HR news and analysis including: why some employers are disillusioned by the latest duties imposed on them when bidding for government contracts, including that they must publish diversity stats and enable staff the right to training new boss o  More...
18 July 2008 16:04

HR news and analysis including: the Christian registrar who has won her employment tribunal against Islington council after she refused to officiate over same-sex civil partnership ceremonies how the current economic gloom is affecting human resour  More...
11 July 2008 14:29

In a win for religious freedom, a Christian registrar who refused to conduct gay weddings has won a landmark discrimination case. Compensation for Lillian Ladele will be decided in September after Islington Council was found guilty of bullying and th  More...
11 July 2008 12:04

I read with some interest Tony Pettengell's article on the Equality Bill ('Wrong about rights', Off Message, Personnel Today , 8 July). I share his concern for equality at all levels of our society and would want to see men and women treated   More...
10 July 2008 13:24

The Equality Bill is a good start but it cannot ensure equality for women without tackling the underlying cause of discrimination.   More...
04 July 2008 11:05

The new Equality Bill will create a step change in opportunities in modern Britain. Ensuring diversity – both by protecting vulnerable groups where necessary and by building their capacity in the workplace – is essential if we are to cre  More...
03 July 2008 17:02

The government White Paper on the Equality Bill was published on 26 June 2008. And although it doesn't go as far as some employers had originally feared, the clear message is that the government is committed to working to achieve equality in the workpla  More...
02 July 2008 16:07

The Equality Bill promises the biggest shake up in discrimination law since the 1970s. Its provisions will have serious repercussions for employers, especially with regard to positive discrimination, openness on pay and the extension of age discrimi  More...
02 July 2008 15:59

Will the Equality Bill allow employers to effectively tackle the inequalities that still persist in many British workplaces? No. Let's be honest - positive action is discrimination. Whether it is justifiable or, indeed, necessary is a totally   More...
02 July 2008 15:55

Harriet Harman will unveil the first draft of the Equality Bill before Parliament today - potentially paving the way for positive discrimination in the workplace. Several reports claim the equalities minister's White Paper will force companies   More...
26 June 2008 11:21

Using minority workers as role models for other staff can lead to "exploitation", experts have warned. 'Talent not Tokenism', a joint report by the CBI and the TUC, last week found that employers with diverse workplaces had higher morale and product  More...
09 June 2008 00:00

Colleges and universities are failing to write race, gender and disability equality schemes and action plans as required by law, according to the sector's main union. The University and College Union (UCU) wants to see the Equality and Human Ri  More...
29 May 2008 09:55

Measures to force firms to reveal how many grievances they have received from ethnic minority workers may be included in the Equality Bill, diversity guru Trevor Phillips has warned. Phillips, chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission,   More...
27 May 2008 00:00

The government has launched a taskforce to tackle the shortage of black and ethnic minority women councillors. The number of black and minority ethnic women councillors has marginally increased from 0.6% in 1997 to 0.9% in 2006. This equates to about  More...
19 May 2008 07:43

A major shake-up of discrimination laws is expected to be announced in Gordon Brown's draft Queen's Speech today. Brown will outline the long-awaited Single Equality Bill, on a list of measures to be introduced during the 2008/9 Parliamentary sess  More...
14 May 2008 09:10

Duncan Bain of Morgan Cole Solicitors, explains what needs to go in the dress code policy.  More...
02 May 2008 12:56

Three employees who subjected a Muslim workmate to a 10-month campaign of racial harassment were each jailed for three years yesterday. Phillip Skett, Sean Melaney and Lee McDermott, who worked at a Walsall roadworks depot, tried to force-feed  More...
18 April 2008 17:11

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has finally published its single equality scheme  – three months late. All public authorities have a duty to produce an overarching equality scheme, setting out their position for staff on rac  More...
02 April 2008 09:59

A charity that campaigns to provide a "secure base for Britain's minority ethnic communities" has called for effective leadership to promote diversity, after a poll revealed that almost nine in 10 recent graduates have experienced some kind of discrimin  More...
01 April 2008 09:04

HR news and analysis including: Newcastle College buys a major part of Carter & Carter from administrators the European Council reviews UK information and consultation regulations and following Harriet Harman's refusal to rule out positive   More...
28 March 2008 14:19

After six months in the shadows, the Equality and Human Rights Commission is preparing a YouTube awareness campaign.  More...
28 March 2008 12:17

The government has refused to rule out a change in the law to allow employers to discriminate in favour of black or female job applicants. Reports suggest that equalities minister Harriet Harman was preparing to announce moves to bring US-style posi  More...
20 March 2008 10:29

Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 , which currently sets out the law on prevention of illegal migrant working in the UK, will be repealed and replaced on 29 February 2008 by Sections 15 to 25 of the Immigration, Asylum and N  More...
25 February 2008 17:13

A new service has been launched to help local authorities boost their levels of diversity awareness. The government's Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) is to provide peer reviews to help councils meet level three of the Equality Standard  More...
14 February 2008 10:10

Employers will need to tighten up discrimination and flexible working policies following a landmark disability decision, which is almost certain to give rise to new rights for millions of workers, legal experts have warned. An advocate-general at the  More...
04 February 2008 08:01

A British Airways (BA) check-in clerk who claimed she was religiously discriminated against for wearing a crucifix on a necklace has lost her case. Nadia Eweida was suspended in September 2006, after she refused to conceal a small crucifix at her   More...
09 January 2008 10:32

The recent furore over the decision of the Oxford Union to invite the leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin, and holocaust denier, David Irvine, to address a debate has thrust freedom of speech to the forefront of the news. But does this concept exist i  More...
07 January 2008 08:00

Businesses should not shy away from celebrating Christmas for fear of it being a Christian festival, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission has warned. Chief executive Trevor Phillips has joined high-profile faith leaders from the Hindu, Sikh   More...
21 December 2007 11:44

Talk about a load of hot air. Last week's advice in your legal dilemma on celebrating Christmas was a real classic of a non-answer from a lawyer ( Personnel Today, 27 November ). The question was about offending Muslims by celebrating Christ  More...
03 December 2007 15:15

We're trying to organise our Christmas party and it's proving to be a nightmare. I have a number of Muslim employees in my workforce who are concerned that the normal format revolves around alcohol. I'm worried that if I don't change it, we could face r  More...
26 November 2007 08:00

Religion and sexual orientation discrimination McClintock v Department for Constitutional Affairs FACTS Mr McClintock served as a Justice of the Peace and was a member of the Family Panel. As part of his duties, he had to decide whether child  More...
20 November 2007 08:42

A British Airways check-in clerk who was suspended for refusing to conceal a small crucifix on a necklace at her post at Heathrow Airport has accused her employers of having a "culture of hostility" to Christianity at an employment tribunal. When Nad  More...
15 November 2007 12:20

A Muslim woman is suing the owner of a London hair salon for religious discrimination after she was refused a job for wearing a headscarf. Bushra Noah was rejected for the post at the Wedge salon in King's Cross, North London, after own  More...
09 November 2007 12:23

Few would deny that, despite major reforms, more needs to be done to help tackle workplace discrimination. Trevor Phillips , in his first major speech as chair of the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has called for the government   More...
05 November 2007 08:00

A Christian magistrate forced to resign because he refused to place children for adoption with gay couples was a victim of religious discrimination , an employment appeal tribunal decision has heard. Andrew McClintock, 63, stood dow  More...
23 October 2007 14:04

On 1 October 2007, the Race and Religious Hatred Act 2006 came into force. Despite being relatively unpublicised and concerned with the prevention of so called 'hate crimes', employers should not necessarily allow the Act to slip by unnoticed.   More...
22 October 2007 10:26

The financial cost to employers of unfair practices, and the extent of the ethnic, disabled and gender pay gaps were brought to the fore last week after a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference held by equality advisory organisation Committed  More...
01 October 2007 15:12

The trade union representing staff at the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which comes into being today (1 October), has warned the body could be undermined by a lack of cash. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has ex  More...
01 October 2007 11:45

British Airways (BA) is embroiled in another row about uniform and religion after an airport worker was sacked for wearing a nose stud. The GMB union wants the airline to intervene after Amrit Lalji, employed by Eurest UK in a BA VIP lounge in Heathr  More...
18 September 2007 15:00

Gordon Ramsay's famous restaurant   is facing claims that a Muslim worker at his eponymous restaurant in Chelsea was subject to racist abuse by staff. Kitchen porter Tama Siby claims he was called a “black donkey” by a staff member and victimised   More...
17 July 2007 09:44

UK employers have not, as yet, used genetic test results to recruit, but this may soon change.  More...
17 July 2007 00:00

Religion and belief is so vast a topic that employers are failing to put policies in place, but Audrey Williams explains how to get started. Key policy considerations You cannot be expected to understand all aspects of the many religions and beli  More...
11 July 2007 00:00

Legal experts have warned that encouraging HR professionals to take more responsibility for checking and monitoring immigrants coming to work for them could "land them in trouble". Matthew Davies, employment lawyer and partner at law firm Fox   More...
10 July 2007 08:00

A recent change in the equality regulations extends the range of protected religious beliefs.   More...
13 June 2007 00:00

The great Scientology debate has been raging recently, with famous followers such as John Travolta influencing and raising its awareness. Only last month BBC reporter John Sweeney was reprimanded for his outburst when investigating this controvers  More...
13 June 2007 00:00

The government has published a consultation on the Discrimination Law Review , which aims to modernise discrimination legislation. It includes proposals for a Single Equality Bill that would will put the law on equality and discrimination   More...
12 June 2007 12:40

Extending religious discrimination laws to include personal philosophies exposes the flaws in having protection for beliefs.  More...
05 June 2007 00:00

Employees who have tried to resolve disputes about discrimination under new equality regulations have ended up facing demotion, dismissal, mental health problems and even contemplated suicide, research has found. In the first study of the impact of t  More...
22 May 2007 16:10

Keeping diversity issues within the context of your business is the key to implementing a successful equality strategy, the Learning and Skills Council has found. The education and training body gathered valuable feedback from minority groups i  More...
10 May 2007 12:50

As a public sector organisation, we are in the process of writing our gender equality scheme. We have identified several areas of the workforce where women are highly under-represented. The Gender Equality Duty code of practice advises employers that   More...
01 May 2007 11:24

Marxists, humanists and pacifists could be protected from workplace discrimination on the grounds of their philosophical belief due to changes to discrimination law, which take effect today (30 April). Changes to the Employment Equality (Reli  More...
30 April 2007 10:37

Amina Azmi, who brought an unsuccessful claim against her employer after she was dismissed for refusing to remove her veil while teaching , has lost her appeal in the Employment  Appeal Tribunal (EAT) . Azmi claimed th  More...
02 April 2007 14:45

The upcoming Equality Act has thrown public sector employers into a spin over pay and conditions. What are they doing to tackle the issue? Ross Bentley finds out.  More...
27 March 2007 00:00

A former teaching assistant who says she is a white witch has denied telling pupils she could teach them spells. Sommer De La Rosa, who is claiming unfair dismissal against the Dorothy Stringer School in Brighton, told an employment tribunal   More...
26 March 2007 15:37

Conciliation service Acas has launched a new free online course to help employers avoid discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of religion or belief. Employers need to be aware of the behaviours and attitudes in their workplace and to  More...
12 March 2007 09:49

Northern Ireland is a country on the up. Dogged by sectarian violence for more than a quarter of  a century, the Troubles are now almost a thing of the past, and a new confidence in the economy is seeing jobs created and new investors coming   More...
06 March 2007 08:00

The Equality Act 2006 is set to clarify the law on religion or belief discrimination. The Act changes the existing definition of religion and belief set out in the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003. The Act also introduces p  More...
06 March 2007 00:00

Ethnic minorities and women with religious convictions have the toughest time when it comes to finding work, according to research published by the Department for Work and Pensions. The research analyses the probability of being in employment ba  More...
02 March 2007 09:40

A new approach is needed to tackle discrimination and disadvantage in the UK, the final Equalities Review report has recommended.   The inquiry that produced the report, led by Trevor Phillips , chairman of the Commission   More...
28 February 2007 13:30

Only a third of employers have an explicit policy on religion and belief in the workplace, a study has found. The proportion of employers surveyed with an explicit policy is far higher in the public sector (55%) than in the voluntary sector (31%) or   More...
19 February 2007 08:07

An employee has asked whether he can have Friday afternoons off work during the winter months as it is the Sabbath in his religion. Would this be a flexible work application? There are specific rights to request flexible working arrangements in   More...
13 February 2007 00:00

A Muslim classroom assistant sacked  for refusing to take off her veil during lessons is appealing against her dismissal. Aishah Azmi, 24, was asked to remove the veil after pupils at Headfield Church of England school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshi  More...
23 January 2007 09:27

A Muslim employee made a request for leave to allow him to attend the Hajj in Mecca and then visit family. We agreed that he would use his four weeks' holiday entitlement, and we granted him three additional weeks' unpaid leave. He was due to return to   More...
23 January 2007 00:00

Discrimination laws are a worry for employers during the festive season, but they need not be.  More...
12 December 2006 00:00

Diversity tsar Trevor Phillips' bid for positive discrimination to be legalised has been dismissed by businesses. Phillips, head of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights , last week insisted "special measures" were needed to ensure dive  More...
08 December 2006 09:03

A suspended British Airways worker has attended a final appeal over a ban on wearing a cross at work. No decision was made, but Nadia Eweida has vowed to continue her fight to openly wear a cross on a necklace at work at Heathrow Airport. Ew  More...
05 December 2006 15:36

Am I the only person who feels a twinge of sadness that British Airways (BA) caved in on the issue of Nadia Eweida's cross? I detect no sympathy for 'The World's Favourite Airline'. Admittedly, under the law, its position was inconsistent, and unde  More...
05 December 2006 00:00

Secretary of state for communities and local government Ruth Kelly has told new Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) chairman Kay Hampton that she will be crucial to the body's legacy. Hampton replaces Trevor Phillips as chairman of the CRE on 1 De  More...
23 November 2006 11:01

A woman prevented from wearing a crucifix while working for British Airways (BA) has lost her attempt to have the decision overturned. Nadia Eweida, who has worked as a check-in worker at the airline for seven years, had filed a complaint after she   More...
21 November 2006 10:28

I do wonder what planet Trevor Phillips is living on ('Equality tsar calls for end to religious vetting', Personnel Today , 17 October). If religion or belief can be objectively demonstrated to be a "genuine occupational requirement", then how doe  More...
07 November 2006 00:00

Levels of workplace discrimination in the UK are low by global standards, a major survey has found. The UK is ranked 25th on the list of 28 countries worldwide, and 14th among the 16 European countries in the survey. In Europe, the highest rates of   More...
01 November 2006 10:34

Lawyers have warned that employers do not have carte blanche to stop Muslim women wearing veils in the workplace in the aftermath of the Azmi case. Aishah Azmi , 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Church of England school in D  More...
23 October 2006 10:30

The Muslim school teacher suspended after refusing to take off her veil has lost her case for religious discrimination. Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Church of England school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said pupils found i  More...
20 October 2006 12:33

British Airways (BA) has been inundated with requests to change its uniform policy after the airline banned an employee from wearing a crucifix. Nadia Eweida, who works for the BA check-in team, claimed she was forced to take unpaid leave after she r  More...
16 October 2006 15:13

Jane Amphlett, partner, Addleshaw Goddard  More...
19 September 2006 00:00

Women of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Caribbean descent are doing well in schools but are still being discriminated against in the workplace. A report for the Equal Opportunities Commission found that while 80-89% of 16-year-olds of Pakistani, Bangladesh  More...
07 September 2006 13:53

When the Commission for Equality and Human Rights comes into being the unions are expecting to play an important role in its regional outposts.  More...
18 July 2006 08:01

Job interview discrimination disadvantages ethnic minorities.  More...
07 June 2006 09:02

Employers have been urged to keep a close eye on a landmark tribunal claim from an office worker who alleged that she was sacked for having an arranged marriage. Ayesha Sheikh claims she was made redundant by accountancy firm BDO Stoy Hayward because   More...
31 May 2006 08:00

Supermarket giant bids to extend its workforce's working knowledge of religions operating in UK.  More...
24 April 2006 09:03

This is a low-key training package that benefits from a thoughtful and measured approach to dealing with religious diversity in the workplace.  More...
21 April 2006 00:00

A muslim worker has accused a major accountancy firm of ditching her once it knew of her arranged marriage.  More...
04 April 2006 14:52

The issue of positive discrimination is always a hot potato (Personnel Today, 7 February).   More...
28 February 2006 08:00

UK employers are now spending £210m a year on employment tribunal claims, according to research from the think-tank that advises the government on discrimination in the workplace  More...
14 February 2006 11:29

MPs from all parties have rejected the complete relaxation of Sunday trading hours in a survey for retail union Usdaw.  More...
30 January 2006 09:23

A UK airline has warned staff not to wear Christian jewellery or take bibles on board flights to Saudi Arabia to "respect the customs" of the Islamic country  More...
20 January 2006 10:33

A Muslim sales executive who was offered alcohol as a sales incentive is suing his employer for religious discrimination   More...
24 November 2005 10:35

Paul Menham of law firm Gordons outlines what the Employment Equality Regulations 2003 mean for employers and staff  More...
21 September 2005 15:00

Louise Donaldson, solicitor and member of Pinsents employment group, offers advice on creating a recruitment policy   More...
21 September 2005 09:00

Allen & Overy’s associate Linda Okeke examines employees’ rights to time off for religious observance In October 2002, the Government published a consultation document, Equality and Diversity – The Way Ahead, which contains its proposals   More...
20 September 2005 00:00

Voluntary organisations have been presented with a £2.5m fund to raise the employee awareness of equality legislation.  More...
16 June 2005 08:30

Employers can win claims of breaches in human rights if they show they took justified and proportionate steps  More...
26 April 2005 01:00

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has admitted that its recruitment policy discriminates against protestant applicants.  More...
24 March 2005 07:52

Allegations in a TV documentary broadcast in 2003 will lead to disciplinary action against a further 12 police officers  More...
04 March 2005 13:10

A single equality and human rights commission will be set up in 2007, the government is expected to confirm today  More...
03 March 2005 10:15

HR Hartley on the pitfalls of being part of the forgotten majority  More...
08 February 2005 00:00

Anna Burges-Lumsden looks at what the first successful employment tribunal brought under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) regulations could mean for employers.  More...
25 January 2005 15:40

A bus cleaner who took extended leave to undertake a pilgrimage was unfairly dismissed   More...
18 January 2005 00:00

A former Virgin Trains worker who complained he was sacked after refusing to shave off his beard has lost his religious discrimination claim. Mohsin Mohmed, who worked as a customer service assistant at London's Euston Station, said he could not trim   More...
12 January 2005 09:47

The controversial issue of individuals’ rights to wear religious symbols or dress, and the rules and restrictions placed on those rights, has attracted a great deal of media attention recently  More...
03 January 2005 00:00

With the countdown to Christmas well underway, it is easy to forget that not everyone in the workforce will be celebrating Christmas.  More...
15 December 2004 14:37

What rights do staff employed for the Christmas season have?   More...
30 November 2004 00:00

Secretary of state for trade and industry Patricia Hewitt is today expected to promise stronger powers for the new Equality and Human Rights Commission, which will combine the functions of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commi  More...
18 November 2004 12:20

Many UK organisations have not taken any action to address recent employment legislation because they believe they will never be taken to a tribunal, according to research. A survey of 1,273 UK employers, from law firm Peninsula, reveals that 62 per c  More...
12 November 2004 16:16

The RAF reservist convicted of going absent without leave (AWOL) after refusing to fight in the Iraq war has lost his High Court Appeal. Muslim Mohisin Khan, an aircraftsman and medic said he would not fight due to his religious be  More...
08 October 2004 15:36

Justin Hutchence describes how six months of one-hour drama sessions brought to life issues of race, disability and discrimination for 900 staff at the University of Reading  More...
01 May 2004 17:07

The European Court of Justice is Europe’s supreme legal body that ensures legislation is consistent in each member state. Its decisions can have a huge impact on employers. Human resources managers may well consider the European Court of J  More...
01 May 2004 16:17

Employers need to take heed of employment law issues in the construction industry.   More...
01 May 2004 15:32

Employers in the construction industry need to wake up to anti-discrimination and equal opportunity laws before there is a further slump in skills shortages and manpower.   More...
01 May 2004 13:48

Bowing to pressure from its trade unions, BMW Group’s once strike-ridden Oxford plant agreed to take a partnership approach to tackling equal pay by undergoing the TUC’s ‘Close the Gap’ training course as a prelude to carrying out an equal pay rev  More...
01 March 2004 17:28