THE SINGLE EQUALITIES BILL – GREEN PAPER

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Conference
2007 National Disabled Members' Conference
Date
5 July 2007
Decision
Carried

Conference welcomes the UK Government’s Consultation Paper bringing forward proposals to introduce a Single Equality Act but believes that the current proposals are a lost opportunity for disabled people.

Any Single Equalities Bill must ensure that disabled people have the protection of the strongest possible anti-discrimination legislation.

Conference calls on the National Disabled Members Committee to work with the National Executive Council and all other appropriate structures of UNISON to campaign for:

1.The inclusion of a social model definition of disability which also protects those subject to discrimination because of perceived disability or their association with disabled people;

2.Disability Discrimination Act Part III cases to be heard in Equality Tribunals rather than County or Sheriff courts;

3.Extending and strengthening the Public Sector Duty which retains the general duty’s application to all functions and the duty of most public bodies to create Disability Equality Schemes and to carry out Disability Equality Impact Assessments on policy proposals;

4.The Public Sector Duty explicitly applying to procurement and requiring action by inspection bodies;

5.Extending the Public Sector Duty to the private sector;

6.Banning all disability discrimination in terms of ships, aircraft, volunteers and the armed services;

7.Clear protection against multiple discrimination

8.Retention of the entitlement to positive discrimination for disabled people, in recognition of the unique nature of disability discrimination in society.