Posted by: Emma Ritch
on May 18, 2012
Close the Gap is concerned about the UK Government’s announcement of measures that may dilute existing equalities legislation. ‘Red Tape Challenge’ was a UK Government web-based consultation on current legislation, carried out with the specific aim of reducing so-called bureaucracy, and which attracted comments from the general public as well as from employers, and equalities organisations. Following this exercise, the Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, Theresa May, announced yesterday that the government will review the ‘effectiveness’ of the public sector equality duty, and is minded to remove some existing legal protections for employers, and to reduce the role of employment tribunals.
The review, which will take a form that is yet to be announced, will cover the general public sector equality duty and the specific duty. This will have implications for Scotland, as the general duty covers Scotland and Wales as well as England. This review follows hot on the heels of the introduction of the general duty; the specific duties have not yet been implemented in Scotland.
May also announced a proposal to scrap equal pay questionnaires which provide individuals with information that can be used to take forward equal pay grievances and tribunal cases. She also announced the Government’s intention to remove the ability of tribunals to make recommendations to employers about changes to their employment practices. This would remove one of the only measures that tribunals have to address discrimination that is embedded, usually unwittingly, within the pay systems of employers.
Posted by: Emma Ritch
on Jan 27, 2012
The subject of Stephen Hester’s bonus has been exercising commentators on politics, business, and labour relations. It has variously been framed as an issue of Stephen Hester’s honour, as a skirmish in the global war for talent, and of the awkward symbolism of one man receiving so much from the publically-owned pay pot while public sector pay freezes bite for other workers.
Hester’s bonus occupies the most recent paragraph in the story about pay, incentives and fairness that has emerged from the banking crisis. The engineers of opaque CDOs, who built houses of cards at the heart of august institutions, did so in part because they were incentivised to take risks, and because they bore no personal costs for their eventual collapse. The Walker review identifies remuneration as an key area of risk that boards need to bring in scope, to call time on pay policy that acts against the medium-term interests of the institution that is paying the salaries and issuing bonuses.
Posted by: Emma Ritch
on Jan 18, 2011
The UK Government has announced that it will be conducting a root and branch reform of existing maternity and paternity leave entitlements, to move provision away from the existing 'Edwardian' arrangements. Speaking to Demos, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, set out details of a consultation process, which would ultimately seek to allow families to divide responsibilities for baby care in the way that most suits their needs.
Maternity and paternity leave is already set to change in April 2010, when parents will be able to share 46 weeks of leave. This means, for example, that if a mother returns to work after 20 weeks, then her partner will be able to take 16 weeks of leave.
Clegg has said that the Government will launch a consultation on a "properly flexible system" within the next few weeks, with a view to implementation in 2015. Possibilities for this new flexibility include enabling parents to share shorter chunks of leave, the introduction of leave specifically aimed at fathers* on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, and enabling fathers to start paternity leave six weeks after the birth.
Posted by: Emma Ritch
on Oct 11, 2010
Progress towards closing the gender pay gap is "grinding to a halt", a report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has found.
The EHRC has today published its first triennial review, which identifies the state of the nation across the UK with regard to equalities.
The gender pay gap was described as "unfinished business", by Scotland Director Kaliani Lyle, speaking to the Sunday Herald.
Posted by: Emma Ritch
on Aug 04, 2010
Close the Gap has worked with Scotland's Colleges and Unison to develop guidance to help colleges carry out equal pay audits and implement job evaluation.
