The Trades Unions Congress is publishing a report called Straight Up! Why the Law Should Protect Lesbian and Gay Workers.

Good employers already treat all their employees with the same degree of respect

TUC General Secretary John Monks

The TUC has also revealed the results of a survey which showed more than three in four people think it is wrong for employers to treat lesbian or gay workers differently from heterosexual staff.

Some 77% of the respondents thought bosses should not treat lesbian or gay staff any less favourably than heterosexual employees.

Of the 964 people questioned, 74% agreed that employers should not be allowed to sack a member of staff if they discovered the employee was gay and only 13% thought it would be acceptable.

When asked whether employers should treat the long-term partners of gay and lesbian staff in the same way as partners and spouses of other employees, 71% of those questioned agreed and 11% disagreed.

Pension anger

TUC General Secretary John Monks said: "Good employers already treat all their employees with the same degree of respect.

"The voluntary code of practice proposed by the government is a welcome recognition of the problem, but it won't stop bad bosses discriminating against their gay employees."

The report also features case studies of people who have suffered harassment.

These include Ron Strank and his partner Roger Fisher, who have been together for 40 years and have paid into the NHS pension scheme all their working lives.

The Croydon-based couple, who are in their 60s, are angry that when one of them dies, the surviving partner will be denied access to the other's pension entitlement.