Since the introduction of the Equal Status Act in 2000 and 2004 and the Employment (Equality) Acts in 1998 and 2004 we have all become more aware of our obligations to treat all categories of customer and employees equally. Whilst the legislation took a while to bed in, with some high profile cases in relation to travellers’ rights hitting the newspapers, there is now a constant stream of claims being lodged by employees for unfair treatment.
As we all know, there are a famous “Nine grounds” for unfair treatment which are set out in the legislation. They are:
:: Gender (includes men and women and transgender)
:: Marital status (includes single, married, separated, divorced or widowed)
:: Family status (includes responsibility as a parent, or in loco parentis in relation to a person who is under eighteen years of age, or as a parent or primary resident carer)
:: Sexual orientation (includes heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual orientation)
:: Religious belief
:: Age
:: Race (includes race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origins)
:: Disability (includes the total or partial absence of a person’s bodily or mental functions, including the absence of a part of the body)
:: Membership of the Travelling community
The acts prevent direct or indirect discrimination taking place on any of the nine grounds. Over the last few months, retailers have been hit with some interesting and challenging cases – read on and beware!more >