have happened. McDonald's described her experiences as "abhorrent and unacceptable" and apologised unreservedly. It said it took swift action as soon as the issue came to its attention and that the man was dismissed within three days. They added: "It takes a great deal of courage to speak up and as soon as we were made aware of the situation the individual in question was offered both internal and independent external support."

Another worker in Birmingham, who says she was smacked on the bottom by a male colleague when she was 19, reported it immediately to her manager. But despite it being caught on camera and her having a visible bruise, she was forced to continue working with him, which made her so uncomfortable that she eventually quit.

Several workers also said that when complaints were made about managers, they were then moved from one McDonald's restaurant within the franchise to another, rather than being fired.

Other employees said they didn't complain as they couldn't risk losing work. Young staff at McDonald's are often on zero hours contracts - it means their hours are flexible, but also that they are at the mercy of shift managers who decide their rotas.

What to do if you have been sexually harassed at work

Report it: Charity Victim Support says you can report it to your manager, HR representative or trade union who will take action.

Keep a record: Including dates, times and details of what happened, as well as any relevant emails. These could be helpful if you decide to report it.

Get help: Victim Support operates a free and confidential 24/7 helpline and live chat service. Call 0808 16 89 111 or use the live chat at: victimsupport.org.uk/live-chat.

Call the police: If sexual harassment escalates into violence, threats or sexual assault, you should report this to the police by calling 101. If you are in danger, call 999.

Training 'not taken seriously'

In the February agreement, McDonald's pledged "zero tolerance" on sexual harassment and to deliver training for employees.

But staff have told the BBC the training is not being taken seriously by managers.

One employee described perching an iPad next to a McFlurry machine and speeding through the harassment training video while he made drinks.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said every firm should have zero tolerance of sexual harassment and protect its workforce.

McDonald's culture has faced scrutiny globally. In the US it is facing multimillion dollar lawsuits brought by employees over sexual harassment allegations.

Its chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, was fired in 2019 after it was revealed he had inappropriate consensual relationships with McDonald's employees.

Allegations of sexual harassment at McDonald's first surfaced in the UK five years ago when the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) says it received 1,000 complaints. There was very little reporting of the allegations at the time - this could be because some cases were settled using confidentiality clauses.

Sarah Woolley, BFAWU's general secretary, said the new allegations uncovered by the BBC were "shocking".

Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald's UK & Ireland, said there was "simply no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination" at the company.

"Every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald's UK deserves to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace. There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that we deeply apologise," he told the BBC.

"We will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal."

Mr Macrow said that more than 2,000 managers had completed full awareness training and that most restaurant teams were now working within the new protections which aim to create "a safe and respectful workplace". He added that the company has stringent rules to ensure its workplaces around the world are safe and respectful.

[eton75]

The Rise of Indian-Origin CEOs in Global Tech: Achievements and Challenges

In recent years, professionals of Indian origin have ascended to leadership positions in some of the world’s most influential technology companies. Notable figures include:

• Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google.

• Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft.

• Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM.

• Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe.

• Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology.

• Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks.

• Raghu Raghuram, CEO of VMware.

• Anjali Sud, CEO of Vimeo.

This trend reflects the global recognition of the expertise and leadership qualities that Indian professionals bring to the tech industry. 

However, alongside these achievements, there has been a concerning rise in discrimination against individuals of Indian origin in various countries. In Canada, for instance, anti-Indian sentiment has grown amid increased immigration, with people of Indian origin comprising nearly 30% of new permanent residents. 

In the United Kingdom, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has reported persistent racial discrimination affecting various ethnic groups, including those of Indian descent. 

In the United States, studies reveal that 50% of Indian adults have experienced racial discrimination, with 26% subjected to offensive name-calling by strangers. 

These challenges highlight the complex landscape that Indian-origin professionals navigate globally. While their contributions to the tech industry are significant and widely acknowledged, addressing the underlying issues of racial discrimination remains crucial to fostering an inclusive environment that values diversity and equal opportunity.

[thehrteam]

Sexual Harassment - Key Points From The Equality And Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Draft Updated Technical Guidance

Sexual harassment is when a person is subjected to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of either violating their dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment. Read More: https://thehrteam.co.uk/august-2024-newsletter/

[timelordnicky]

Important note: The response from the government is from January long before the advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (3 April) that is IN FAVOUR of making transphobic changes. You can see the full letter from the EHRC here. If you are in the UK YOU STILL NEED TO SIGN THE PETITION!

hiiiii everyone please sign this it has until the 15th! if the amendment gets passed it'll make it a lot easier to erode trans rights in the uk

[warningsine]

The gender pay gap has reduced to its lowest level since reporting became mandatory for businesses in 2017. However, women are still being paid just 91p for every £1 a man earns, according to analysis of official government data.

Almost four out of five companies and public bodies are still paying men more than women (78.4%) although the median pay gap reduced slightly from the previous year to 9.1% in 2023-2024, the lowest level since mandatory reporting became law in Great Britain in 2018.

However, the gender pay gap remains stubbornly higher in the public sector at 14.4% with almost nine-in-10 (87.6%) public sector organisations paying men more than women in comparison to just over three-quarters of private companies.

By 3pm on Friday – ahead of the midnight deadline for private companies – a record 10,380 organisations with 250 or more employees had filed data.

However, campaigners have called for further action by the government to tackle pay disparities, including the introduction of fines for companies who do not comply with the law.https://interactive.guim.co.uk/uploader/embed/2024/04/gender-paygap2024/giv-13425od72Cmb6X54x/

The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, said: “Working women deserve equal pay but the gender pay gap is still a huge issue. At current rates of progress, it will take more than 20 years to bring men and women’s pay into line. That is not right … companies must now be required to implement action plans to close their pay gaps and bosses who don’t comply with the law should be fined.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission did not respond to questions on how many relevant companies and bodies had never filed a report despite having a legal obligation to do so but insisted that non-compliance with reporting this data was low, citing only eight known organisations failing to report by the deadline in 2023, and 28 in 2022.

A spokesperson added: “There have been no penalties or fines issued to date. It is important to note that the EHRC does not have the power to issue fines directly, which would be issued via a court order.”

The construction (22.8%), finance and insurance (21.5%), and education (20%) registered the biggest median pay gaps, according to analysis of the sectors reported by each body.

The educational sector’s poor standing is due, in part, to large gaps in Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs); of the worst-performing 100 public bodies with the largest gender pay gap, all but three were academy trusts.

Responding to questions on whether the government should intervene on the large and persistent gender pay gaps in MATs a spokesperson for the Department of Education said schools were responsible for their own decisions on employment issues but were expected to give due consideration to their obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

The accommodation and food, and health and social work sectors reported some of the lowest gender pay gaps, with women earning 0.5% and 1.5% less than their male colleagues, respectively.

Under the Equal Pay Act 1970, it is illegal to pay different amounts to men and women doing the same jobs.

Survey data by the Office for National Statistics, published in November 2023 which covers the wider UK population regardless of the size of the company, shows the gender pay gap declining slowly over time to 7.7% in April 2023. The data also demonstrated higher disparities among full-time employees in every English region than in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

A government spokesperson said: “The gender pay gap has been trending downwards since 1997, and the government is committed to ensuring women have equal access to employment, enterprise and investment opportunities.”