‘Workplace equality – turning policy into practice’, a report by Frances McAndrew for the Equality and Diversity Forum, was launched at a conference in London on 25 November 2010.
The Conference was attended by more than 100 people from a range of sectors: employers, employees, trade unions, local authorities, health providers, equality NGOs, legal practitioners and others.
The event was chaired by Jane Esuantsiwa Goldsmith with a panel commenting on the report before open discussion with participants. Panel members were: Alan Christie, Director of Policy, Equality and Human Rights Commission; Sarah Veale, Head of Equality and Employment Rights, TUC; Dianah Worman, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; and Andy Kent FIMI, Managing Director, Andy’s Kars Ltd.
Jerry Gibson from Acas closed the conference with a summary of some of its emergent themes and some final causes for optimism about tackling workplace discrimination: the Equality Act 2010 and the potential it brings; the shifting focus towards providing basic skills training and support for managers; and the appetite for learning about new legislation that Acas sees among many organisations.
The conference and report were the culmination of a project to narrow the gap between equality laws and the reality of workplace experiences. The project was supported by PROGRESS, the European Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity.
Click here for presentation by Frances McAndrew
Click here for report ‘Workplace equality – turning policy into practice’
Click here to watch a video of edited highlights from the conference
Click here for BBC item on ‘Disability equality forty years on’ including interview with Andy Kent
