Comment on the Single Equality Bill

Opportunity Now welcomes the simplification and enhancement of this legislation and we are actively working with The Equality and Human Rights Commission to ensure that clear and comprehensive guidance is given to employers. We already have a set of employer round -tables in place with the EHRC in July to ensure our members opinions are clearly heard.

Opportunity Now represents progressive employers but also plays a key role in challenging organisations to create gender equality and parity within workplaces. We feel that the bill strikes the right balance between encouragement and enforcement. For example the fact that equal pay audits will now be mandatory in public sector bodies and not in private sector ones. We believe it is right for public sector organisations to carry out such audits and ‘lead by example’ and ask that the private sector organisations that they deal with do the same.

Equal pay is one of Opportunity Now’s key areas of focus for the coming year. We are running two conferences with Eversheds on the issue of equal pay on the 1^st July in London and the 15^th July in Leeds.

It is important to remember that pay is one of the most significant inequalities that still persists in the workplace with the average woman working full-time losing out on more than £330,000 over the course of her working life, it is hoped that this legislation will speed up the pace of change.

In terms of the new legislation re positive action we are broadly in support, however acknowledge that this could prove confusing for employers unless the guidance around it is particularly clear. The detail of the bill will be particularly important in this respect and we hope that very clear guidance will be given to employers.

Opportunity Now has always supported positive action in very particular circumstances, as a way of levelling the playing field - we’ve always positioned it as a tool in the armoury – but one to only be used in certain specific circumstances where there are key and dramatic imbalances in the number of women (or men) in certain positions or divisions.