- Conference
- 2003 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 1 December 2002
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that on 1 December 2003, Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations will come into force. Conference welcomes the new legislation, which will make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation in employment and training. From this date, there will at last be an equivalent level of protection against discrimination and harassment on sexual orientation grounds as workers already have on other grounds (gender, race and disability). Conference believes this presents a key opportunity to improve our recruitment and organisation of lesbian and gay health care workers and move negotiations on sexual orientation issues up the agenda.
Conference notes with concern, however, that the draft regulations are written in such a way as to mean it would still be allowable to treat people differently because of their marital status. Crucially, the Governments has argued that it should not be considered discrimination to restrict survivor benefits in pension schemes to the spouse of a deceased employee, so lesbians and gay men would not be able to use the regulations to challenge the discrimination in the NHS pension scheme.
Conference instructs the Health Service Group Executive, in consultation with the National Lesbian and Gay Committee, to:
1.Continue to campaign for equality for unmarried partners in the NHS pension scheme; and
2.Urgently review work underway to ensure that national, regional and branch representatives in the Health Service Group are prepared for the changes in the equality framework, which should include:
3.(a)a recruitment drive aimed at lesbians and gay men working in the Health sector;
(b)encouraging lesbian and gay members to become active as stewards and branch officers;
(c)encouraging regional health committees to organise training and seminars on the new legislation;
(d)promoting lesbian and gay self-organisation.
(e)