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Phone app launched for lap dancers

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 ‘Dancers Info’ promotes safety and rights at work.  

Women working as lap dancers in the UK can now access employment rights, information and personal safety advice with a new iPhone application.

The Dancers Info app gives tips on how to stay safe and in control with customers and managers, as well as guidance on self-employment and tax issues.

It was developed by researchers at the University of Leeds after a study they conducted into the UK’s sex entertainment industry revealed that recent changes to the licensing laws have not guaranteed dancers’ welfare and safety.

The new licensing laws were introduced in 2009, following a campaign to tackle the increase in lap dancing clubs along the high street.

The changes mean lap dancing clubs are no longer licensed in the same way as cafes but as ‘sex entertainment venues’ and local authorities can limit the number of clubs operating in town centres.

While the majority of the 300 women they surveyed said they liked the work and felt safe in their workplaces, many also had concerns about verbal harassment, unwanted touching and financial exploitation.

Almost three-quarters of respondents said they had left a shift without earning any money, a consequence of having to pay up to £200 in fees and 80 per cent commission to work in some clubs.

They also faced fines of up to £50 for chewing gum, using mobile phones or being late.

Some migrant workers said they also had to pay out a lot for accommodation and organisation of their work.

In addition, 90 per cent of the respondents said they had never had a contract and more than 80 per cent said they had never received a wage slip.

“I find the terms and conditions of the job (depending on the club/company) disempowering and exploitative,” said one participant.

The research also found most dancers were concerned their welfare and working conditions were not being taken seriously by the new legislation with standards of management and safety varying significantly between clubs.

Another participant said: “The new licensing laws have done nothing to change the way the dancers are charged fees and fined and treated by the owners, in fact they will now probably have to charge the dancers more to cover the licensing cost.”

The researchers looked at 45 council licensing policies and found that while some had included terms to ensure dancers’ protection, this was not being done automatically.

Rosie Campbell, one of the researchers, said: “It’s important regulators take on board the views and working conditions of dancers themselves and not operate with assumptions about what these are.”

For further information about the phone app and research findings, visit the Dancers Info website.

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