Nightclub slammed for making female employees wear 'revealing' shirts
A Perth nightclub has been forced to apologise and backflip on its demands for female workers to wear a “revealing” uniform, following a social media storm.
In a closed Facebook post to employees on Monday, screenshots appear to show Amplifier Capitol duty manager Artur Rafal notifying staff of a “compulsory” uniform change.
It stated female workers must now wear a lower-cut, form fitting T-shirt and ladies would be banned from wearing the men’s style T-shirts they currently wear to work.
In the same thread, Capitol Corp chairman David Heaton warned the uniform was a “condition of employment”.
“If you don’t feel comfortable in the uniform then you are welcome to find employment elsewhere,” he wrote.
Staff exploded on social media, furious about the mandatory “low cut shirts” one unnamed employee said exposed workers to “objectification”.
“We receive enough sexual harassment as it is working in the nightclub industry and pushing such a ridiculous dress code puts your female employees in danger,” they wrote.
A female employee shared side-by-side selfies to Instagram wearing both versions of the uniform, with the new shirts revealing a plunging neckline and visible cleavage, with the caption: “The top they want me to wear vs the top I wear.”
After copping online backlash from staff and the general public alike, Mr Heaton backflipped on the bar’s uniform policy within hours.
The chairman stated female employees were allowed to wear the men’s T-shirt “as long as they are not overly baggy”.
He also joked that male workers were permitted to wear the women’s shirt “as long as there isn’t too much cleavage showing”.
In light of the wave of public outrage on Facebook, the bar has been forced to issue an apology, saying the proposed changes were made “in poor judgement”.
“I unreservedly apologise for the recent proposed female-only uniform changes at Amplifier Capitol – for the decision, my comments and the manner in which this has been handled,” Mr Heaton said in a statement.
“It was wrong to comment that any staff uncomfortable with the changes should find employment elsewhere – this was a throwaway comment that I very much regret. I would like to make clear that no staff have been, or will be, fired in relation to the uniform issue.”
The furore comes just days after a Melbourne gay club was slammed after a leaked document revealed a list of discriminatory instructions for photographers about who they should and shouldn’t photograph at the venue.
Stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
