Change your clothes if you want a smoke, says council

3:22pm Thursday 29th March 2007

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COUNCIL workers will be forced to change their clothes if they want to have a cigarette while on a work break.

Sunderland council is to ban its workers having a cigarette in public while wearing their uniform.

From June 1, staff won't be allowed to smoke in a public place, even on their break, if they are wearing clothing that identifies the council, including name badges.

Sunderland City Council says the new Smoke-Free Workplace Policy is vital to protect the health of employees and visitors - but it has been described as an "outrageous abuse of power" by a smokers' rights group.

The new rules - which ban smoking from council buildings and vehicles - are set to come into force ahead of the July 1 smoking ban in England.

A report, for the council's personnel committee to approve, said: "In order to protect and enhance the council's commitment to smoke-free workplaces and to support the Sunderland Smoke-Free Alliance Vision that by 2010 Sunderland will become a smoke-free city, those employees issued with a uniform bearing the council crest or name will not be allowed to smoke in public places."

It adds that committee members may wish to consider the "impact of this on employees wearing uniforms who wish to smoke whilst on work breaks."

The policy aims to crack down on the risks of second-hand smoking, which the Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health estimates causes several hundred lung cancer deaths a year in the UK.

But Neil Rafferty, spokesman for pro-smoking group Forest, has hit out at the policy, claiming it is one step too far.

"It's an absolutely outrageous abuse of power by the council," he said.

"It's understandable to try and restrict the amount of time for cigarette breaks, but they have no right to use it to justify forcing people to quit smoking.

"If someone is on a break they have every right to smoke regardless of what they are wearing. It's an absolute grotesque invasion of workers' privacy and is fanatical and extreme."

But the council claims the move is vital to "provide a healthy working environment and protect the current and future health of employees and visitors".

The policy adds that from June 1, smoking will be banned in all council offices, schools, depots, community centres, next to public entrances to council buildings and windows and at leisure and hospitality areas.

Martin Gannon, GMB regional officer, said: "We have been consulted by the council and we have consulted with our members, of which a lot of them are non-smokers.

"This is becoming a much more important issue for non-smokers and it requires us to protect them from the affects of passive smoking."