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October 2021


October news from the Equality and Human Rights Commission


Jaguar Land Rover signs legal agreement to improve equality and diversity policies


Car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has signed a legal agreement with us to improve its policies and practices in relation to equality and diversity. The agreement followed a tribunal case where a non-binary employee, Ms Taylor, successfully brought claims against Jaguar Land Rover saying she had suffered abuse and a lack of support.


Under the terms of the agreement, Jaguar Land Rover have agreed to develop an action plan to prevent future breaches of equality law and we will monitor the action plan to ensure these actions are completed within the agreed timescales. We can also use our legal powers to enforce the plan in the event of non-compliance by Jaguar Land Rover.


Find out more about our legal agreement with Jaguar Land Rover [link removed]


Blog: Protecting transgender staff from harassment at work


Read a blog by our Head of Enforcement, Jenine Gill, who has written about our agreement with Jaguar Land Rover and how employers can ensure their staff are treated fairly and with dignity at work.


Jenine explores the action plan we have agreed with Jaguar Land Rover, why this legal case is important and what employers should do to ensure harassment is prevented in the workplace.


Read the blog on harassment at work [link removed]


CEDAW report published


This month we published a follow-up report on the UK’s implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).  You can find out more about CEDAW on our Human Rights Tracker >> [link removed]


This report will help inform the CEDAW Committee’s assessment of the UK’s progress in implementing certain recommendations issued by the Committee since the previous review in 2019. Our report focuses on issues identified by the Committee including the impact of the Human Rights Act review on women's rights and the recommendation to implement a cross-government national mechanism for monitoring and reporting on international human rights obligations.


Read our CEDAW report [link removed]


Gender Pay Gap reporting has closed


The gender pay gap reporting cycle for this year has now closed. All companies with 250 or more employees were required to report their gender pay gap information by Tuesday 5 October.


We have spoken to CEOs, Directors and Business Partners about what they have learned from developing action plans to close their gender pay gap. Take a look at their advice and other great tips in our new toolkit for employers in partnership with CMI Managers.


Read the toolkit on how to close your gender pay gap [link removed]


Parliamentary briefing on the Judicial Review and Courts Bill


We recently published a briefing on the Judicial Review and Courts Bill. The briefing outlined that we support the Government’s commitment to deliver a more accessible and efficient court system. However, we are concerned about proposals in the Bill which may undermine access to justice and effective redress in equality or human rights cases.


The Bill also sets out provisions for criminal justice processes which risk undermining the ability of disabled people and children to participate fully and effectively in the justice system.


Our briefing includes several recommendations to Government regarding proposals within the Bill and reiterated our recommendation to implement the recommendations of our inquiry into the treatment of disabled defendants in the criminal justice system. [link removed]


Read our briefing on the Judicial Review and Courts Bill [link removed]


Parliamentary briefing on the Health and Care Bill


We submitted evidence to the Health and Care Bill Committee ahead of its move to the Commons Report Stage.


As outlined in our briefing, we highlight that the Bill provides a welcome opportunity to strengthen compliance with equality and human rights standards in NHS services and in social care services for disabled and older adults. Our briefing focusses on integrating health and social care, strengthening oversight for adult social care and improving patient safety in the NHS.


Read our briefing on the Health and Care Bill [link removed]


Letter from EHRC Chair on freedom of speech


Our Chair Kishwer Faulkner provided a letter to The Times about the importance of free speech, particularly in Universities. This was in response to calls for a University Professor to lose her role due to her beliefs about sex and gender.


The letter also highlighted the role of social media in online harassment and the need for tougher regulation in order to protect people's rights.


Read the letter on freedom of speech [link removed]


Our response to the DWP health and disability green paper


Earlier this month, we responded to the Department for Work and Pensions green paper on health and disability.  In our paper, we recommend that any changes that are made to the health and disability benefits system must uphold the rights of disabled people and help more disabled people to live independently.


This includes recomendations for the Department to improve the social security system, increase opportunities for employment, help more people to lead independent lives, and support UK compliance with its international human rights commitments.


Read our response to the DWP green paper [link removed]


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Black History Month


October marks Black History Month and we have been exploring the journey to legal protection from racial discrimination. The Race Relations Act first came into force in 1965 and was followed by subsequent Acts of 1968 and 1976. The 1976 Act was amended in 2000, and later repealed and replaced with the Equality Act 2010.


The Equality Act brought together over 116 separate pieces of legislation into one single Act and provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all.


Take a look at our animation to learn more about the journey from the Race Relations Act to the Equality Act >> [link removed]


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Equality and Human Rights Commission
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