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SEEN In Retail is a support network for the UK retail sector, and part of the growing community of Sex, Equality and Equity Networks.
We believe that all retail employees should be able to thrive at work and be treated with respect. To do so, sometimes men and women may need to be treated differently, and this is permitted under exceptions in the Equality Act 2010 that enshrined the continuation of common practices like separate facilities.
We want to hold to account those UK employers who fail to uphold the rights and protections of retail workers that relate to sex, as stated in the Equality Act 2010, usually by replacing the protected characteristic of ‘sex’ with others that have no legal definition.
We believe that ‘gender’ is a social construct while gender identity, as it is currently described, is a nebulous, unfalsifiable concept. Substituting these terms for sex endangers the rights and protections workers have in the sector and in life.
The category of sex is an important one. If we give it up, we lose the ability to fight for sex equality and equity.
Sometimes in life – and at work – sex matters.
Our primary aim is to ensure that all retail workers are aware of their legal rights and protections, both under UK law and under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).
Under the ECHR, our rights include:
Freedom of thought, belief and religion – Article 9
Freedom of expression – Article 10
Freedom of assembly and association – Article 11
Protection from discrimination – Article 14
Such rights are enshrined in UK law and we should feel able to exercise those rights respectfully and lawfully without fear of censure or disadvantage.
Our right to believe in the immutability of sex, and for this not to be conflated with gender identity, was established in Forstater v CGD Europe 2021.
Understanding that males and females sometimes have different needs is crucial to creating a working environment that allows everyone to feel included and respected. Our aim is to make it easier for everyone to be able to discuss these issues in the workplace.
UK retail workplaces are hugely diverse and we support open and respectful dialogue between those with differing views and beliefs.
Many UK employers have Diversity, Inclusion and Equality departments, which are seeking to go “beyond the law” in an effort to push through changes in our workplaces which are demanded by activists. We believe that those changes which go ‘beyond the law’ also often go against the law, specifically laws that uphold protections based on sex. We must ensure that employers are reminded that laws are carefully balanced between those with protected characteristics and going further for one group may result in a detrimental impact on other groups.
We are aware that a climate of fear currently exists, and employees are afraid to speak up about policies that they feel may adversely affect them. We are committed to having respectful communications with employers, to put forward views that employees may not feel able to express by themselves, and urging retailers to consider a fully inclusive approach, by listening to all views and considering all staff.