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Equal Treatment for age in proposed new equality commission 30 October 2003 EFA CALLS FOR EQUAL TREATMENT FOR AGE IN PROPOSED NEW EQUALITY COMMISSION The Government today (30 October 2003) announced its intention to set up a new equality commission that will integrate the UK’s existing equality institutions and support new legislation on age, religion and sexual orientation. The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) is the leading voice for UK business on age issues in the workplace. Rachel Krys, spokesperson for the EFA, says: ‘The EFA supports the proposals for a new equality commission, but there is a real danger that, without a clear vision of how this new organisation will effectively unify all of the equality strands, age could end up as the poor relation. ‘The EFA is looking to the Government to ensure that the equality commission lives up to its name. The new equality strands, including age, must not be sidelined, and steps must be taken to ensure that age equality means just that, and this doesn’t become only about protecting the rights of older people. Younger people experience age discrimination too. With new age legislation coming into force in 2006, age will be ranked alongside more established issues – such as sex and race equality – in legal importance. Any new equality commission needs to reflect this. ‘We are urging the Government to ensure that the new task force reviews what works – and what doesn’t work – within the existing gender, race and disability commissions before deciding on the structure of this new organisation. We hope this task force will enter into an active dialogue with employers who are committed to diversity’ back to the archive |
