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10th July 2008

NEWS IN BRIEF

A Bill for Equality

The Government recently published a number of key proposals that will form the basis of a forthcoming equality bill. The report “Framework for a Fairer Future” included specific proposals on reducing the gender pay gap, such as:

• Introducing a duty on public bodies (who spend £160 billion every year on private sector contracts) to tackle discrimination and promote equality through their purchasing power
• Outlawing clauses in employment contracts which prohibit employees disclosing their pay to each other
• Giving employment tribunals the power, where an employer has been found to have unlawfully discriminated, to make a recommendation applying not just to the successful complainant but to everyone in that workplace
• Giving the Equality and Human Rights Commission the power to conduct inquiries under its legal powers into sectors where most progress needs to be made – starting with the financial services sector
• Introducing a new kite-mark system to challenge companies to report on equality
• Gathering and publishing evidence on the effectiveness of equal pay audits

In general, the Government has said that it expects business to increasingly regard reporting on their progress on equality as an important part of explaining to investors, employees and others the prospects for the company.

To download a copy of the report, go to:
http://www.equalities.gov.uk/publications/FRAMEWORK%20FAIRER%20FUTURE.pdf

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