Tory backlash grows over law which could allow staff to sue their bosses over rude customers
Tory backlash grows over law which could allow staff to sue their bosses over rude customers as MP warns it could be abused by business owners looking to take down rival firms
- Equality Act amendment could see workers suing bosses over rude customers
- But Sir Christopher Hope said it was an ‘opportunity’ for people to take out rivals
Legislation allowing workers to sue bosses could be abused by business owners seeking to take down rival firms, Tories warned yesterday.
Rishi Sunak is backing an amendment to the Equality Act that would let workers take employers to court if a member of the public offended or harassed them at work.
Proposed by two prominent Liberal Democrats, the Worker Protection Bill has already been waved through the Commons with No 10’s approval.
But ex-minister Sir Christopher Chope said: ‘I’m concerned about the way it can be abused – it only needs a third party to go into a pub, for example, and create a disturbance.
‘This then results in accusations being made against the owner of the pub for not having dealt with abusive behaviour by a third party.
Rishi Sunak is backing an amendment to the Equality Act that would let workers take employers to court if a member of the public offended or harassed them at work
‘It’s an opportunity for people to take down their rivals. Why not send somebody around to close one of your competitors by contriving a situation which this legislation, as it’s currently drafted, could facilitate?’
Sir Christopher suggested Tory backbenchers had privately raised concerns with Downing Street over the Bill, which had its first reading last June, and were assured that government amendments would be put down.
But they were ‘much weaker than had been expected’, he said, adding: ‘There’s the opportunity for peers to amend it significantly, which, from my perspective, I hope that’s what they will do.’
Fellow Tory MP Craig Mackinlay said: ‘This is a bit of a licence for employment lawyers to have something of a field day here.’
Under current laws, employers are not liable for third-party incidents on their watch, but the Bill will make them responsible for staff being harassed by customers or random members of the public. Others said the legislation might restrict free speech.
Lib Dem proposer Wera Hobhouse said the legislation was being ‘oversimplified’ by critics.
‘Employers will not be expected to take extreme steps, shut down conversation, or employ ‘banter bouncers’,’ she insisted.
‘The hurdles employees have to jump when holding their employers to account for failing to protect them from harassment are too high and victims feel silenced.’
A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The Bill is targeting genuine harassment that brings harms to workers. A claim could not stand purely because someone felt upset.’