New-look EOR website
Date: 8/5/2008
The re-launch of the EOR website is under way and is due to go live in
mid-May. The site will have a brand-new look with easy to use browsing and
searching on topics that reflect the monthly themes covered in the
journal.
EOR subscribers will be able to access the new site using existing
usernames and passwords and will receive an email from us as soon as the site is
live.
For further information please contact Customer Services on 0844 800
1863 or email us on eor@rubensteinpublishing.com.
Uneven progress for union women
Date: 16/4/2008
The latest biennial survey by the Labour Research
Department (LRD) of the role women play in trade unions finds that progress
towards women becoming fully represented throughout union structures is "slow
and patchy".
EHRC launches human rights inquiry
Date: 16/4/2008
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has
launched an inquiry into the state of human rights in Britain, using their
powers under s.16 of the Equality Act 2006.
Measures proposed by TUC to tackle unequal pay
Date: 16/4/2008
Undervaluation of women's work, a persistent employment
penalty for mothers, occupational gender segregation and discriminatory
treatment in the workplace continue to hamper efforts to further reduce the pay
gap, states a new report from the TUC.
SDA amendment published
Date: 16/4/2008
The government has published the long-awaited amendments
to the Sex Discrimination Act responding to the judicial review proceedings
brought by the EOC, Equal Opportunities Commission v Secretary of State for
Trade and Industry (EOR 163). There will be a full analysis in next month's
EOR.
Highlights of key cases
Date: 16/4/2008
Highlights of key cases in the last month by Michael
Rubenstein.
BT and the Co-operative Group: tackling faith at work
Date: 16/4/2008
Managing religion and belief at work remains a
challenging prospect for most employers. Carol Foster looks at two companies
that are taking a proactive approach to this issue, and the benefits they have
gained.
Discrimination against the non-religious
Date: 16/4/2008
Very few religion or belief discrimination claims have
been brought by people with non-religious beliefs. However, the British Humanist
Association does not think that this is because there is little discrimination
against those who do not follow a religion. Hanne Stinson explains the BHA
views.
Religion and belief in the workplace: the issues facing employers
Date: 16/4/2008
Religion or belief discrimination is one of the most
sensitive and growing issues in the modern workplace. Rachel Krys explains some
of the problems that employers face, and offers guidance on how to tackle
them.
Religious and related discrimination
Date: 16/4/2008
The President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal gives us
his insights into the issues that have arisen in relation to religious
discrimination and human rights, and the impact that these might have on the
development of the law under the Religion or Belief Regulations. This article is
based on the second annual Harvey Memorial Lecture given by Mr Justice
Elias.
My month
Date: 15/4/2008
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is expected to
announce its legal strategy for 2008-09 during April. We hope to cover this in
detail in the next EOR. The draft of the strategy that I've seen sets out some
interesting detailed priorities for the commission's legal work for each of the
strands, and in respect of human rights.
The union perspective on equal pay
Date: 1/4/2008
One of the main unions involved in the public sector
equal pay claims is Unison. Here, Bronwyn McKenna sets out the position on equal
pay from the union's point of view.
Top employers hire fewer women graduates
Date: 31/3/2008
The proportion of graduates recruited in 2007 who were
female was just 39.1%, despite women accounting for 57% of all graduates from
British universities, according to a new report from the Association of Graduate
Recruiters (AGR). This is a fall of 3.5 percentage points from 42.6% in 2006.
My month - by Michael Rubenstein
Date: 28/3/2008
Well-connected sources now tell me that the date for
publication of the Government's response to the consultation on the
Discrimination Law Review has been pushed back to "the spring", ie anywhere from
21 March to 21 June. There has been no change yet in the plan to introduce the
Single Equality Bill in November, but I understand that the response to the
consultation, when it is eventually published, will now set out in fairly firm
form what the Bill will look like.
Demand to work beyond state pension age set to soar
Date: 27/3/2008
The demand for working beyond 65 is set to increase
markedly in the next 15 years, according to new research from the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Based on a survey of 1,000
workers aged between 50 and 64 years, it finds that just under two-fifths (38%)
of individuals plan to carry on working beyond 65. Currently, only 11% of the
workforce work beyond state pension age.
Equal pay - the political viewpoint
Date: 26/3/2008
We asked MPs from the three main parties - Barbara
Follett, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality, Theresa May, Shadow Leader of
the House of Commons and Shadow Minister for Women, and Lynne Featherstone,
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Youth and Equalities - to set out their view
of the equal pay crisis, what the issues are and how the gender pay gap should
be dealt with.
Case digest: Equal pay
Date: 25/3/2008
Sue Johnstone, EOR editor, provides a round-up of
employment tribunal decisions on equal pay, including: discriminatory bonus
payments not objectively justified; what is a contract "term" for equal pay
purposes?; tribunal determines jobs not of equal value; and historical 'pay
lead' one factor justifying difference in pay.
Equal pay reviews in action
Date: 20/3/2008
Although
the government has so far resisted calls to make equal pay reviews a legal
requirement, some organisations are pre-empting any such development by
voluntarily carrying out reviews. HBOS is one such organisation and Kate Godwin
explains how they went about doing it.
Bolder action is needed to tackle gender pay gap, say MPs
Date: 19/3/2008
The government must “take more seriously” efforts to eliminate the UK’s gender pay gap, a select committee report has said. The committee that scrutinises the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) concludes that if the pay gap continues to decline at such a slow rate, the Government must look at further measures, such as the extension of the gender equality duty and making pay audits mandatory.
In the courts
Date: 18/3/2008
Highlights of key cases in the last month by Michel Rubenstein.
Multiple discrimination in the EU
Date: 17/3/2008
Tackling multiple discrimination is becoming a key issue for the European Union. Recent research initiated by the European Commission shows that, although there is not yet a universal definition, there is an understanding of the concept amongst organisations in the EU. By Mandana Zarrehparvar, senior advisor on equal treatment, The Danish Institute for Human Rights.
Case digest: Multiple discrimination
Date: 14/3/2008
Sue Johnstone, EOR editor, provides a round-up of employment tribunal decisions on multiple discrimination, including: sex and race discrimination against consultant orthodontist; awarding compensation for more than one discrimination ground; and separate sex and race discrimination claims.
Multi-dimensional discrimination: justice for the whole person
Date: 13/3/2008
Multiple and intersectional discrimination present an important challenge for equality law. Here, Gay Moon, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Fellow and special legal adviser to the Equality and Diversity Forum, looks at the problems and considers possible solutions that could be adopted in a single Equality Act.
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