The following details have been supplied by the TUC:

Bosses need to sharpen up on work dress
Too many employers are ‘stuck in the past’ on workplace dress codes, the TUC has said.

The union body was commenting after a report on high heels and workplace dress codes was published this week by two committees of MPs. The Petitions Committee and Women and Equalities Committee report said the government must enforce the law properly to ban sexist dress rules at work that discriminate against women.

The report was prompted by the experience of London receptionist Nicola Thorp, who was sent home from work in December 2015 for not wearing high heels.

The joint report of the two committees, entitled High Heels and Workplace Dress Codes, found that the Equality Act 2010 should ban discriminatory dress rules at work, but in practice the law is not applied properly to protect workers of either gender. The MPs’ report recommends that a publicity campaign be launched to ensure that employers know their legal obligations, and also that workers know how they can complain effectively. But its key recommendation is that the existing law should be enforced more vigorously, with employment tribunals given the power to apply bigger financial penalties.

The committees heard expert evidence that requirements to wear high heeled shoes were damaging to women’s health.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady commented: “Far too many employers are still stuck in the past when it comes to dress codes. It is unacceptable that in 2017 bosses are still forcing women to wear painful, inappropriate shoes and uniforms. Wearing high heels on a regular basis can cause foot, knee and back problems. High heels and make-up should be a choice, not a condition of the job.” She added that with employment tribunals fees running at up to £1,200 – even if you’re on the minimum wage – “many women can’t afford to challenge sexist policies. If ministers are serious about enforcing equality legislation then they should scrap tribunal fees immediately.”