Pippa Evans, Tower Hamlets Socialist Party
Allegations of workplace sexual harassment against MasterChef host Gregg Wallace have dominated the headlines. Spanning nearly 20 years, he has been accused of inappropriate sexual comments and behaviours when working on several TV programmes. Although the BBC has now been forced to pause filming of the show, numerous complaints were made to it over the years and, unsurprisingly, insufficient action was taken.
Although the allegations are serious, they won’t necessarily come as a shock. They paint a familiar picture to workers across the country, where bosses put profits over a safe work environment. Research by the Trades Union Congress found that 3 in 5 women have experienced sexual harassment at work, rising to 2 in 3 for women aged 25-30, and rising again for those on precarious zero-hour contracts. But for many, fear of retaliation or ineffective reporting processes prevent them from reporting incidents of harassment to their employers.
The allegations against Greg Wallace are a reminder that strong, democratic trade unions are needed to fight workplace sexual harassment, demanding robust and transparent reporting mechanisms, quality training and support for victims. Trade unions must also fight for the banning of exploitative contacts, and for stronger workers’ rights to fight back against the sexist power imbalances that are inherent to the exploitative capitalist system. Unions that are supportive of workers taking action against sexist and racist employers can give confidence to fight back – history shows us that collective action is the most effective way to ensure safer work environments.
