By the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union

Workers, trade unionists and campaigners will gather outside the Health and Safety Executive’s Liverpool offices on Friday 26th June to demand that workplace sexual harassment is recognised as a reportable incident under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).

The protest, organised by the End Not Defend campaign, comes as evidence continues to show that millions of workers experience sexual harassment at work each year, yet incidents remain largely invisible within the workplace health and safety system.

Campaigners argue that while employers are required to report serious physical injuries and dangerous workplace incidents, there is no equivalent requirement to report sexual harassment, despite the significant impact it can have on workers’ mental and physical health.

Ian Hodson, National President of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), said: “Workers can suffer trauma, anxiety, depression, loss of confidence and be driven out of work altogether because of sexual harassment. Yet the system largely treats these experiences as invisible. A broken arm at work is reportable. A dangerous occurrence is reportable. Sexual harassment that damages a worker’s health and wellbeing is not. That cannot be right.

“If sexual harassment is a workplace hazard – and it is – then employers should be required to report it. What gets measured gets managed. If it’s not reported, it’s not regulated.”

The End Not Defend campaign is calling for

* Sexual harassment to be recognised as a workplace health and safety issue.

* Sexual harassment incidents to be reportable under RIDDOR.

* Greater transparency and accountability from employers.

* Stronger prevention measures to stop harassment before it happens.

DETAILS

Date: Friday 26 June 2026. Time: 11.00am. Location: Health and Safety Executive, Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Liverpool, L20 7HS.

Image: https://www.picpedia.org/highway-signs/s/sexual-harassment.html License: Creative Commons 3 – CC BY-SA 3.0 Attribution: Alpha Stock Images – http://alphastockimages.com/ Original Author: Nick Youngson – link to – http://www.nyphotographic.com/