Employment Law Update (March 2010)
Equality Bill progress
The final reading of the Government's flagship Equality Bill
took place on Tuesday 23rd March. This means that the
Bill will almost certainly become law before the General Election
and its main provisions are expected to come into effect this
autumn. The new law will consolidate and update anti-discrimination
laws, including race, sex, disability, age, religion and belief,
and sexual orientation. However, the main aim of the new law is to
actually improve workplace equality, rather than just outlaw
discrimination. This will be done by:
- Allowing employers to use positive discrimination in some
cases, to achieve a more diverse workforce;
- Instructing public sector bodies to use their purchasing power
to encourage their suppliers to have a diverse workforce;
- Creating greater powers to achieve equal pay between men and
women.
Further help
During 2010 and 2011, Mentor will provide further information
and offer training for businesses affected by the new law. Our
improved website, MentorLive, also has a new section on Managing
Diversity, which deals with this area in detail.