The Government has announced plans to add new measures to the Equality Bill in an attempt to streamline and strengthen discrimination legislation. The Bill will include powers to ban all ‘unjustified discrimination’ against older people. Public bodies will also have a legal duty to eliminate age discrimination and promote equality.
The legislation is also designed to increase transparency, banning ‘gagging clauses’ so work colleagues can compare wages and challenge employers who unlawfully pay them less. The Government claimed nearly a quarter of employers ban their staff talking about their wages, with women more likely to be ignorant of their peers’ pay.
Currently, tribunals can only make judgments work for the individual that brought the case, though the Bill proposes allowing tribunals to make recommendations that benefit everyone in the workforce, and to prevent similar types of discrimination occurring.
Employers will get the right to address under-representation, which will allow workforces to ‘better reflect society’.
The Government said it expects businesses to regard reporting on their progress on equality as an integral part of explaining to investors and others the prospects of the company, and in the next five years will consider using existing legislation to encourage greater transparency in company reporting on equality.
Harriet Harman, Minister for Equality, said: “Equality is not only right in principle, but is necessary for Britain to be a modern and thriving economy. Diversity makes us outward-facing and helps us compete in the global economy.”
Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, was quick to support the Bill. He said: “Britain’s workforce is unrecognisable from previous generations when equality legislation was first introduced. This Bill should help the workers reach their potential.”
However, Nick Starling, director of general insurance and health for the Association of British Insurers, said: “Legislation, no matter how well-intentioned, could have the unintended negative consequence of forcing some insurers to withdraw certain products altogether, reducing competition and availability and pushing up prices for all age groups.” n
