Breastfeeding At Work

Maternity Action has produced an information sheet on women’s rights to continue breastfeeding on return to work.  This outlines women’s options for continuing breastfeeding on their return to work, their legal rights and how to negotiate with their employer.  It includes contact details for organisations which can provide further assistance.

The information sheet provides invaluable help for women contemplating the return to work and those already negotiating with their employer.

Unions, voluntary organisations, statutory organisations and others are welcome to use and distribute the information sheet, which is available to download from the Maternity Action website: www.maternityaction.org.uk

Campaign Targets Young Voters

Anti-racism campaign Kick It Out and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) have produced a poster that encourages people to vote in the forthcoming European Elections. It is hoped it will increase awareness amongst young people in particular, who may otherwise be unaware of the elections.

The poster underlines the diversity of football and features players from all 20 Premier League clubs. The campaign slogan ‘Get Your Cross In The Box’ urges voters to ensure they get involved ahead of the elections, on Thursday 4th June.

Kick It Out and the PFA have worked together on the campaign to underline the powerful force that diversity plays in the game.

Polling day next Thursday comes at time when the integrity of politicians is at an all time low. Many of us fear this will result electoral success for the BNP. But as the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight points out, 65 years ago a generation risked everything to defeat fascism. All we have to do is vote!

For more information on the campaign against the BNP please see the Hope Not Hate website.

End Discrimination Call at Holocaust Commemoration

The TUC  called for an end to discrimination and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people (LGBT) at the Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) national commemoration event that took place in Coventry yesterday.

HMD itself is on Tuesday (27 January), on the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, where 1.6 million men, women and children were killed in the holocaust.

HMD aims to prevent the holocaust being forgotten or repeated, and serves to remind people of the crimes and racism of both the holocaust and of more recent genocides across the world.

Alongside the six million Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, hundreds of thousands of others were targeted by Hitler’s regime – including union members and LGBT people.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Unions have always stood up to the kind of discrimination, prejudice and hatred that led to the Nazi holocaust.

“LGBT people were among the millions of victims of Hitler’s brutal regime, and today LGBT communities are a vital part of the resistance to modern versions of this hatred.”

At the commemoration  local people stood side by side with national leaders and survivors of genocide and conflict, as well as international survivors of Nazi persecution.

Growing Ease With Diversity

Ten years on from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry a new Ipsos MORI survey for the Equlaity and Human Rights Commission shows British people are increasingly at ease with racial diversity but lack faith in our institutions to represent all groups or treat them fairly.

About half (49%) of the general public are optimistic Britain will be a more tolerant society in ten years time.  This figure increases for members of ethnic minorities with 58% optimistic about the future.

The survey also shows that there are relatively high levels of social interaction between races.  The majority of the general public (70%) is comfortable for their children to choose a partner of a different race or faith.

And in the week that the United States gets its first African American president, just over half of the general public in this country (56%) think it is likely Britain will have a Black, Asian or mixed race Prime Minister in the next 10 to 20 years.

But the picture is not wholly positive. Ten years after Sir William Macpherson’s inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence the survey also reveals scepticism about the police and race among ethnic minority groups.  When asked to consider the police investigation into Stephen’s murder over half (53%) of ethnic minority groups think there would be similar failings today if the police were to investigate such a crime.

The study also shows that faith and belief may be a more significant source of division in Britain than race today.  Three in five (60%) of the general population and two in three (66%) of those in ethnic minority groups think religion is more divisive than race.

Commenting on the survey, Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission said,  “This survey reinforces my faith in the basic decency of the British people. At this historic moment, when America has chosen its first black leader, it is heartening to recognise that here in Britain we have a sophisticated sense of our own identity and an appreciation and interest in difference.

“But we can’t be complacent.  The survey points to emerging religious divisions and as we mark a darker moment in our own history, the tenth anniversary of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, it is clear the police still have work to do to convince our ethnic minority communities they deserve their trust.

“I believe the police are sincere about change but they, and other British institutions, need to work harder to keep up with an Obama generation so positive about the future and the diversity of Britain.”

Light A Virtual Candle In Support Of Holocaust Memorial Day

Tuesday 27th January is Holocaust Memorial Day, the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides. The aim is to commemorate victims, honour survivors and commit to tackling prejudice, discrimination and racism in the present day.

The theme of this year’s day is Stand Up to Hatred. It urges all of us to look at our behaviour to others; to understand how hate is directed against different minorities in Britain today; and to explore how each of us can help make our communities stronger and safer.

One way people are being asked to show support is to light up a virtual candle at the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website. The Trust also provides a range of free resources that can be used by schools and colleges. A leaflet (pdf) about the Holocaust Memorial Day can be downloaded here.

More Hostility Towards Disabled and Long Term Sick

Disabled people and those with long term ill-health are facing higher levels of hostile and negative treatment in the workplace according to new research published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

In a survey of nearly 4000 workers, the British Workplace Behaviour Survey 2008, conducted by Cardiff University and the University of Glamorgan, found employees with a disability or long-term illness reported they were more likely to have negative experiences at work. These experiences range from low expectations of workers, bullying and humiliation to, in some cases, physical violence. Findings included:

• 25% of people with a disability or long-term illness said someone was continually checking up on them and their work when it was not necessary compared to 19.4% of people without a disability or long-term illness.
• 22.5% of people with a disability or long-term illness said they had been the subject to persistent unfair  criticism of their work and performance compared to 13.4% of people without a disability or long-term illness.
• 13.4% of people with a disability or long-term illness said they had been humiliated or ridiculed in connection with their work compared to 8.7% for people without a disability or long-term

Ahead of the upcoming Equality Bill, the Commission will ask whether existing equality laws provide clear enough protection to disabled individuals at risk of bullying and harassment at work, for example, in relation to ill-treatment by clients or customers.

As the Government moves to introduce welfare reforms designed to enable more disabled people to enter work, the Commission hopes the issues raised in today’s report will be addressed.

Nicola Brewer, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: “In these difficult economic times we must do all we can to help as many people as possible to stay in work. If disabled people and those with long-term ill health are more likely to experience hostile and negative treatment at work, we risk losing both their talent and their economic contribution.

“Disabled people and those with long term ill-health should be supported to get into, or back into, work, but they’ll only stay in work if they are treated with dignity and respect.”

A copy of the research report can be downloaded from the EHRC website.

Boost For Disability Equality in Colleges

An initiative designed to promote equality for disabled people in post-compulsory education was kick-started yesterday with its first official pledge from a further education college.

The Disability Equality Commitment, facilitated by Lifelong Learning UK, is a framework to help organisations in further education recruit, retain, and train disabled employees so that they are equally represented in the sector. Liverpool Community College became the first institution to sign up and commit to disability equality in this way.

Maureen Mellor MBE, Principal of Liverpool Community College, signed the pledge at this week’s Association of Colleges conference, in the company of Paul Mackney, the Chair of the Disability Equality Implementation Group which launched the initiative. The College has a proven record in striving for equality and diversity. 15 per cent of its learners class themselves as having a disability, alongside seven per cent of staff.

Maureen Mellor, said: “Liverpool Community College has a distinct action plan on disability equality – we have a disability staff group; we have undertaken a major training project with 1,000 staff taking part in sessions on equality awareness; and each year we hold a diversity event to celebrate and raise awareness of the different talents, skills and needs of our learners and staff.

“We are delighted to be the first further education college to sign up to the Disability Equality Commitment. We recognise our duty to all our staff and learners and strive to provide the best service for them. In turn we hope that individuals benefit from the opportunities that are created”.

Disabled people make up one fifth of the UK’s working age population, but face significant
disadvantages in the world of work. They are 50 per cent less likely to have a degree than nondisabled people, and twice as likely to have no qualifications at all. They are also 25 per cent less likely to be employed than the population as a whole.* The Disability Equality Commitment aims to positively address those inequalities in further education.

Paul Mackney, Chair of the Disability Equality Implementation Group, said “Our learners deserve to engage with the very best staff, irrespective of their age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation. We know from Lifelong Learning UK’s Annual Workforce Diversity Profile that the level of staff disclosure about disability has fallen this year, which is why it’s more important than ever that colleges and other lifelong learning providers demonstrate a commitment to promoting disability equality. We’re delighted that Liverpool Community College is forging the way by signing up to the Disability Equality Commitment in Lifelong Learning, and, for the sake of all learners and staff, we would encourage others to do the same.”

Sexism Bigger Barrier Than Homophobia

New research into the experiences of lesbians in the workplace published this week by Stonewall finds that gay and bisexual women often think their gender is more of a barrier to success at work than their sexual orientation. However, for those who have felt able to come out at work, the personal and professional benefits have been considerable.

The Double-Glazed Glass Ceiling, sponsored by Lloyds TSB, finds that many gay and bisexual women fear gender discrimination and, as a result, are more likely to hide their sexual orientation.

The report features interviews with lesbian and bisexual women from both the private and public sectors and discusses their experiences, perceptions and expectations of the impact that their sexuality might have on them at work.

Ruth Hunt, Stonewall Head of Policy, said: ‘Women know that in 2008 the glass ceiling is very much still in place.  What this report shows is that for lesbians, that glass ceiling is double-glazed. It’s no surprise therefore that Britain’s two million lesbians remain almost invisible at work. In publishing this report Stonewall wants to see that change.’

Interviewees pointed to a lack of openly gay women in the workplace, with many expressing the opinion that such role models made a crucial difference to the confidence and profile of lesbians and bisexual women in working environments.

Among the recommendations made by the report are that employers should promote career development opportunities to lesbian and bisexual women and encourage them to develop confidence and assertiveness. It also recommends that employers should support and enable lesbian and bisexual senior members of staff to be out and involved in awareness raising initiatives.

Changes in Disability Law Affecting Exams

The Workplace Law Network has reported on minor changes to disability discrimination legislation affecting people who take exams.

The Disability Discrimination (General Qualifications Bodies)(Relevant Qualifications, Reasonable Steps and Physical Features)(Amendment) Regulations 2008 are to be brought in on 24 October 2008, and say that:

“It is always a reasonable step for a general qualifications body to assess a disabled candidate in relation to the components of an examination taken by that candidate as if those components comprised the entire examination.”

These Regulations amend the 2007 Regulations, which stated that in order to prevent a provision, criterion or practice placing a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage, the granting of an exemption from one or more of the components of any examination or assessment shall be a step which it is always reasonable for a general qualifications body to have to take.