
Nearly 10 per cent of women in Scotland 'sexually harassed at work'
Of those in Scotland, 37.5% reported unwanted touching at work, while just under 10% said they had been sexually assaulted and 4.6% said they had been a victim of sexual coercion.
Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham said the findings – part of the union's Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment campaign – were 'damning'.
READ MORE: Scottish depot trying to get back pallets used in huge loyalist bonfire
'Nobody should suffer sexual harassment in the workplace,' she said.
'Unite is committed to taking a zero-tolerance approach and we will put every Scottish based employer turning a blind eye on notice.
'We will fight every step of the way to stamp out workplace harassment once and for all.
'Every worker deserves a safe working environment and should feel able to report harassment.'
Elsewhere in the survey, more than half said they had been told sexually offensive jokes, while 45.6% experienced unwanted flirting or sexual remarks – and 13.6% said they had been shown pornography by a colleague.
Despite 45% of women who were harassed saying it had happened more than twice and 38.8% saying it had happened more than once, almost three-quarters said they had not reported the incidents.
The figures come despite the Worker Protection Act coming into force last year, imposing a duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment.
The union's equalities officer in Scotland Lorna Glen said the legislation 'has not gone far enough' to protect women.
'Employers are not taking their obligations seriously despite the fact it is the law,' she said.
'This is creating a culture where sexual harassment is going unreported, while those who do take the issues forward are left feeling disbelieved, forced to work with abusers and even losing their roles.'
A spokesperson for the UK Government said: 'Sexual harassment is completely unacceptable, it has no place in our society, and we expect any employer to take a zero-tolerance approach wherever it is found.
'Our Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections for workers, requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees, including by third parties.'
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced this week the Government would also change the law to ban employers from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of workplace harassment, saying it had 'heard the calls from victims'.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Illegal tobacco worth £3.5m seized during police raids in Scots town
Cops recovered the cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco from four properties in Dumfries town centre. Police have seized £3.5million worth of illegal tobacco following a series of raids in a Scots town. Cops recovered the cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco from four properties in Dumfries town centre. Three men – aged 25, 28 and 31 – have been arrested in connection with the find and the matter is also the subject of an HMRC investigation. Police and Dumfries and Galloway Council's Trading Standards officers executed four warrants on Wednesday morning. Around 500,000 cigarettes, 103kg of hand-rolling tobacco and approximately £7,000 in cash were seized. The recovery is believed to represent a potential loss of more than £350,000 in duty and tax. Inspector Anna Boyd said: 'This is a significant recovery, and we will continue to work with our partners to deter and detect this type of criminality. 'I would encourage anyone with information about illegal cigarettes or tobacco within the local community to contact Dumfries and Galloway Council Trading Standards, Police Scotland on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Councillor Andy Ferguson, chairman of Dumfries and Galloway Council's economy and infrastructure committee, added: 'Officers from our trading standards team have taken part in a multi-agency operation this week with Police Scotland and HMRC in relation to illicit tobacco. 'Tobacco detection dog, Boo, is funded by SCOTSS (The Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland) and helped trading standards officers carry out their duties. 'This operation is part of Operation CeCe Scotland – a nationwide partnership between Scottish councils and HMRC together with Police Scotland to tackle the retail sale of illegal tobacco products – and the recovery of these illicit goods is an important achievement in ensuring our communities remain safe and is a great example of successful partnership working.'

The National
4 hours ago
- The National
America reacts to The National newspaper's viral front page
This week's Behind the Headlines comes from multimedia journalist Laura Pollock – to receive this newsletter direct to your inbox every week, click here to sign up. FOR the majority of the time, our team has to work very hard to break through and defeat the vast, complex online algorithm — but not today. Today's front page was very simple. We told the facts about a man who doesn't like the facts, at a time when the media doesn't talk about the facts nearly enough. And people — across the world — appreciated that. "Is this real?! (Please, please) love, a distressed American," commented Sara from Washington wrote on our Instagram. Someone responded: "Looks legit to me, as an American. You'll need more front page days for all the facts that are coming out." Another said, "love the headline. God, the Scottish are great," while someone else said: "I'm an American and I approved this message." READ MORE: LIVE: Latest updates as Donald Trump set to arrive in Scotland Former adviser to Hilary Clinton, Adam Parkhomenko, said: "The National's front page as Donald Trump is set to arrive in Scotland today". And Republicans against Trump shared the front and wrote: "Trump's heading to Scotland tomorrow. The Scottish papers aren't exactly rolling out the red carpet." But of course, on the other side of the aisle, it was not loved. Tom on Twitter/X wrote: "Wrong side of history you lot." Anna from the States said: "Drama queens — Looks like a headline from a 1970s Ladies' gossip magazine." The National was also branded "a leftist coward rag" and a "national embarrassment". In 2023, Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to buy her silence, as well as facing sexual assault allegations dating back to the 1970s. He may be president, but the fact is, a man who openly boasted about grabbing women "by the pussy" is visiting Scotland. We do not welcome him. The National newspaper series on Donald Trump: Read here Earlier this year, I went to Lewis and explored the relationship between Donald Trump and his mother. Mary Anne MacLeod was born in Lewis and was an immigrant in the US working as a maid before she met her husband, Fred Trump. As I walked from her village of Tong to Stornoway, likely a walk undertaken by Mary Anne many times in her youth, I thought: "What would she say now?" Would she chastise her son? Would she ask Fred to have a word? Would she do nothing? Donald said in 1992 that he only ever saw his mother angry once. It was when he had defended the actions of boxer Mike Tryson, who had been accused of rape at the time. He was later convicted and sentenced. Interviewer Charlie Rose said: 'It is said that your mother said: 'Enough, Donald. Shut up'.' Donald agreed, explaining: 'I think that's probably the first time that my mother absolutely got angry at me. I really mean that." I don't believe Mary Anne would've stayed silent. And neither should we in the face of a criminal on the world stage.

Rhyl Journal
4 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Corbyn throws his weight behind striking Birmingham bin workers
A day after Birmingham City Council said it had launched contempt of court proceedings against the Unite trade union over the all-out strike which began in March, Mr Corbyn said central government was underfunding local authorities. Addressing more than 100 workers and other protesters at a 'mega-picket' event outside a council refuse depot in the Tyseley area, the MP for Islington North, told the crowd: 'It wasn't the Birmingham bin workers that spent ludicrous amounts of money on the Commonwealth Games. 'And it wasn't the bin workers who created any of the problems that Birmingham faces. They are the people that keep this city clean. 'I am here today to support you but also to make this point. 'Birmingham is not isolated and Birmingham is not alone – the financial issues that affect Birmingham are actually there in almost every local authority in the country, particularly in the big urban cities. 'And those problems are that they have not enough money. The Government is not spending enough money on local government.' Mr Corbyn warned: 'Local government services are under pressure and in many cases, even without the Birmingham model, still facing cuts. 'If we win in Birmingham and they are not allowed to cut wages, not allowed to destroy conditions, not allowed to damage the working rights of bin workers, that's a huge victory. 'But if we lose, think which city is going to be next. 'That is the point. And so I say to the wider community – get behind the Birmingham bin workers.' The second, so-called mega-picket, with speakers from other trade unions, following a similar event in May, involved members of 26 organisations protesting at fives sites in Birmingham and Coventry on Friday. The city council said on Thursday night that it had had 'persistent evidence' of a breach of a court order previously agreed with Unite. A city council spokesperson said: 'We are taking this step to ensure the safety of our city and the safety of our workforce, including those who are on strike. 'Our injunction prevents the blocking of our refuse collection vehicles, both at our depots and on the streets. Despite writing repeatedly to Unite for several weeks to highlight what we believe to be clear breaches of the injunction, the situation has worsened. 'Since the injunction was granted, vehicles have been blockaded on roads to and from our depots, with Unite representatives and members stepping in front of, and even leaning against, moving heavy vehicles and blocking road junctions.' A Unite spokesperson said: 'The court application is the latest distraction from the real task of resolving the ongoing dispute. 'The court papers will be subject to a careful review and the interests of Unite and our members will be fully represented at any future hearing.' Speaking after his speech, Mr Corbyn urged the leader of Labour-run Birmingham City Council, John Cotton, not to dig himself into a hole and to settle the dispute. Mr Corbyn said: 'There has to be a settlement and they should not be facing a wage cut. 'We just don't need to stretch this thing out.' Asked what his message to Mr Cotton would be, he added: 'John, get a deal. Get a settlement, get the bin workers back to work. 'And remember, a lot of the public support the bin workers even though obviously it (the strike) does create difficulties.'