- Conference
- Police Service Group Conference 2003
- Date
- 17 February 2003
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that:
1)harassment of lesbian and gay workers in the police service continues to be a major problem;
2)one tactic is use of the media to smear lesbian and gay workers, such as happened with Commander Brian Paddick;
3)often local papers and radio stations run such stories or carry letters attacking the dignity of lesbian and gay workers;
4)harassment of gay men who have been arrested for consensual sexual activities under the discriminatory sexual offences laws is often followed by harassment in the workplace and from the media.
Conference welcomes the fact that form December 2003 it will be unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation in employment and training. However Conference believes that changes in the law alone will not solve the problems of harassment and discrimination.
Conference believes that:
a)police services, in consultation with the unions, must act now to check all policies and procedures do not discriminate against, but rather promote equality for, lesbian and gay workers;
b)our employers have a duty to ensure that they have effective policies to tackle harassment, including pursuing cases where the media has been used as a vehicle for intimidation;
c)harassment on grounds of sexual orientation must be tackled alongside all other forms of discrimination, working jointly with the groups of members affected.
Conference further believes that the view of some employers that they need to monitor their employees’ sexual orientation in order to comply with the new legislation is not only mistaken but can get in the way of promoting equality for lesbian and gay workers.
Conference instructs the Police Staff Service Group Executive to continue to work with the lesbian and gay self-organised group to:
i)publicise widely the fact that in December 2003 employment law is changing to make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation;
ii)ensure all stewards are briefed and trained so they are confident about these changes;
iii)encourage more lesbian and gay members to train as stewards;
iv)negotiate with employers for best practice on lesbian and gay equality seek to ensure that the new employment protection extends as far as possible to cover harassment campaigns where the media is used as a tool;
v)provide advice and guidance to police branches and information for members on monitoring;
vi)highlight the prevalence of institutional homophobia in the police service (as in the rest of society) and ways to identify and challenge its operation.