THE HIDDEN HAZARD Womens IMAGES Sonero

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'THE MOST common and least discussed occupational health hazard for women' is how the Canadian Labour Congress describes the problem of sexual In the US and Canada, the trade union fight against sexual harassment goes back seven years. In Britain, this 'common occupational health hazard' has only reached national prominence in the last COMING UP Women's Fightback AGM. October 23 County Hail London. Open to all women, but only members and delegates from affiliated groups can vote. For conference details send s.a.e. to 41 Ellington St, N7; to join WF too send £3 (or £5 to include ard about the intolerable normal within a marital relaharassment they faced tionship - women being from a chief officer. considered the property of The issue became of maj- their husbands - so sexual or importance in Brent harassment has been considNALGO, but ended bitterly ered normal behaviour in the with the women eventually relationship between men leaving their jobs. and women at work throughSince NALGO started its out history" official campaign, the extent Just as low pay and low of the problem has been status for women's jobs reflected in how quickly despite 'equality' legislation many union branches have indicate women's secondtaken it up. class status as workers, so More recently, the Nat- too sexual harassment is a ional Council for Civil Lib- further reminder to women erties has called a conference of the place this society gives on sexual harassment them. And they are remind(reported by Deborah ed not only by their bosses Knight in Socialist Organiser but also by fellow workers. no.96), and issued a pamphl- If women are not considet. The pamphlet sets out to ered as workers with equal define sexual harassment status, their presence at and, using the work already work can be a source of in the US and by diversion, amusement and NALGO, suggests guidelines assertion for men. Sexual on how to fight it. harassment can range from The campaign may be a whole series of seemingly new but the problem is not. trivial jokes ("I see you've NCCL pamphlet got legs, then" when a points out: women wears a skirt to work "Like domestic violence, rather than trousers), to leers which was a 'hidden issue and suggestive remarks, right until ten years ago, sexual through to actual rape. harassment is still not seen For black women the as unacceptable practice. harassment can be doubled as domestic viol- by racism.

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regular mailings and the paper). the pin-ups, the dirty jokes, and the grope in the cupboard have been seen as "normal' behaviour, a bit of fun which helps to make the time pass, women have.generally not complained for fear of being seen as 'killjoys' or abnormal.

Sometimes they have blamed themselves, feeling possibly that they encouraged it. As with rape, women are made to believe that maybe it's their own fault.

"A woman approached by a hospital porter in her first job said: I was young and naive and automatically assumed that I had encouraged him in some way. Ashamed and embarrassed, I left the job several weeks early'."

For many women, especially in small non-unionised workplaces, the sexual harassment can take the form of blackmail - not complying with the sexual advances of the boss can cost a woman her job.

The case of Julie Wyatt is an example. A clerk in a small building merchants, she refused the advances of her boss, Richard Smith -and was sacked. Unlike many others, Julie took her case to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal and won.

In other instances going along with sexual harassment from customers is seen to be part of the job - barmaids are expected to chat up the clients, waitresses are expected to be 'nice and friendly'.

Refused

Another case reported to the NCCL involved a waitress in a Pizza Parlour:

"Her basic wage was extremely low so she had to rely on tips from clients to supplement her wages. Ms M told us: 'All the waitresses accepted that they would have to put up with behaviour they normally wouldn't tolerate. You would often get a group of men coming into the restaurant and they would think it funny to talk about you and your body while you were serving them. Sometimes they would actually touch you... pinch your bottom... It would have been useless to complain to the manager. He thought it was funny too'"

Just as the economic dependence of women on men has forced them to accept violence at home from their husbands, so too the type of work that many women do and the low wages that accompany it make them subject to harassment at work.

In discussing how to combat sexual harassment, the authors of the pamphlet have looked at work done in the USA.

The National Organisation of Women have provided legal and counselling servicset up to better general working conditions fo women, began to receive as many as 200 letters and phone calls a week from women seeking advice on how to cope with sexual harassment.

A group called the Alliance against Sexual roercion was set up specially to deal with sexual harassment. It grew out of the Rape Crisis Network, because women who had been sexually harassed had gone to Rape Crisis centres seeking help. In June 1977 they opened an office in Boston to deal with victims of sexual harassment.

In 1980 the Equal Opportunities Commission adopted guidelines which confirmed that sexual harassment can be seen as sex discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. ROMANTIE COPING MOTHER The last chapter of the NCCL pamphlet provides a very useful list of suggestions for action and proposals for model resolution - it diseusses how to raise the probiem in the first place by informal networks and discussions, how to challenge particular forms of harassment, and how to get the issue raised and made part of union policy.

The guidelines laid down by NALGO are also reproduced in the pamphlet. Although the NALGO proposals for action stress the necessity for setting up alternative support networks for women who maybe have an unsympathetic shop steward or would prefer to talk initially with other women about the problem, still the guidelines tend to leave the onus on the individual to take the case through a lengthy grievance procedure, rather than taking it to a union branch meeting for the branch to discuss action.

The NCCL argue that these guidelines could be used to amend the present Sex Discrimination Act in Britain. But they stress that the use of the courts and tribunals is a last resort.

The widespread use of the courts as a means of settling issues of discrimination in the US reflects the weakness of the trade union

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es. The Working Women's United Institute, originally