Rayner ‘must not cave in to Farage over banter crackdown'
Angela Rayner must not cave in to critics such as Nigel Farage over her so-called pub banter crackdown, a union chief has said.
Paul Nowak, the head of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has urged the Deputy Prime Minister to stand firm in her bid to protect workers from third-party harassment, which forms a key part of her Employment Rights Bill.
That is despite critics arguing that it will encourage people to 'sue for hurt feelings'.
Mr Nowak argued that critics such as Mr Farage, who have attacked Ms Rayner's workers' rights reforms, are just protecting 'their right to be offensive'.
While calling on pub landlords to back the Bill, the TUC boss argued that the third-party harassment clause will not mean monitoring conversations.
He said: 'I love going to the pub as much as anyone but I don't think that the thought police are going to descend on Britain's pubs.'
His comments come after the Government was warned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that proposals forcing employers to protect staff from 'third parties' could apply to 'overheard conversations' among pubgoers.
The protections are set to be introduced under Ms Rayner's Employment Rights Bill, which is a keystone of Labour's so-called New Deal for Working People.
Concerns over the Bill were also raised in the House of Lords during a second reading last month.
Lord Young told peers that he was worried it would 'accelerate the erasure of the good old British pub', while Lord Strathcarron called it an 'Alice in Wonderland' clause that would 'satisfy the whims of the ever-changing, latest version of group think'.
Mr Farage has previously raised similar fears by claiming that 'every pub is a parliament'. He said: 'It is where we discuss the world. If that is restricted, they might as well all close.'
Sir Tim Martin, the founder and chairman of JD Wetherspoon, also criticised the prospect of pub goers being prevented from discussing certain topics – arguing earlier this year that it sounded like 'Big Brother thought control'.
However, Mr Nowak called the mounting criticism a 'complete and utter red herring' and urged ministers and landlords to stand firm.
As well as calling for the pub banter crackdown to go ahead as planned, the union boss also called on businesses not to use Donald Trump's tariffs as an excuse to play 'fast and loose on pay'.
He added: 'Hold your nerve to mitigate what's happening on the other side of the Atlantic'.
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