Equality
Bill - On Friday 24th April 2009 the Equality Bill was introduced in the House
of Commons and it was published on Monday 27th April.
Summary
of the Bill:
Make provision to require Ministers of the Crown and others when making strategic
decisions about the exercise of their functions to have regard to the desirability
of reducing socio-economic inequalities; to reform and harmonise equality law
and restate the greater part of the enactments relating to discrimination and
harassment related to certain personal characteristics; to enable certain employers
to be required to publish information about the differences in pay between male
and female employees; to prohibit victimisation in certain circumstances; to require
the exercise of certain functions to be with regard to the need to eliminate discrimination
and other prohibited conduct; to enable duties to be imposed in relation to the
exercise of public procurement functions; to increase equality of opportunity;
and for connected purposes.
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Equality
Bill disappointment as companies ‘forced’ to expose inequalities
According
to a report in "HR
Review" on the 30th April, 2009 A women’s business network
has said it is disappointed that it has taken the introduction of a new Equality
Bill to make employers address the issue of inequality in the workplace.
Toni
Eastwood, training director for Everywoman, said that the new bill is a welcome
amendment to existing legislation as it represents a move towards equality.
Referring
to the equal pay audit, which will require companies with over 250 staff to disclose
any disparities between male and female pay, she said it was "disappointing that
‘naming and shaming’ is necessary".
However
she said that by encouraging companies to offer "equal working conditions to both
men and women" it will "ensure the best talent is attracted to a company, regardless
of their background".
The
bill aims to end discrimination and one of the tactics proposed is to extend positive
action measures that encourage employers to make their companies more representative
of society as a whole.
This
would mean there would not be a disproportionate amount of employees of one gender
or race, for instance.
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Commission
Chair welcomes new Equality Bill 27 April 2009
Trevor
Phillips, Chair of the Commission, today said the Equality Bill will 'remove the
roadblocks to finding the talent to drive our economic recovery.'
Responding
to the publication of the Bill Mr. Phillips continued: 'When the upturn comes
we must be ready to ensure every great idea, every hard worker in every corner
of this diverse nation contributes to rebuilding our economy. Britain’s got talent
– but we can’t leave it to Simon Cowell to find it all.'
The
Bill will simplify legislation, improve public services, help business perform,
extend protection to a wide range of groups that face discrimination and help
Britain become a fairer society.
'The
facts tell us we mustn’t assume that progress will happen without legislation.
In two years time just 20 per cent of the workforce will be made up of white,
non-disabled men. Our failure to open up employment opportunities to disabled
people costs us £9bn a year. The economic cost of not allowing women to fulfil
their potential is £23bn.
'In
Britain we know the value of talent, innovation and creativity. Our recovery and
future success depends on seeking it out and making sure everyone has an equal
chance to take part and is not discriminated against because of out-of-date ideas
about what people can achieve.
'This
Bill is also about how everyone, from whatever background, can live wholly fulfilled
lives – in their communities as well as workplaces. The Bill should help create
ties that bind individuals and civic society. We all want to live in thriving
communities that flourish economically and socially. We cherish our wellbeing
alongside economic security.'
The
Equality Bill contains a series of measures to tackle entrenched inequalities
including particular measures on equal pay, age discrimination and socio-economic
disadvantage. The Commission believes these measures will help ensure all groups
in society are able to contribute to the economy and community life of Britain.
The
Commission’s role will be to ensure it works in practice through policy development,
guidance, influencing and enforcement work. Specifically the Commission will take
responsibility for producing an annual report on the gender pay gap, in particular
an assessment of the proportion of companies which voluntarily publish relevant
measures of the pay gap between their male and female staff. It will produce initial
proposals to define these relevant measures for consultation by the summer. By
2013 the Commission will produce a final report which will set out progress on
headline indicators.
'We
believe in fairness and we believe that everyone should have an equal chance to
succeed in life. It is wrong in modern Britain that just because you are a women,
gay, disabled, a Muslim or old – you could find yourself excluded from economic
opportunity or community life,' Mr. Phillips continues.
'So
we warmly welcome the new Equality Bill. Overall we think it is well framed and
proportionate. It will help unblock some of the systemic problems that get in
the way of equality and achievement for everyone in Britain. We will of course
study the detail over the coming weeks and continue to suggest amendments where
we feel the legislation could be improved or go further.'
We
believe the most important parts of the Bill include:
For
employers and business
At
present, employers and service providers are struggling to cope with an impenetrable
mass of inconsistent equality legislation. There are 35 acts, 52 statutory instruments,
13 codes of practice and 16 European directives. This comes to 116 pieces of legislation
in all, taking up a total of 4,000 pages. Laid end to end, the paper trail would
be as long as 10 football pitches.
The
Equality Bill plans to bring this legislation together and ensure it is consistent,
understandable and easier for people to use.
The
intention to create transparency around pay will encourage employers to focus
on the critical issue of why a significant pay gap remains in Britain nearly 40
years after the Equal Pay Act.
In
some areas, the gaps are particularly stark. A report issued recently as part
of the Commission’s Inquiry into the Finance Sector reveals significant gender
pay gaps of up to 60 per cent in that sector and shows that women are overwhelmingly
concentrated in lower-paid administrative jobs.
The
Women and Work Commission concluded in 2006 that increasing women’s participation
in the labour market would be worth between £15bn and £23bn to the economy.
The
Commission particularly welcomes its new role in working with business, the unions
and other stakeholders to develop effective measures to monitor progress around
the pay gap. The Commission will immediately begin a pre-consultation discussion
with key organisations about which measures will work before making proposals
which will be the subject of a formal consultation in the summer.
Mr.
Phillips said: 'We have a shared agenda with business and the unions - talent
is there to be encouraged if we can find the right way to do it.
'For
business we believe the bill will provide a proportionate and level regulatory
playing field that will encourage them to treat staff fairly, root out inequality
and think in new ways about how to find and retain the best people. For staff
they will have a guarantee that merit and hard work will be rewarded, irrespective
of attributes like age, gender or race.”
Fairer
outcomes via the public sector duties.
The
Commission believes the new duty to consider socio-economic disadvantage will
encourage public sector bodies to focus on policies that address systemic blockages
to social mobility for the most disadvantaged groups in society.
A
study released this month by the Government’s Social Mobility Commission revealed
that three-quarters of judges and 70 per cent of finance directors went to an
independent, as did 45 per cent of senior civil servants and 32 per cent of MPs.
This contrasts with evidence that 85 per cent of poorer white boys fail to get
five good GCSEs – demonstrating that the most important contributor to social
mobility- educational success - is strongly associated with socio-economic background
and the postcode where you live.
The
duty will allow public bodies like education and health authorities to take into
account deprivation in their area. It should lead to a focus of resources and
policy on areas like educational attainment or poverty related illness such as
heart disease and obesity. As well as creating better outcomes for disadvantaged
members of society, the Commission believes there could be benefits for all tax
payers from a reduction in the costs associated with economic disadvantage in
areas such as healthcare, criminal justice and social welfare provision.
The
Commission will work strategically with key public bodies on policy solutions
that tackle some of this ingrained disadvantage giving more people the same opportunity
to fulfil their potential, a right many of the more affluent take for granted.
Challenging
age discrimination
The
Commission welcome’s the Government’s proposals to outlaw discrimination against
older people in the provision of goods, facilities and services, arguing policies
affecting older people need to be made on the basis of objective evidence and
each individual’s situation, not on assumptions based purely on date of birth.
At
present, insurance companies can dramatically increase premiums based on age without
taking into account other relevant factors such as a clean driving licence. Older
people struggle to find travel insurance, with cover routinely declined, and they
can be denied access to services provided by the NHS on the arbitrary basis of
age rather than the benefit to their quality of life.
The
Commission would like the Government to go further and end the arbitrary rule
that workers must retire at 65.
Source:
The
Equality and Human Rights Commission Press Release
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Equalities
Bill will require employers to publish gender pay gaps
HR
Review reported on the 28th April 2009 that Equalities Bill which
aims at tackling gender inequalities, and other discrimination against the elderly,
will leave employers until 2013 to publish average hourly rates for men and women.
The
move, which had been promised by the government before the last election, effects
large employers – those employing over 250 staff – aims at ‘making Britain more
equal’, according to Minister for Equality Harriet Harman. Additionally, the Bill
will also ban “gagging clauses” from contracts, which prevents employees from
revealing details of their pay.
“This
is about employers coming clean with their employees”, she said.
“Unless
we can see it workplace by workplace it stays swept under the carpet – that unfairness
stays hidden and we can’t tackle it, if it’s hidden”. She also stressed that the
economic downturn should not be used as an excuse to leave such inequalities unchecked.
“The
economies and societies which will prosper in the future are not those that have
rigid hierarchies, where women know their place and where you can’t go forward
because of the colour of your skin,” she said. Men are averaging 23% more per
hour than women, even forty years after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act.
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A
Statement by the Minister for Women and Equality
On
Thursday, June 26 2008 the Minister for Women
and Equality,
the Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP, made a statement to the House of Commons, repeated
in the House of Lords by Baroness Andrews, setting out the main themes of the
Equality Bill which will be introduced in Parliament in the next session.
On
the same day the Government Equalities Office published Framework for a Fairer
Future – the Equality Bill, which outlines the steps which will be taken to streamline
and strengthen the law. See
Also: Framework for a Fairer Future – The Equality Bill
A
Fairer Future- The Equality Bill and other action to make equality a reality
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8 September 2008
A
new CIPD research report released in time for the Annual Conference in Harrogate,
Managing Diversity and the Business Case, shows that diversity management in the
UK remains superficial at best, with the majority of employers just fulfilling
their legal obligations. Sixty-eight per cent of those surveyed rank legal pressure
as the most important motivation for implementing diversity policies and practices.
With
the Equality Bill due before Parliament in December, our evidence shows only a
minority are embedding diversity into their business strategy. The vast majority
(71%) do not build diversity objectives into business goals and only 30% even
have a budget for diversity
management.
Dianah
Worman, Diversity Adviser, CIPD argues: "Education and awareness on the business
case for diversity must be a priority for Government
as it progresses the Equality Bill. Our research clearly demonstrates the
business case for diversity. But it also shows that too many businesses are driven
more by the concern to meet minimum legal standards. A shiny new legal framework
runs the risk of simply creating a slightly higher level of boxes to be ticked,
while failing to bring about the real progress that promotion of the positive
business benefits of diversity can bring.
"By
building a workforce that reflects the society it operates in, organisations will
be able to evaluate and understand exactly how best to deliver a product or service.
This current lack of 'joined up' thinking is letting business performance down.
"The
objectives behind the proposed legislation are welcome. But we believe the real
opportunity lies in nudging business in the right direction on diversity through
evidence of the business case in action, rather than wielding a gradually bigger
stick to force compliance. Our research reveals powerful examples of organisations
building a diverse workforce that has a positive impact on their effectiveness,
adaptability and understanding of their customer base, and ultimately on their
bottom line."
The
findings also suggest that when a diversity strategy is implemented, organisations
are not embedding it throughout the business and are instead using it mainly for
recruitment and retention. Sixty per cent currently implement a diversity strategy
purely for recruitment and retention purposes, while other drivers identified
- such as marketing, product development and customer relations - are not being
given the attention needed for managing diversity to fully enhance business performance.
For
those organisations that do take diversity
seriously, however, effort is put into measuring it in order to receive quantifiable
feedback that makes clear the link between diversity management, customer satisfaction
and business performance. The findings show that the majority (72%) use employee
attitude surveys to drive diversity progress into mainstream activities. However,
only a small number of organisations use complaint, grievance and labour turnover
statistic tools such as balanced score card (17%) and impact assessments (27%).
Worman
continues: "Our research suggests that diversity management could have more impact.
Understanding the business advantage of managing diversity will attract employer
interest and drive real change more than fear of the law ever can."
Notes
about this CIPD Press Release
*
A 'diversity sophistication index' was formulated as part of the research, where
organisations were ranked on whether they implement good practice diversity, with
the highest possible rating being 146. Five organisations achieved zero, while
the average score was just 52 suggesting that diversity is not well understood
and is not being adopted effectively as a guiding business principle within UK
organisations
Source:
CIPD
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Single Equality Bill
Equality
and Human Rights Commission - Commission welcomes outlawing of age discrimination
The
Equality and Human Rights Commission welcomes today’s statement from Harriet Harman,
Leader of the House of Commons, announcing the new Single Equality Bill. It is
a proposal that offers a valuable starting point for shaping modern, simple equality
law fit for the 21st century. At its most basic, we want a new fairness act aimed
at allowing everyone, whatever their background, to fulfil their ambitions.
Trevor
Phillips, Chair of the Commission, said:
‘This
is the first step in a new generation of equality law. We want to enable people,
businesses and the public sector to do the right thing. ‘We need an act that reflects
our common sense of fair play – law that helps parents juggling work and family,
law that gives the Asian girl from a council estate the same chance as the boy
growing up on the other side of town, law that will stop anyone assuming people
over some arbitrary age do not deserve the same rights afforded to the rest of
us. The extension of the law to cover age discrimination will empower people to
live full and fruitful lives defined by their capabilities and desires, not their
age.
‘Britain
is facing major social and demographic change. If organisations have to think
about how they target resources efficiently – for example, making sure that they
reflect the needs of all their users – we can be confident we are benefiting from
the best public services and our taxes are spent wisely.
‘Critically
this bill must help the private sector do a better job. Statistics prove many
businesses that champion diversity have bigger profit margins because they understand
their customers better. Sensible positive action measures can actually help businesses
that take diversity seriously.
‘Positive
action is not and should never be a charter for incompetency. What we want to
see is a green light for employers to get the best out of a diverse workforce.
We want common sense flexibility.
‘I
want to give a couple of examples. What about MI5’s desire to hire British agents
who are Muslim to help gather intelligence. Should that be unlawful? Or imagine
a school where the head teacher has an all female staff. When she advertises for
a new post she has three equally qualified candidates, one of whom is a man. Should
it be unlawful for her to choose him? We don’t think it should and will be producing
guidance to help employers in this area.’
The
Equality Bill is a critical piece of legislation for the Commission which as regulator
in this area sets standards and ensures individuals and organisations are treated
fairly. The current law is complex, contradictory and confusing. If these proposals
translate into a Bill that works in practice it will create a positive opportunity
for the Commission to meaningfully fulfil its remit to create a fairer society
for everyone, regardless of their background.
The
proposals have a number of specific implications for the Commission which include:
-
Helping
service providers (hospitals, schools, local authorities etc) prepare for the
changes required by the extension of the law covering discrimination in the provision
of goods, facilities and services to cover age.
-
Monitoring
transparency and collection of data on issues of equality in the public sector
and the effect of the public sector procurement in the private sector.
-
Specific
inquiries into the financial and professional services sector and the construction
industries – sectors that benefit from a large amount of public sector procurement.
The starting point for these inquiries, which will be launched this year, will
be a period of evidence gathering.
-
The
development of an equality “kite-mark” designed to highlight best practice in
the private sector.
-
Producing
guidance for employers about how to use positive action to help them achieve better
services and delivery.
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Formal
response by Trevor Phillips - Chair of the Commission - 21st July 2008
On
21 July 2008 Trevor Phillips presented the Commission's formal response to these
proposals at an event for key stakeholders.
The
response does not attempt to deal with every detail of every clause of the new
Equality Bill, but it does set out what the Commission would like to see, including
a complete over-haul of Britain’s equality laws and a new contract with the public
on fairness. This could be by placing power in the hands of citizens and not remote
bureaucracies, and that people by local petition or referendum could test public
services such as schools and hospitals on how fairly they treat the people who
use them.
You
can download a copy of the Commission's full response here:
Background
to a single Act
The
current equality laws have been vitally important, and over the last ten years
the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Race Relations Act 1976, and Disability Discrimination
Act 1995 have been strengthened and expanded. New laws have also been introduced
to cover discrimination on grounds of religion or belief, sexual orientation and
age.
But
this means that the legislation has become complex and difficult to use. Replacing
it with a single piece of legislation should provide simpler, more consistent
anti-discrimination protection. In addition, today’s social, political and legal
conditions and expectations are now very different than they were when the current
laws were created. A new equality act should meet these new conditions and expectations,
and proclaim that rights to equality and protection against unfair discrimination
are an integral part of our constitution.
In
February 2005 the government announced the arrival of the Discrimination Law Review
(DLR). The aim of the DLR was to consider the opportunities for creating a clearer
and more streamlined equality legislation framework. The DLR initially ran alongside
the Equalities Review, which published its final report in February 2007.
The
Government’s DLR team published a green paper in June 2007, setting out its recommendations
for a single equality act for Great Britain. There was then a period of formal
consultation with stakeholders, whose responses are now being considered by the
government team, as they work towards an equality bill, and eventually, the act
itself.
Information
abou The Equality and Human Rights Commission
The
Equality and Human Rights Commission is a statutory body established under the
Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial
Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. The
Equality and Human Rights Commission is the independent advocate for equality
and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination,
strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission will enforce equality legislation on
age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender
status, and encourage compliance with the Human Rights Act. It will also give
advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals.
©
Crown Copyright 2008 - jml Property Services hold a Core Licence C02W00008738**
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Equality
Bill announcement - 26 June 2008
On
26 June the Government published 'Framework for a Fairer Future - The Equality
Bill' containing key proposals for the Equality Bill. On the same day the Rt Hon
Harriet Harman QC MP, Minister for Women and Equality, made a statement on the
Bill to the House of Commons. The Equality and Diversity Forum has issued a press
release welcoming the announcement and publication.
The
Equality and Diversity Forum says new age discrimination provisions are essential
to ensure fair treatment for older people
The
Equality and Diversity Forum, the network of national equality and human rights
organisations, welcomes the Government's announcement of new equality provisions
today.
There
is much to be welcomed in the new proposals, in particular:
-
simplifying and strengthening the obligations on public bodies to prevent discrimination
for all parts of the population,
-
bringing age provisions into line with the other grounds of discrimination by
ensuring that older people are protected from discrimination when using facilities
and services,
-
new provisions to expressly permit the use of equality provisions when public
bodies buy goods and services, and
-
recognition of the need for protection from discrimination on more than one ground
simultaneously.
Gay
Moon, the Equality and Diversity Forum's Special Legal Advisor comments:
"Fairness
for older people is an important social issue. The Government is to be congratulated
on making this commitment to eradicating discrimination in goods, facilities and
services. These age discrimination provisions will protect some of the most vulnerable
members of our community when they most need it and will promote a new sense of
fairness."
Source:
The Equality and Diversity Forum
The
Equality
and Diversity Forum is the network of national organisations committed
to progress on age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation
and broader equality and human rights issues.
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Equality Bill must
focus on genuine discrimination, not on insurance, says the ABI - Monday, 27 April
2009
The
Equality Bill published today must avoid imposing any restrictions on the use
of age by insurers, warns the ABI. Artificial age restrictions will only mean
higher insurance costs and less choice.
Commenting
on publication of the Bill, Nick Starling, the ABI’s Director of General Insurance
and Health, said: “Insurers oppose unfair discrimination. But outlawing the use
of age would lead to higher insurance costs for all customers, as insurers would
have insufficient information to fully assess the risk, and less choice for consumers.
“We
dispute the Government’s claim that one in five older people have trouble getting
motor or household insurance. Our research shows that 99% of older customers can
obtain motor insurance, with 98% able to buy travel insurance. We will be monitoring
secondary legislation carefully to ensure that insurers remain able to offer competitively
priced products to all ages.”
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ABI - Association of British Insurers: Information, not legislation, is best way
to help older insurance customers - Thursday, 26 June 2008
Today’s
announcement of the Government’s intention to publish an Equality Bill, which
would include provision to outlaw unjustifiable discrimination based on age, ‘will
not affect the differential provision of products or services for older people
where this is justified.’
Commenting, Nick Starling, theABI’s
Director of General Insurance and Health, said:
“Insurers
agree that unfair discrimination on the basis of age is wrong. That is why they
do not practice it. The Government, organisations that represent older people
and the insurance industry agree that insurance premiums should reflect the risk
presented by individual consumers.
We are engaged in discussions with the Government on the proposed Bill, which
we hope will endorse this important principle. Legislation, no matter how well-intentioned,
could have the unintended negative consequence of forcing some insurers to withdraw
certain products altogether, reducing competition and availability and pushing
up prices for all age groups.
“Insurance
for older people is available from a range of providers. For example, single trip
travel
insurance is widely available for older people at fair prices. However,
we recognise that some people may need more help to find the most appropriate
insurance policies for them. We are working to improve this, and we know that
the Government and age charities will support our efforts in this area.”
Notes:
The
document published today, Framework for a Fairer Future – The Equality Bill, states
on page 16: “The new law…will not affect the differential provision of products
or services for older people where this is justified – for example free bus passes
for over-60s and priority flu vaccinations for over-60s or group holidays
for particular age groups or actuarially justifiable age-based treatment in areas
such as financial services.”
Source:
ABI
The
ABI
is the trade association for Britain’s insurance industry. Its nearly 400 member
companies provide over 94% of the insurance business in the UK. It represents
insurance companies to the Government, and to the regulatory and other agencies,
and is an influential voice on public policy and financial services issues. ABI
member companies hold up to a sixth of all investments traded on the London Stock
Exchange, on behalf of millions of pensioners and savers.
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British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) - Brokers provide insurance solution
to Government Equality Bill -27 June 2008
The
British
Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) has welcomed Government proposals
for a draft Equality Bill.
The
BIBA 2008 manifesto calls for change to respond to the fact that people are living
longer healthier lives. In particular, BIBA believes there is a need to review
outdated criteria for accessing and setting insurance premiums.
It
is important that consumers get the right cover at the right price and BIBA believes
that risk based pricing is the best approach to meeting the needs of the entire
population.
BIBA
supports a ban on unjustifiable age discrimination. However, the Association is
urging caution to protect the many customers who benefit from discounted premiums,
designed to appeal to their particular age group. Where it is possible to give
certain age groups specific products and pricing this should be allowed to continue.
Graeme
Trudgill, BIBA Technical and Corporate Affairs Executive said: “BIBA welcomes
the proposals for a draft Equality Bill as set out by the Government.
“We
will continue to work with Government to help design the appropriate regulations
for all consumers.
“The
important thing to remember is that cover is already available to all ages from
BIBA members at a fair price. We would urge consumers not to always rely on the
internet or on brand products which may not prove competitive for their particular
age group. A broker can provide an independent quote for everybody whether they
are young
drivers or older
travellers.”
Notes:
The
BIBA Manifesto proposals on age criteria can be downloaded
here. These were:
-
Reassessment
of age criteria for the over 60’s and for greater availability of cover
-
-
Greater
flow of information between Government and industry
-
Industry
and Government to work together to raise awareness of the insurance solutions
and advice that brokers can offer.
Source:
BIBA
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Government
needs to add more weight to new Single Equality Bill by promoting the business
case for diversity
26 June 2008
Responding
to the Single Equality Bill published today, the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) welcomes the proposals
but forewarns the Government that as well as updating discrimination law, it is
imperative to promote the strong business case for diversity if significant progress
on equality for all is to be made.
Dianah
Worman, CIPD Diversity Adviser, said: “The UK cannot afford to miss this unique
opportunity for radical change in the way unfairness is tackled. This bill seeks
to simplify existing legislation which can only be a plus for employers. Government
now needs to ensure that they spell out exactly how the proposals will function
so that employers don’t unwittingly fall foul of the law.
“To
lead in the diversity field, employers have to deliver legal obligations and implement
systemic change in all business practices. This is evidenced in our new research
report, Managing Diversity and The Business Case, to be published in September.
The report sets out the nature of the business case and pulls together a range
of findings about its relevance to diversity progress and business performance.
“To
lead in the diversity field, employers have to deliver legal obligations and implement
systemic change in all business practices. This is evidenced in our new research
report, Managing Diversity and The Business Case, to be published in September.
The report sets out the nature of the business case and pulls together a range
of findings about its relevance to diversity progress and business performance.
“We
welcome the Government’s strong leadership position on the introduction of ‘balancing
measures’ as part of the enabling legal framework because they are needed to support
the progress of diversity. But these will be highly contentious in some quarters
and require clear guidance on what the law sets out to do and why. This will be
vital to ensure people understand what they are and their legitimacy to avoid
backlash based on false perceptions about them.
“Finally,
law on its own is simply not enough. Government needs to engage employers to take
action because it makes business sense. They should publish easily accessible
practical guidance for employers to follow, and instigate a national education
and awareness campaign with signposts to help and support. Failing to do this
will short-change the UK economy at a time when business needs all the help it
can get. Diversity needs to be demystified and good practice communicated down
to the grass roots, where a real difference can be made.”
Source:
CIPD
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British
Humanist Association welcomes Equality Bill White Paper - Thursday, 26 June 2008
The
British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed moves towards greater equality
as set out in the Government’s Equality Bill White Paper but urges caution against
the potential for unintended consequences, in particular that legislation does
not result in increased discrimination against individuals.
Hanne
Stinson, BHA Chief Executive, said, ‘Humanists are committed to the full implementation
of human rights and equality for all and we look forward to working with the Government
in the coming months to ensure that the Bill achieves this in practice.’
Ms
Stinson continued, ‘We welcome the White Paper which aims to extend and promote
equality between different people. However, we must be very careful that some
proposals, such as extending positive action in employment and the proposed additional
public duty in relation to religion or belief, do not inadvertently increase discrimination
against individuals based on actual or perceived affiliation to a group.’
‘We hope that the new law will also address existing problems of discrimination
by religious organisations. Existing UK equality
law gives religious groups power to discriminate against those who do not share
their beliefs in both employment and service provision – even when they are receiving
public funding – and this is one inequality that we look to the Government to
address.’
Amongst
other proposals outlined in the White Paper, the BHA particularly welcomes the
inclusion of a commitment to end the pay gap; allowing employment tribunals to
make wider recommendations in discrimination cases; the commitment to allow discrimination
cases to be brought on combined multiple grounds, and the commitment to consider
representative actions. We also warmly welcome the ban on age discrimination in
the provision of goods, facilities and services, but deeply regret the exclusion
of young people under the age of 18 from this protection.
Source:
The British Humanist Association
The
British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting
the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination
based on religion or belief. The BHA’s work is firmly based in principles of human
rights, equality and social cohesion, and the BHA’s chief executive Hanne Stinson
was a member of the reference group for the Equalities Review and for the Discrimination
Law Review.
_______________________________________
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