Rights Here, Rights Now
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by Jacqui Smith, People Management & CIPD
The government wants a society where every individual is able to achieve their potential, free from prejudice and discrimination. Every person is entitled to respect and dignity in the course of their daily lives, and that applies particularly to the workplace.
As readers of PM will know, the government has been working in partnership with business on tackling all discrimination at work, be it based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, belief or sexual orientation.
By tackling the prejudice that prevents individual success, we benefit not only the individual, but the employer and society as a whole.
That is why we are bringing forward a bill to establish a Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR). It will, for the first time, draw together in one body the three pillars of law and social policy – equality, human rights and the promotion of good relations between different groups. It will have the power and authority to deliver an equality guarantee for all.
The new commission will bring specific benefits to employees and work closely with employers to advance equality and human rights. Businesses already recognise that they cannot afford to cast onto the scrapheap some of our most experienced, skilled and valuable people on grounds of prejudice – whether deliberate or through a lack of understanding.
