Unions warn Equality Bill is under threat

Louise Nousratpour
Equalities Reporter
Sunday February 7, 2010
The Morning Star

Equality campaigners have called for vigilance against attempts by businesses and Tory opposition to block the Single Equality Bill from going through Parliament before the looming general election.

Addressing a special Sertuc conference in London on Saturday, TUC senior policy officer Linda Stewart warned that, if the Bill did not receive royal assent in the next few months, "it will simply fall through."

She gave an overview of the legislation and highlighted some of its strengths and weaknesses.

"The Bill harmonises and simplifies discrimination law into one Act. It strengthens disability laws and places a duty on some public bodies to take account of socio-economic inequalities," Ms Stewart explained.

But she expressed disappointment at government failure to include clauses that would extend mandatory pay audits to the private sector and award statutory rights to union equality reps.

Unions have also put forward amendments to allow them to take representative action on behalf of members.

"Government equality officers are due to report further on that issue," Ms Stewart told the conference at TUC Congress House.

"Unison has had to lodge some 80,000 individual cases, but we were hoping that unions would be able to make claims on behalf of classes of workers, which would be much easier and cost effective."

Baroness Joyce Gould of the Women's National Commission, which has been involved in the consultation process, said: "We have had some small but significant victories in improving aspects of the Bill, but more needs to be done."

She was particularly concerned that the clause on harassment in schools would leave pupils vulnerable to discrimination on grounds of gender assignment, sexual orientation and religious belief.

"We challenged this and much of the explanations we got was around what churches would and would not accept, which is very worrying," Baroness Gould said.

She added: "Too much of the Bill is being opposed by business groups like the CBI and the Chamber of Commerce. The Tory opposition is working actively with these organisations to block progress.

"It will be a major tragedy if we lose the fight to ensure the Bill becomes law before the election. But we will not give up."

The Bill is currently before Parliament and open to amendments.