“Reams of talented artists are leaving the music industry due to sexism and abuse, the Musicians’ Union has said, with new figures suggesting almost half of its members have experienced harassment at work” in the U.K., writes Frances Perraudin in Wednesday’s (10/23) Guardian (U.K.). “The union called on the government to extend protections relating to discrimination and harassment in the Equality Act 2010 to freelancers, so that they were entitled to the same protections as those in fixed employment. In a survey conducted by the union … 48% of respondents said they had experienced workplace harassment. More than four in five (85%) did not report it…. Naomi Pohl, deputy general secretary at the Musicians’ Union, said, ‘Survivors are often unable to speak out because the consequences … are devastating. In most cases … the survivor ends up leaving the workplace or the industry and there are very few consequences for the perpetrator.’ The survey of 725 musician’s union members … found that almost two-thirds (61%) felt they were more at risk because they worked on a freelance basis…. The union called on the government to introduce a mandatory duty on workplaces to take reasonable steps to protect people from harassment and victimization.”
Posted October 28, 2019
