The proposed Equality Bill, now passed by parliament and on its way to becoming an Act next year, is designed to take all current equalities legislation and unite it in one, all singing, all dancing act. No-one can argue against that. But in the new consultation document: Making it Work, inequality is enshrined in the proposed monitoring process.
It works like this: Public sector employers are obliged to monitor their employment practices and make sure they are meeting the needs of all the strands, or protected characteristics as they are now called. Under the proposals in this document, however, they will only be obliged to monitor race, disability and the gender pay gap. Monitoring Sexual orientation will be voluntary; as will be monitoring for the other PCs.
We object vehemently to this because:
- Voluntary monitoring means no monitoring (we know this from past experience)
- It is clearly a case of the Government Equalities Office (who produced the document) bowing down to pressure from public sector employers
We urge you to voice your objection to these proposals. Go to http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/Specific%20Duties%20Consultation%20DocumentWEB.pdf to download the document and take part in the consultation, or write to the Equalities Office and raise your concerns:- It is clearly a case of the Government Equalities Office (who produced the document) bowing down to pressure from public sector employers
By email: specificduties@geo.gsi.gov.uk
By post : Equality Duty Specific Duties Responses, Government Equalities Office, Zone J10, 9th Floor, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU.
You have until the end of September, but the sooner the better.