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MENOPAUSE awareness training must be mandatory for employers, union reps said after a survey found that 83 per cent of women don’t have access to workplace support for symptoms.
The Unite poll of 11,000 female members found that 9,000 lacked help with menopausal symptoms, with some being forced to take early retirement as a result.
Union general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It’s despicable that so many women do not have access to basic support.
“It’s a serious industrial matter, and attitudes must shift as we work to make lasting improvements for everyone in the workplace.”
Women polled “expressed serious unease when talking about the topic at work — due to male-dominated environments,” Unite said.
The union called for mandatory menopause training, discounting menopause-related sickness from regular sick absence, uniform materials that exacerbate symptoms to be scrapped and audits for menopause-friendly employers.
Unite national equalities officer Alison Spencer-Scragg concluded: “We are committed to making sure employers not only comply with their legal obligations but also promote a menopause-friendly workplace.”
