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High heels row: Petition for work dress code law rejected High heels row: Petition for work dress code law rejected
(about 1 hour later)
Calls to make it illegal for companies to tell women to wear high heels at work have been rejected by the government.Calls to make it illegal for companies to tell women to wear high heels at work have been rejected by the government.
The Equalities Office said it would instead introduce guidelines for firms on workplace dress codes this summer. New guidelines on workplace dress codes will instead be published by the Equalities Office in the summer.
The issue was debated in Parliament in March after Nicola Thorp, who was sent home for wearing flat shoes, set up a petition with more 152,000 signatures.
Miss Thorp described the government's response as a "cop-out".
She began her petition after being told to leave a temp job for refusing to wear a "2-4in heel".
A subsequent parliamentary investigation into heels and company dress codes found "widespread discrimination" in workplaces.
But Miss Thorp, an equality campaigner from London, said it was a "shame" the law would not be changed.
"It shouldn't be down to people like myself," she said. "The government should take responsibility and put it in legislation. I do think it is a little bit of a cop-out."
Employers 'flout' laws
On Friday, the government said the law was "adequate" in a formal response to the petition and investigation.
It said companies should assess whether their rules are "relevant and lawful".It said companies should assess whether their rules are "relevant and lawful".
The issue was debated in Parliament after Nicola Thorp, who was sent home for wearing flat shoes, set up a petition with more 152,000 signatures. "But we recognise that some employers lack awareness of the law or even choose to flout it," the government said.
It follows a parliamentary inquiry into work dress codes which found "widespread discrimination" against women at work. It added: "The Government Equalities Office will be producing guidance on dress codes in the workplace as a specific response to the Thorp petition and the issues it raises."
Helen Jones, who chairs the Petitions Committee, which considers petitions from members of the public, said last month that MPs were "shocked" by their findings. It comes after an investigation by the Petitions Committee and Women and Equalities Committee found "potentially discriminatory dress codes are commonplace".
But the government said laws already in place were "adequate" to deal with workplace discrimination. Maria Miller, who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee, said she welcomed the decision to introduce new guidelines.
"This petition, and the committees' inquiry, have reinforced the need for effective enforcement of legislation and for employers and employees to be aware of their obligations and rights," she said.
"We welcome the commitments made by the government to increasing awareness of those rights."
Ms Miller said she hoped the next government, which will be voted in at the election on 8 June, would "monitor how this changes women's experiences of the workplace".
Helen Jones, who chairs the Petitions Committee, added that Miss Thorp's petition and the resultant investigation had done a "great deal" to raise awareness.
"The government has accepted our recommendation that it should be doing much more to improve understanding among employers and employees alike, to prevent discriminatory practices in the workplace," she said.