Union's equality law warning

Author: Local Government Chronicle - Jun 18, 2009

Posted in: Planning, Housing and Economic Development / Balancing the different sectors of the economy / Local Government News

Union activists are gearing up to use equalities legislation to fight cash-strapped councils’ efficiency savings proposals and outsourcing deals.

Members of Unison used the union’s annual conference in Brighton to make repeated calls for greater use of the Gender Equality Duty and other equal rights legislation to combat cuts to services.

The calls came against a wider recognition that the union needs new approaches to fighting its ground in light of the recession.

Allison Roche, Unison’s assistant national officer and equalities specialist, told LGC that outsourcing and shared-services deals were seen as areas of particular concern to female staff.

She said the Equality Bill going through Parliament was likely to lead to greater enforcement of existing legislation, with the validity of shared services arrangements likely to be increasingly questioned.

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