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Network Journal 2004 Issue 1 |
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Equal opportunities - news in brief
A new guide to workplace law is now available, as is a user-friendly briefing on the new Employment (Sexual Orientation) Regulations. Age Concern are calling for an end to ageist attitudes, while the National Pensioners Convention is calling for 'grey issues' to be top of the political agenda. A free booklet is available on employment rights for lone parents, and the TUC is urging the chancellor to do more for women and children in the Budget. Women are working more hours than they did five years ago, but companies are slow to carry out equal pay reviews.
- The Labour Research Department has produced a new guide to workplace law. Discrimination at work - a guide to the law explains all the recent changes, including how workers are now protected from harassment on the grounds of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion/beliefs or because they have undergone gender reassignment. Priced £4.50, you can order copies from 020 7928 3649. More information at the Labour Research Department web site.
- Stonewall, the leading gay equality organisation, has produced user-friendly briefings on the new Employment (Sexual Orientation) Regulations, which came into force in December last year. The organisation has produced a plain English briefing for employees as well as a free 40-page 'toolkit' for employers. Visit theStonewall web site.
- Ageist attitudes are costing the UK economy £30 billion, says charity group Age Concern. A spokesperson said more than a million unemployed people over the age of 50 could be in work if industry and government shelved 'ageist attitudes'. Age Concern said that the Government should scrap mandatory retirement ages and extend the New Deal to the over 50s.
- Companies are slow to carry out equal pay reviews despite government attempts to make them take the issue more seriously, says a new survey. The report by business information company Croner UK, found that around 70 per cent of the 208 companies canvassed conceded that their businesses had not carried out a review. Only 15 per cent said an internal review had been completed.
- The TUC is urging the chancellor Gordon Brown to do more for women and children in his forthcoming Budget on 17 March. In its Budget submission the TUC is calling for a £2 a week increase in child tax credit and easier access to the state pension.
- A free booklet on employment rights for lone parents is now available from national charity One Parent Families. Employment rights - the guide for lone parents covers all of the main legislation and can be ordered on 0800 018 5026 or at www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk.
- Women are working more hours than they did five years ago, says a new survey by the Chartered Institute of. Researchers found that the increase is down to the growing number of women in more high-powered management and professional jobs. In contrast, the survey found that the total number of hours worked by men had fallen slightly during the same period. Other key findings included, the average working week for all workers is 39.6 hours, while for workers aged 18-24 it is 36.3 hours. A quarter of workers now work long hours, compared to only 10 per cent in 1998.
- Employers are still counting the cost of failing to prevent discrimination in the workplace, with more than £6.4 million paid out in 2002 for unlawful treatment of staff. The figure represents a 65 per cent increase from the previous year, while the number of awards rose by 27 per cent to 418 in 2002. The report in the Equal Opportunities Review also showed that 56 per cent of the £6.4 million was awarded for sex discrimination, 32 per cent for race and 12 per cent for disability.
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