The jockeys’ union says “prolonged delays” to the upgrades of weighing room amenities is “prolonging discrimination” to feminine jockeys.
In December, it emerged that 80% of British racecourses had missed a deadline to modernise amenities.
These included offering extra personal altering and bathe amenities, communal consuming areas and warm-up areas and new communal working areas for valets.
The Skilled Jockeys Affiliation (PJA) wrote to its members this week saying it had acquired reviews of “sub-standard race day amenities”, together with mould, flooding and overcrowded altering rooms.
Its criticism got here because the horse racing trade launched a brand new workforce technique, , exterioracknowledging the necessity for a change in “tradition” and “a extra skilled working setting”.
One of many targets of the Horseracing Trade Individuals Board (HIPB)’s technique is to “prioritise gender equality” and to “encourage and help our feminine workforce by eradicating limitations to remaining within the sport”.
Different actions will embody an anti-sexual misconduct marketing campaign, supporting employers with drug and alcohol testing, and the introduction of an employer high quality commonplace.
In 2021, racecourses have been set targets to enhance weighing room amenities. However simply 13 of Britain’s 59 racecourses met final October’s deadline.
The PJA stated it had been informed that “a number of Jockey Membership venues won’t begin work till 2028 on the earliest and is probably not accomplished till 2030”.
It stated: “These prolonged delays, which is able to lengthen the continuing discrimination confronted by our feminine members, are unacceptable. Your persistence and ours is working out and we are going to proceed to combat to convey ahead change.
“We proceed to obtain reviews, movies and photographs of sub-standard race day amenities, together with flooded bathe and valet areas, mould, feminine overcrowding, electrical questions of safety and failure to stick to BHA (British Horseracing Authority) normal directions.”
The Racecourse Affiliation (RCA) stated it didn’t recognise 2027 as a brand new “agreed deadline”, and stated there have been weekly conferences being held by the Weighing Room Growth challenge group to “focus on, and finally progress, the event of weighing rooms at racecourses”.
Caroline Davies, RCA Racecourse Providers Director: “The challenge group’s data present that 20 racecourses could have accomplished the work by the tip of 2025, with an additional 12 by 2026.
“As has beforehand been acknowledged, this multi-million pound improvement is a big expenditure for racecourses at a time when sources are stretched over different important programmes similar to enhancing prize cash and masking Nationwide Insurance coverage will increase. As such, a phased strategy should be adopted.”
