TWO out of three young women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work, new research by the TUC has found.

The union body said its polling of 1,000 women, published today, found that 58 per cent of women have experienced at least one such form of aggression, rising to 62 per cent for those aged between 25 and 34.

It said that most cases were not isolated incidents, with more than three in five women saying they have experienced three or more incidents of bullying at work.

Most victims do not report incidents because they fear they will not be believed or could damage their career, the TUC found.

The TUC also warned that some Tory MPs and peers were trying to “sabotage” new laws under the Worker Protection Bill aimed at protecting workers from sexual harassment and assault at work.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “We know many women in public-facing jobs — like retail workers and GP receptionists — suffer regular abuse from customers and patients.

“Sexual harassment and bullying have no place in modern workplaces.

“Ministers promised to bring in long overdue new laws to prevent workplace sexual harassment and tackle abuse from third parties like customers and clients.

“But they are now backsliding under pressure from their own backbenchers, who are trying to delay and derail these vital new protections.”

A spokesperson for the government’s Equality Hub said: “We are aware of concerns raised by some parliamentarians about the balance the Bill strikes between protecting free speech and tackling harassment.

“We have made amendments to the Bill to address these concerns but will study closely any amendments in Parliament.”