Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunities

The Equality Act 2010 provides that every worker within an organisation should be entitled to:

• An equal chance to apply and be selected for posts pre-employment.
• An equal chance to be trained and promoted while employed with the organisation.
• An equal chance to have their employment terminated equally and fairly.

Under the Equality Act there are 9 specific areas which are called protected characteristics; any discrimination against workers because of these characteristics would be unlawful. Therefore, it is vital that employers have the right training, policies and procedures in place which aim to prevent discrimination and embed the principles of equal opportunities within the organisation.

As an employee or prospective employee you have a right to fair practices and behaviour in the workplace, fair allocations of workloads, equal access to benefits and conditions, fair processes to deal with work-related complaints and grievances, a competitive merit-based selection process for new recruits and promotion and a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment or bullying.

If you are an employee and believe that any of these rights have been breached contact our experts in the employment law team for advice.