WO toolkit 2012 complete.pdf - GMB

SECTION 17.2
Positive Action
Action permitted by law that covers gender,race,sexual orientation,religion or belief and age.
Employers are able to encourage disadvantaged groups to apply for posts or to participate in targeted
training if individuals from these groups have been under-represented in the past.However,selection
for posts has to be based on meeting the requirements for the job.Disabled people are in a different
position.The Disability Discrimination Act differs in that it only protects people with a disability and
not those without a disability.It is therefore lawful to treat people more favourably because they are
disabled.
Practices
The customary ways in which intentions or policies are actually carried out.They include attitudes and
behaviour that could amount to unlawful discrimination through unwitting prejudice,ignorance,
thoughtlessness and racist,sexist,disablist,homophobic,ageist or other stereotyping.
Prejudice
An unfavourable feeling or attitude based on partial/faulty or no knowledge which may result in
hostility towards certain individuals or groups.
Procurement
The process by which an organisation enters into a contract with an external supplier to carry out
works or provide goods or services.
Promotion of Race Equality
Promotion of race equality as set out in the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 means public
authorities should have‘due regard to the need’,in everything they do,to tackle racial discrimination,
promote equality of opportunity and promote good relations between people from different racial
groups.
Race
The Race Relations Act(RRA)uses‘race’both to describe the catch-all class that receives protection
under the Act,that is,‘racial group’,and as one of the five sub-classes that fall within it.
Race equality scheme or policy
A timetabled plan setting out how a public authority intends to meet its statutory general duty to
eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good relations
between different racial groups as required by Article 2(3)of the Race Relations Act 1976(Statutory
Duties)Order 2001(Statutory Instrument 2001 No 3458).The scheme or policy should indicate the
functions and policies that have been assessed as being relevant to meeting the duty and the
arrangements that have been made to assess,consult on and monitor present and proposed policies
for any implications they might have for promoting race equality.
Racial group
A group of people defined by their race,colour,nationality(including citizenship),ethnic or national
origins.All racial groups are protected by unlawful racial discrimination under the RRA.Romany
Gypsies,Irish Travellers,Jews and Sikhs have been explicitly recognised by the courts as constituting
racial groups for the purposes of the RRA.Note: A person may fall into more than one racial group; the
courts have held that a person’s actual racial group may be irrelevant to the way that they are treated
and that their racial group may be defined by a discriminator’s perception of or incorrect assumptions
about their ethnic or national origins.