The Mini gets its marching orders by Southampton Council (From Daily Echo)

Unions vow to fight council ban on staff wearing short skirts at work

11:47am Friday 30th July 2010 in Video By Matt Smith, Politics and business reporter

HOW high can they go?

That’s the question women working for a Hampshire council will be asking themselves after bosses banned mini-skirts.

Clothes police at Southampton City Council will be cracking down on short skirts and dresses and could send staff home to change if they are showing too much leg.

But confusion surrounds exactly what is acceptable after council chiefs said there was no specific rules on skirt length and insisted there was no “rigid dress code”.

Female workers are merely being be told to make sure they wear “appropriate” clothing for their line of work.

Unions last night vowed to fight the mini-skirt ban.

The Daily Echo has obtained a memo sent to staff setting out examples of smart casual clothing women should wear, including informal dresses or skirts of “reasonable” length or trousers but “not mini-skirts” or jeans.

The leaked document advised men to wear collared or polo shirts, cotton trousers such as khakis or chinos with a belt, and “dress shoes”.

It warned social workers, youth workers, educational welfare officers and others in the children’s services department to “carefully consider their work attire”.

It said: “During the coming weeks managers will be speaking to staff about the clothes they wear to work and making sure that they are appropriate for the activities they undertake.”

It added: “Please try to dress smartly and thoughtfully, in line with other professionals you come across in your day-to-day work, and in a way that shows respect to children and families.”

One council worker, who did not want to be identified, told the Daily Echo said: “So now the council is deciding what we can and cannot wear. What is a mini-skirt? Micro-minis would probably not be acceptable, but above the knee? Are they going to come around with a tape measure? I thought the principle was to get the job done for the council taxpayers.”

The council’s Unison branch secretary Mike Tucker said: “I would have thought the council has got better things to do than impose a regimented approach to what people wear. If anyone is disciplined we are more than happy to defend them.”

In a statement the council said: “Southampton City Council does not have a rigid dress code. However, like all major employers, we do ask staff to dress appropriately in their workplaces.

“Staff interact with thousands of residents, business and partners daily.”

Council leader Cllr Royston Smith said: “I think this is a common sense, low bureaucracy approach and we’re sure the public and staff would agree is the right one.”

But people in Southampton city centre were divided over the mini-skirt ban.

Student Gaini Dosanova, 24, said: “I think mini-skirts look very good. I don’t understand why they want to ban them. You can wear them causally, to go shopping and I think they are suitable for smart casual at work. Also they’re quite cheap.”