I’m lost for words over plan for ‘banter bouncers’ in pubs

“The death of the Great British pub,” screamed a recent headline.

- GEORGE BASS

The story underneath was referring to the idea of “banter bouncers”: card-carrying heavies who go from table to table in licensed venues, ensuring all spoken language is kept strictly PG.

As an actual bouncer (or an SIA level 2 licensed door supervisor, to use my official job title), this smells like clickbait. In a time where six pubs and three clubs are going under every week in the UK, the notion of hiring an extra set of size elevens to prowl the carpet and make sure no one’s talking out of line seems like blue-sky thinking.

Yet the government’s Employment Rights Bill, back on the table when MPs return from recess next month, includes provisions to require employers to “take all reasonable steps” to prevent harassment at work by third parties.

A TUC poll found that three in five women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work. The TUC also clarified that shop workers, NHS workers and many other public-facing staff experience abuse from customers. Yet this clause leaves employers to interpret it for themselves.