New rights new leaflet for Usdaw's lesbian, gay and bisexual members

More than a quarter of union reps have dealt with complaints of harassment or discrimination relating to sexual orientation.

This statistic, revealed in a recent survey by the Labour Research Department (LRD), sheds new light on the scale of discrimination faced by lesbian, gay and bisexual workers in the UK.

A new law - the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 - became effective from 1st December 2003. This means that, for the first time in the UK, there is legislation to protect lesbian, gay and bisexual workers against being treated less favourably than their heterosexual colleagues.

Usdaw, the UK's fifth largest trade union with over 330,000 members, has produced a new leaflet, New rights for all lesbian, gay and bisexual workers, which outlines the new rights.

Other findings of the LRD survey of 132 union reps included:

Exactly half of employers had taken some steps to address the issue of discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual employees - in most cases, by reviewing the equal opportunities policy.

Under a third of those who had taken action had audited their employment conditions to ensure equal treatment for lesbian and gay employees.

Many union reps did not know whether employment conditions (for example, adoption or paternity leave) were available equally to gay employees or same-sex partners.

Ruth Cross, Usdaw's Equalities Officer, said: "The new regulations cover lots of different forms of discrimination. They include laws designed to address harassment and bullying. This is particularly relevant to Usdaw's members as the majority work in the retail sector, where it sadly isn't uncommon to come across cases of homophobic attitudes from customers, as well as work colleagues."

The LRD (www.lrd.org.uk) is an independent trade union and labour movement organisation founded 90 years ago. Around 1,800 trade union organisations, including 55 national unions (representing 99% of total TUC membership), are affiliated.

• Usdaw is the UK's fifth largest trade union with over 330,00 members. More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.

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