"The Equality Bill is a significant piece of legislation which will impact on employers everywhere," says Cathy Hoar, Associate in the Employment Department of Adams & Remers.
"The Bill, which replaces nine existing laws and more than 100 measures, will require businesses of all sizes and types to promote equality and avoid discrimination in the workplace."
Key measures in the new Bill:
- Banning secrecy clauses in employment contracts which prevent employees from discussing their pay or bonuses and protect an individual from victimisation for discussing their pay with their colleagues.
- Extending the definition of harassment into the workplace - with employers potentially being held liable for harassment by a third party such as customer or contractor.
- Requiring private sector employers with at least 250 employees to publish information about differences in pay between male and female employees (with effect from April 2013).
- Extending the reach of positive discrimination in recruitment - an employer will be able to take note of a "protected characteristic" such as age and disability where candidates are equally qualified.
- Widening Tribunals' powers to make recommendations that benefit the whole workforce rather than just applying a remedy to the individual that brought the claim.
- Replacing the public sector race, gender and disability equality duties with a unified duty, which could have a knock-on effect on any business that contracts with public sector bodies.