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11/02/2005
TUC warns workers about potential 'love contracts'
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned workers that some employers are trying to restrict romantic relationships in the workplace.
In a statement released ahead of Valentine's Day, the TUC said that it feared some UK employers were attempting to copy US businesses, where relationship bans and so-called 'love contracts' are already commonplace.
It has been estimated that a quarter of long-term relationships in the UK begin at work.
The 'love contracts', which have proved popular in the US, are agreements which couples sign, stating that their relationship is consensual and that they understand their employers' sexual harassment policy. The document also lays out the ground rules for a couple's behaviour in the workplace. The TUC say that these documents are designed with the aim of protecting employers from possible sexual harassment law suits.
However, the TUC claim that such measures would be unlikely to work in the UK and point out that UK workers have more legal protection for their privacy and rights to association, such as that covered in the 1998 Human Rights Act.
TUC Deputy General Secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: "It's hardly surprising that relationships do start round the water cooler – after all, we work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. Of course, it is right to be careful and think through all the implications, but heavy-handed rules and blanket bans fail to understand human nature and may very well be illegal."
The TUC has compiled a guide offering advice to employees about relationships at work. It is available from: www.worksmart.org.uk/valentine
(KMcA/SP)
In a statement released ahead of Valentine's Day, the TUC said that it feared some UK employers were attempting to copy US businesses, where relationship bans and so-called 'love contracts' are already commonplace.
It has been estimated that a quarter of long-term relationships in the UK begin at work.
The 'love contracts', which have proved popular in the US, are agreements which couples sign, stating that their relationship is consensual and that they understand their employers' sexual harassment policy. The document also lays out the ground rules for a couple's behaviour in the workplace. The TUC say that these documents are designed with the aim of protecting employers from possible sexual harassment law suits.
However, the TUC claim that such measures would be unlikely to work in the UK and point out that UK workers have more legal protection for their privacy and rights to association, such as that covered in the 1998 Human Rights Act.
TUC Deputy General Secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: "It's hardly surprising that relationships do start round the water cooler – after all, we work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. Of course, it is right to be careful and think through all the implications, but heavy-handed rules and blanket bans fail to understand human nature and may very well be illegal."
The TUC has compiled a guide offering advice to employees about relationships at work. It is available from: www.worksmart.org.uk/valentine
(KMcA/SP)
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