Angela Rayner slams Tories for spreading 'made-up nonsense' on so-called banter ban

Angela Rayner has accused the Tories of “spreading made-up nonsense” about a so-called banter ban in workplaces.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Labour's workers' rights reforms were designed to protect employees from harassment and abuse, and would not police free speech.

The Employment Rights Bill contains a duty on bosses to take “reasonable steps” to prevent third parties from harassing their staff.

Ms Rayner rubbished claims from top Tory Andrew Griffith that "innocent office banter will be spied on by wokerati thought police" and denied businesses forced to hire diversity officers to monitor speech.

She told the Mirror: "Nobody should be abused while doing their job, but we’ve seen a horrific rise in violent abuse and harassment of shop workers and other public facing staff.

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“The Tories can’t defend their opposition to the action this Labour government is taking to protect workers, so they’ve resorted to spreading made-up nonsense.

“It’s the same old Tories – they’re on the side of bad bosses, zero-hours contracts and fire-and-rehire.”

Right-wingers and big businesses have mounted a concerted push to resist the Government's plans for stronger protections for workers.

But a recent poll of 5,000 people for the TUC found eight in ten (79%) people support the plans to protect workers from harassment. Only 14% of respondents said they did not support the idea.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak told the Mirror: "This is truly desperate stuff from the Tories.

“They’re insulting people’s intelligence by pretending that protecting workers from harassment is the same as banning banter.

“Stopping harassment at work is one of the most popular policies in the government’s Employment Rights Bill.

“But yet again the Conservatives are siding with bad bosses over working people and showing how woefully out of touch they are. This is about basic decency and common sense.”

A Government spokesperson said: "No business would be required to hire staff to monitor speech or diversity under the Employment Rights Bill.

"The Bill will not affect anyone's right to lawful free speech, which this government stands firmly behind.

"Upsetting remarks do not fall within the definition of harassment.

"We are strengthening workplace protections to tackle harassment and protect employees from intimidating and hostile abuse as well as sexual harassment."

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