DON'T LET THE BANTER AT WORK BECOME BIGOTRY; Call for tough guidelines.

Byline: Magnus Gardham

WORKERS need protection from sectarian abuse disguised as "banter" at work, a trade union report urged yesterday.

An STUC study found religious prejudice was rife in many workplaces.

It concluded that employers should set rules, similar to anti-bullying codes, ensuring that banter about religion or football was not offensive.

The study, produced by researchers from Strathclyde University, was based on focus group interviews.

And the people interviewed reported discrimination ranging from feeling that Catholics were denied promotion in some organisations to more "subtle" claims of discrimination.

The report highlighted an office where staff had to key in 1888 - the year Celtic were founded - as a security code.

And one firm was criticised for allowing staff to leave early on the evening of a Rangers match but not the next day before a Celtic game.

The report said banter dominated many workplaces. Some workers dismissed it as "a bit of fun" but others found it sectarian and offensive.

Some said they could not complain because they could lose their job or not be given overtime.

The report said most people did not want banter eliminated from the workplace as it was part of the culture.

But it concluded: "Expressions of prejudice can take place under the guise of banter or humour, and it does require attention. " STUC general secretary Grahame Smith said: "It is very disappointing, if not wholly surprising, that the researchers found evidence that sectarianism persists in the Scottish workplace."

Community safety minister Fergus Ewing welcomed the report and said a pounds 118,000 government-backed project to tackle workplace sectarianism was now under way.

He said: "The Scottish government is committed to tackling discrimination."