Statement of Service
On 23rd March 2011 the Chancellor George Osborne unveiled the 2011 budget.
This budget annouced a review of all employment regulations in order to encourage growth and reduce �burdensome� red tape. Government has stated that regulations will be scrapped unless �a very good case is made for them to stay�. As part of this review, the government has recently launched the 'Red Tape Challenge' website to seek the views of the public on which regulations should stay and which should go.
What does this mean for women?
Fawcett is extremely concerned about the �Equalities� section of this site. The government is seeking the public�s views on the 2010 Equality Act. It even asks whether the Act should be �scrapped altogether?�
Why the Equality Act matters
The Equality Act is an extremely important piece of law that brings together all preexisting equality law, including all the provisions enshrined in The Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.
Without this law, public bodies would have no duty to consider how to eliminate unlawful discrimination, including between women and men, and women would not be legally protected from unequal treatment in the workplace.
What YOU can do
Any backwards step, let alone a full repeal of this Act, would represent a transgression on the rights of women in the UK today and would severely undermine efforts to achieve equality between women and men in all spheres of life.
Please take 2 minutes to register your comments on the suggestion to scrap the 2010 Equality Act!
Related Links
Red Tape Challenge
www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
May 3, 2011
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