Equality Act 2010 – One month to go
Are you ready?
There is only one month to go until the main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 come into force. The Government Equalities Office (the GEO) has published a list of the main provisions of the Act which come into force on 1 October 2010. The vast majority of the new Act’s provisions come into effect on this date including:
- The abolition of existing legislation dealing with discrimination on the basis of sex, race, disability etc and the introduction of new measures dealing with discrimination on the basis of “protected characteristics”.
- The basic framework of protection against direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation in a number of areas, including employment.
- The new concept of “discrimination arising from disability” which replaces “disability related discrimination”.
- Preventing employers from asking pre-employment health questions other than in specified circumstances.
- Making pay secrecy clauses unenforceable.
- Wider powers for employment tribunals to make recommendations.
- General provisions allowing voluntary positive action.
In addition, the GEO has also outlined some of the new provisions which it is still considering how to implement, including:
- Combined discrimination.
- Gender pay gap information
- Provisions relation to positive action in recruitment and promotion.
Details on the GEO website can be found by clicking: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/equality_bill.aspx
What should employers do?
The majority of the provisions of the 2010 Act consolidate existing discrimination legislation. However, to prepare for the implementation of the Act employers should consider:
- Updating Equal Opportunities Policies to ensure compliance with the new Act.
- Auditing policies and procedures, including employee handbooks and recruitment processes, to ensure compliance.
- Training managers and staff on diversity issues and the impact of the Act.
Contact Wayne Smith at Integra if you want to discuss how the Equality Act 2010 will affect your business at wayne.smith@integralegal.co.uk
Date: 1st September 2010