Pub landlords will be turned into ‘banter cops’ under reforms to workers’ rights, business leaders have warned.
Provisions in the Employment Rights Bill mean equality laws will be updated to make employers liable for staff being offended by “third parties”, such as customers or members of the public.
The laws would introduce a legal requirement for companies and public bodies to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent harassment by third parties relating to a “protected characteristic” such as sex, gender reassignment or age.
Free speech campaigners have warned that this measure is the government’s “latest salvo in its ongoing war against free speech” and will lead to pub staff having to act as the “banter cops” who ban customers for telling “inappropriate” jokes.
Scholars also fear the legislation will also have a “chilling effect” on academic freedom as it will mean university authorities are more likely to give into calls to “no-platform” contentious guest speakers for fear of being sued.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said that staff in restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels are working in a “social environment” where “there are jokes and people are boisterous”.
She said while everyone wants to make sure their staff are protected “we don’t want to be policing our customers’ behaviour”, adding that she is keen to work with ministers to ensure “undue restrictions” are not imposed on customers.
Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow business secretary, said: “Running a...
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