[sexual harassment at work. THE NCCL (National Council…]

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sexual harassment at work.

THE NCCL (National Council for Civil Liberties) women-only conference on 'Sexual Harassment as Work' which was held at County Hall, London, on June 26 was the first of its kind in Britain.

The term "sexual harassment' originated in North America, where it has long been a feminist issue. In Canada it is recognised as the single biggest health hazard for women at work.

But the British trade union movement has long neglected to accept sexual harassment as a very real problem for many working women.

NALGO, a white collar union with a 51% female membership, recently accepted that sexual harassment is a trade union issue and that its female members have a right to protection from men who practice it.

This can vary from the simply irritating - leers and "jokes' - to the nervewracking and even terrifying ordeal of (the threat of) rape, molestation or moral blackmai via the power structure of the workplace.

White collar sections of other unions seem set to follow NALGO's example but there is still a lot of resistance from some male trade unionists.

Tess Woodcraft from NALGO told us that in many workplaces male stewards have refused to distribute questionnaires to women workers, and some of our less enlightened "brothers' have been sporting badges at Annual ConferIALGO omen's sexual violence (such a cross-section of issues!) into both. the public and trade union arenas. The same must happen with sexual harassment if women workers are to enjoy the same sense of freedom to get on with their jobs unhindered by sexual advances of the unwelcome kind as men do.

Sexual harassment is defined in the NCCL booklet ('Sexual Harassment at Work' by Ann Sedley and Melissa Benn), published to coincide with the conference, as "repeated and unwanted sexual advances" These can range from nude calendars and pin-ups, through the whole gamut of staring, suggestions, sexy "jokes', to touching, heavy and persistent advances, and lasc Contempt Sexual harassment is a form of power expression and the contempt that many NOW - LET'S GETON have lost cases because the defence argued that they were trying to use the law to defend their sexuality rather than their sex!

Questionnaires were sent out to a cross-section of women workers which proved that men harassed women of all ages, from 14 to 82, and that it was by no means restricted to women who could be considered stereotypically goodlooking or sexy.

The last speaker came from Leeds Trade Union Resource Centre and she emphasised the need to organise women-only meetings about sexual harassment WITH THE BUSINESS and to make it a broad women's issue to counter the media's attempts to seize on individual spokeswomen and portray them as frustrated women's libber killjoys.

Already we have seen articles in the gutter press tabloids about "Office Romeos Feel the Pinch" in offensive attempts to filute and trivialise the impact of the current campaign and present these ibnoxious men as glamorous not-blooded rakes.

The second half of the onference, following speakers from both the platform und the floor. was for me the nost enjoyable. We split into -=- THU LUL HAIN several groups and had block workshops in which we dealt with four topics: What is sexual harassment? What is the difference between sexual harassment and sexism generally? What can trade unions do about it? And, most importantly in the long-term, what can women in non-unionised workplaces do to protect themselves?

In the more relaxed atmosphere of workshops, women delegates were able to discuss these questions with reference to personal experience and observations.

The feeling of solidarity was complete and the massive task of forcing men both within the trade union movement and outside it to treat women colleagues as sexual equals seemed less formidable.

To summarise, all the women present agreed that any form of reference to sexuality, by word, look or action, whenever it is not welcomed or initiated by the woman (i.e. we accept that women do wish to have relationships with colleagues sometimes) must be construed as sexual harassment.

It is a part of sexism in the general sense, but a very specific area of oppression which can have many repercussions such as secondary illness, nervous problems, interrupted career, depressing aggravation and fear.

Furthermore sexual harassment can be a form of patronage and blackmail, particularly in the case of younger, more vulnerable women who may be susceptible to the flattery of their boss and the lure of favouritism and promotion.

On the third question no-one was in any doubt that women who are active in their unions should organise meetings with speakers and show films, press for trade union recognition of the campaign and distribute literature where possible.

On the question of non* union workplaces, the mood was less optimistic. It is clear that most of our male trade union leaders are not terribly interested in the huge workforce of women who work in non-unionised jobs and have no recourse to official trade union means of protection. These are the women who are most vulnerable, and the only way in which they can obtain some measure of support and protection is by (hopefully) encouraging trade" union organisation among the more potentially militant in their ranks and by making sexual harassment as broad a women's issue as. abortion has become.

Our sisters in non-unionised jobs are already more exploited, by and large, ana it is the duty of all organisec feminists to press home the message that there is a large body of women ready to give support, that one needn't have been rapea or seriously assaulted contact Rape Crisis Women Against Violence Against Women and that they should talk to other women in their workplaces to see if (and this is usually the case) the harasser has bothered other women in the same way.

It is of paramount importance that women are not intimidated into remaining Silent, nor that they should feel in any way responsible for "leading him on" when they have done no more than fail to object loudly at the time the harassment began.

It is absolutely vital that all women should be aware of the fact that their body is their own, and sexuality is ultimately a matter of personal choice and dignity. Obligation, fear of the sack or demotion and fear of the harasser should be seen as weapons by which some men oppress us at work.

Before we can achieve complete equality for all our sisters, much more of the male-dominated trade union and labour movement must be forced into accepting sexual harassment as a crucial feature male power games and the sexual oppression of women which still pervades the organisations which are supposed to give us protection and a modicum of equality.

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I'm AfRAD THAT'S JUST A MENIS ISSUE, MR JONES