Employment Law Breakfast Briefing

I’m just back in the office after our Employment Law Breakfast Briefing and my head’s buzzing with information!

We’ve been running the briefings in conjunction with Hegarty LLP Solicitors for more than a decade and now regularly have 200 people attending.

It takes a lot of work to co-ordinate but it’s so worthwhile.

Hegarty’s employment law experts Tim Thompson and Martin Bloom deliver the actual briefing. The subject this time was the introduction of the Equality Bill on Friday which will spell the final curtain for a host of other legislation including the sex, race and disability discrimination acts.

Having listened carefully to Tim and Martin this morning, I have to say I think the new Bill is breath of fresh air. As Martin explained, in layman’s terms for all of us non-legal delegates, the overall principle of the new rules is ‘fairness’.

The objective of the bill is that everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to fulfil their potential.

There was lots of talk of ‘protected characteristics’ - the new buzz phrase apparently. Protected characteristics are all the things that make us individual – our sex, race, sexuality, disabilities, marital status… Under the new Equality Bill employers – and potential employers – can no longer single anyone out for discrimination on any of those grounds.

While the protected characteristics encompass a wider spectrum than the previous laws covered – particularly including marital and civil partnership status, gender resassignment and pregnancy and maternity leave – it does seem to be a much easier to understand ‘catch all’ bill which, from an HR point of view, should make life a little simpler.

Lots more to blog about on this subject over the coming days…

Equality Bill

Forty years ago the Equal Pay Act was introduced - giving men and women doing like-for-like jobs the right to the same wage.
Yet still men are averaging 23 per cent an hour more than women.
Now, a new bill is set to make employers publish gender pay gaps - though not until 2013 - and even then only companies with more than 250 staff.
The government is suggesting the introduction of the Bill will make employers transparent - that unfairness in pay differences can only be tackled if it's out in the open.
I attend regular meetings of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) diversity forums and this subject has been discussed endlessly. Having heard all points of view I don't believe this Bill is the answer. Many employers have too few women in higher paid roles. Publishing their current details could deter the type of applicants they'd be keen to encourage - which in the long run could compound rather than improve the situation.
And for those sectors which were traditionally dominated by men now taking positive steps to diversity their workforce the difference in gender pay will be misleading. The women who are entering those professions are still at lower pay levels.
Diversifying workforces takes time and the Government must recognise that.