Trainee lawyer was denied permanent contract when she became pregnant – The Guardian

“A trainee lawyer is in line for compensation from a top City law firm after winning her case for discrimination after she missed out on a job because she was pregnant.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Housing benefit changes legal test to begin at High Court – BBC News

“A legal test is set to begin into the government’s decision to cut housing benefit for recipients living in properties that have a spare room.”

Full story

BBC News, 15th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Employment tribunal to lose power to make wider recommendations in discrimination cases – OUT-LAW.com

“The Government is to remove the Employment Tribunal’s power to make recommendations to employers that go beyond the specifics of a particular discrimination claim, it has announced.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 10th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Tarunabh Khaitan: Caste as Race—A Welcome First Step – UK Constitutional Law Group

Posted May 10th, 2013 in equality, news, race discrimination, religious discrimination by sally

“Caste is not something that exists only in the cities and villages in the Indian subcontinent. With the diaspora, caste has travelled around the world, the United Kingdom being no exception. Despite activist and academic demands, the then Labour government decided not to prohibit caste discrimination when it enacted the Equality Act 2010. Instead, section 9(5) of the Act permitted a Minister to amend the Act ‘so as to provide for caste to be an aspect of race’—a power that was never exercised. Section 97 of the recently enacted Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 now requires the concerned Minister to amend the definition of ‘race’ in section 9(1) of the Equality Act to include ‘caste’. The new legislation also empowers the Minister to review the operation of the amended section 9(5) of the Equality Act and repeal it if necessary. The House of Lords would have preferred a more straightforward and permanent expansion of the definition of ‘race’ by Parliament directly, but compromised to persuade a cautious Commons.”

Full story

UK Constitutional Law Group, 10th May 2013

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 – legislation.gov.uk

Full text of Act

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

High court rejects legal challenge to Barnet’s ‘easyCouncil’ plans – The Guardian

“Campaigners against Barnet council’s radical plan to outsource hundreds of millions of pounds worth of services, dubbed easyCouncil, are to take their case to the appeal court after a judge ruled their objection to a £320m contract had come too late.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Commonwealth Law Conference: Equality before the law – Speech by Lord Judge

Posted April 26th, 2013 in equality, news, rule of law, speeches by tracey

“Commonwealth Law Conference: Equality before the law – Speech by Lord Judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, 18th April 2013.”

Full speech

Judiciary of England and Wales, 24th April 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Caste discrimination to be outlawed by Equality Act – BBC News

Posted April 23rd, 2013 in bills, equality, news, race discrimination by sally

“Caste discrimination is to be outlawed in the UK, Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced in what is a U-turn on previous government policy.”

Full story

BBC News, 23rd April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Minorities stopped disproportionally in decade after Macpherson report – The Guardian

Posted April 22nd, 2013 in equality, murder, news, police, racism, statistics, stop and search by sally

“Ethnic minority Britons were subjected to nearly one-and-a-half million more stop and searches in the 10 years after the Macpherson inquiry than if the police had treated them the same as white people, the Guardian can reveal.”

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence: how his murder changed the legal landscape – The Guardian

Posted April 22nd, 2013 in diversity, equality, murder, news, police, racism, statistics, stop and search by sally

“The Macpherson report made 70 recommendations – 67 led to specific changes in practice or law within two years of publication.”

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Glass ceilings and the law: unconscious bias must be acknowledged – The Guardian

Posted April 17th, 2013 in employment, equality, news, race discrimination, sex discrimination, women by sally

“Employers may not realise that they’re favouring ‘people like us’ applicants but a recent tribunal case highlights how the burden is on the employer to explain a difference in treatment.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Challenge it, report it, stop it’ – a plan to tackle hate crime – Home Office

“A government plan to tackle hate crime is launched today with the key message to ‘challenge it, report it, stop it’.”

Full story

Home Office, 10th April 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Can anonymous CVs help beat recruitment discrimination? – The Guardian

“There is growing anecdotal evidence that some UK firms are filtering out job candidates with foreign-sounding names”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New equality guidance “recommends best practice” rather than creates new rights, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 10th, 2013 in belief discrimination, employment, equality, freedom of expression, news by sally

“Guidance on how employers should deal with requests made by employees in relation to religion or belief does not create new rights, but rather recommends ‘good practice’ to help employers comply with existing laws, an expert has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 10th April 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Will the Public Sector Equality Duty survive the Red Tape Challenge? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted March 26th, 2013 in equality, government departments, local government, news by sally

“In May 2012, the Home Secretary announced a review of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which came into force a year earlier in April 2011, as an outcome of the Red Tape Challenge. The review is focusing in particular on levels of understanding of the PSED and guidance, the costs and benefits of the duty, how organisations are managing legal risk and ensuring compliance with the duty and what changes, if any, would secure better equality outcomes. It is being overseen by a steering group, appointed by Government Ministers, largely drawn from public authorities.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd March 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Equal pay in City law: is there a light at the end of the tunnel? – The Guardian

Posted March 20th, 2013 in equal pay, equality, legal profession, news, women by tracey

“We urgently need up to date research on gender and equality pay within the legal sector, say LSB.”

Full story

The Guardian, 20th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Caste discrimination should be outlawed, say Lords – The Guardian

“The House of Lords voted on Monday to outlaw discrimination against people on the basis of their caste.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Equality in the Judiciary – Speech by Lady Hale

Posted February 22nd, 2013 in diversity, equality, judges, judiciary, speeches, women by sally

Equality in the Judiciary (PDF)

Speech by Lady Hale

Kuttan Menon Memorial Lecture, 21st February 2013

Source: www.supremecourt.gov.uk

UK’s most senior female judge calls for more diversity at the top – The Guardian

Posted February 22nd, 2013 in diversity, equality, judges, judiciary, news, women by sally

“Positive discrimination may be needed to redress the gender imbalance among senior judges, the only woman in Britain’s highest court has proposed.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st February 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Heterosexual couples challenge ‘discriminatory’ civil partnerships bar – Daily Telegraph

“Laws restricting civil partnerships to gay couples discriminate against heterosexuals, four straight couples are to argue in a landmark challenge at the European Court of Human Rights.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 16th February 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk