Equality Act comes into force.
Legislation designed to prevent discrimination by employers, covering areas such as age, disability and pay, has come into force across Britain. Equalities Minister Theresa May says the Equality Act will make it easier for firms to comply with anti-discrimination rules. However, some business groups argue the new legislation will impose a heavy burden on employers.
The new law restricts the circumstances in which employers can ask job applicants questions about disability or health prior to offering them a position, making it more difficult for disabled people to be unfairly screened out. There are also new powers for employment tribunals.
The Act will also stop employers using pay secrecy clauses to prevent employees discussing their own pay, which means men and women can compare pay. But the Act will not make employers reveal how much they pay men compared with women, as had been planned by the Labour government.
Equalities Minister Theresa May said: "In these challenging economic times it's more important than ever for employers to make the most of all the talent available."
Ceri Goddard, chief executive of the Fawcett Society said, "Rowing back on the requirement for big business to publish and take action on any differences in pay between men and women employees is tantamount to endorsing the shocking gender pay gap,"
The Equality and Human Rights Commission said: "It covers age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex (meaning gender) and sexual orientation.
"Under the act people are not allowed to discriminate, harass or victimise another person because they belong to a group that the Act protects, they are thought to belong to one of those groups or are associated with someone who does."
Abigail Morris from the British Chambers of Commerce said "Businesses are really concerned. The government's own impact assessment shows that this is going to cost £190m just for businesses to understand the legislation, and this at a time when we really need them to be concentrating on creating private sector jobs and driving economic recovery."
Article courtesy of APSCo.
