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Bra-size name tag 'outrage' headed to court

Oliver Gee
Oliver Gee - [email protected]
Bra-size name tag 'outrage' headed to court

A complaint from a former lingerie shop employee upset at being forced to wear a name tag displaying her bra size has prompted a Swedish union to file a discrimination lawsuit against the company that runs the store.

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In November last year, the shop assistant complained that she was uncomfortable displaying her bra size during her shifts at the Gothenburg outlet of Scandinavian-owned lingerie company ‘Change’.

Following the complaint, the Commercial Employees' Union (Handelsanställdas förbund - Handels) announced on Tuesday it was filing a lawsuit demanding the company pay 300,000 kronor ($43,410) in compensation to the former employee.

“We don’t feel that it’s any help to see the size of someone’s breasts. We don’t see the connection at all,” the union’s press secretary Kristina Jogestrand told The Local.

“You can be a confident, secure woman without having to show the size of your breasts for all to see.”

The lawsuit argues that requiring employees to display their bra sizes is a breach of discrimination laws and the union's collective wage agreement.

“Our union member has experienced something offensive and discomforting in the wearing of such badges. For her, bust size is deeply personal,” union spokesperson Jannika Fahlander said in a statement.

In addition to compensation for the disgruntled employee, the union is also seeking 100,000 kronor from the company for what the union argues is a breach of the collective agreement.

The bra-size name tags, which displayed both the employee’s bust circumference and cup size, had been introduced to the company three years ago to aid customers by showing them what size might be right for what body shape.

The company claims that the staff members wear the tags voluntarily.

The previous employee claims it was a rule, however, and worked for the company for 18 months before reading her rights, contacting the union, and getting the matter off her chest.

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