Female lifeboat crews condemn "disgusting" levels of sexism and bullying at RNLI
1 July 2023, 16:28 | Updated: 1 July 2023, 18:21
A female lifeboat crew member said she was screamed at and repeatedly called a "b****" amid a 'culture of sexism' at the RNLI, an internal report has revealed.
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Bombshell HR documents first reported by The Times include dozens of reports of misogyny and sexist bullying among the organisation's 35,000 volunteers.
One volunteer crew member told the survey: “The closed-mindedness of volunteers at stations around the coast and limited opportunities for individuals with (differences) is quite frankly disgusting.
"The level of sexism on the ground at stations around the coast is abhorrent."
Another said: “I have felt utterly discriminated because I am a female. I have reported this and was basically told my situation doesn’t count as ‘discrimination’ by my two male supervisors.
"I felt like I lost respect for making this report to my bosses and it has ruined my mental health and ruined how I view the RNLI as an employer.”
RNLI People's Director Sue Barnes told LBC: "We are sorry to our volunteers and staff who have faced behaviours and actions that no one should have to tolerate.
"There is no place for misogynistic, sexist, and non-inclusive behaviours at the RNLI and we are committed to taking action and tackling such behaviour.
"The RNLI takes allegations and concerns raised by volunteers and staff very seriously and has a process in place to ensure these are heard and investigated.
"We know we have more work to do to ensure we become the truly inclusive lifesaving charity we strive to be. This is the right thing to do and is a key commitment for the RNLI."
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