Black disabled people need better representation

A new study on disabled black people and employment has found that they are worse off than other people with disabilities and that disability organisations are failing to acknowledge the racial disadvantage they suffer.

The report: Ethnicity, Disability and Work, which included interviews with 28 people of African origin and 20 people of African Caribbean origin, shows that some black people feel that the political agenda of disabled organisations tend to give their concerns a very low priority and consequently voluntary and community organisations are not seen as being particularly helpful in securing employment for disabled blacks.

Specifically, the report claims that “there is a tension” between the perceptions of disadvantages that arise from “disabilism” [discriminatory, oppressive or abusive behaviour arising from the belief that disabled people are inferior to others] and those resulting from racism.

The report recommends that both statutory and voluntary disability organisations should focus on placing race higher up the agenda and should reconsider their own attitudes and practices to ensure that they meet the requirements of race relations legislation, as well as their obligations under disability legislation.

The report calls on the government to establish a quota system for employing blacks with sensory disability and suggests job applications should not include a declaration of disability until after the short-listing stage. Only 15 per cent of black adults [and those termed “ethnic minorities”] with sensory impairments in the UK are in employment according to this study.

The three-year project is the first major study on this issue which gives a voice to some of the concerns of black disabled people whose views are often ignored or neglected by the mainstream. Black Britain tried to contact Julie Charles, the founder and chair of Equalities National Council [an independent enterprise run by its service users] for this story but she was unavailable.

But a release by the emerging National Council of Disabled People, Carers and those with long term impairments from the black community affirmed their belief that the needs of black disabled people were not adequately catered for.

The release said: “For disabled people, carers and those with long term impairments from our communities to have a real say in the decision making process in the UK, we have to be there too. Not as a tokenistic lonely minority figure but collectively and as a decisive voice on policy. If we are not represented nationally then our needs will not get the recognition they rightly deserve.”

This story first appeared on the Black Britain website

Why lesbians may enjoy better wages

A story on the BBC website reveals that lesbians can earn 35% more than comparable straight women. It's called the "gay pay effect" and the figures are taken from he official Labour Force Survey, which since 1996 has collected information on gay individuals who live together.
Other stats from the US also show that homosexual women can earn up to 14% more than their straight peers. This doesn't seem the be the case for homosexual men though, where the "gay pay effect" works in reverse and they earn less than comparable straight men.
Read the full story on the BBC website

Scottish fire brigades target gay bars in drive to broaden recruitment

SCOTLAND'S fire service is attempting to shed its "macho" image in a nationwide drive to recruit gay officers. Posters have been distributed in gay bars and clubs across the country as part of the equality campaign.

Four of Scotland's eight fire brigades are behind the move, which has also seen firefighters taking part in a series of gay fairs and parades where they have tried to get the equal opportunities message across.

The fire service hopes the move by the Lothian and Borders, Fife, Central and Dumfries and Galloway brigades will dispel the perception that firefighters must always be white, male and straight.

Two other brigades, Grampian and Tayside, have also been given "diversity champion" status by the gay campaign group Stonewall Scotland for their equal opportunities policies.

Ross Wynn, the equalities manager at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, said there had been a sea change in attitudes towards recruiting from the gay community, and other minority groups.

He said: "We've had a fire service funded by the taxpayer in Edinburgh since 1824. Since then we've been drawing from one pool only - white males, usually of a certain sexual orientation.
"But recently we made a decision that we needed to look at all the talent in the community, so we can provide the best service.

"The fire service in Scotland is wanting to make itself appeal to the gay community. That's been on the agenda across the country in the past few months."

Mr Wynn said the brigade would work with Stonewall to introduce initiatives aimed at producing a "gay-friendly" workplace, such as having staff forums for gay and lesbian employees.

Recent attempts by the fire service to appeal to the gay community have become mired in controversy after it emerged a crew of firefighters in Glasgow were facing disciplinary action for refusing to distribute leaflets at the Pride Scotia Parade.

But Calum Irving, the director of Stonewall Scotland, said the fire service was making serious efforts to seek gay and lesbian recruits.

"I think they are moving in the right direction. The fire service appears to be providing strong leadership. Chief officers are being clear that they will welcome all people into the service, regardless of sexual orientation.

"They are sending out the message that certain types of behaviour, such as harassment, are unacceptable."

However, Michael Dixon, the Tory finance spokesman on the City of Edinburgh Council, questioned the value of producing glossy posters for the gay and lesbian community.

"Most people would see it as fitting for a public service to recruit from and be representative of the community it serves.

"What is likely to concern people more is if this costly recruitment campaign was merely the price of political correctness," he said.

Published by The Scotsman

Law firms do badly on diversity

Only one third of the UK’s 100 top legal firms are willing to publish data about the diversity of their staff, according to the government.

Legal services minister Bridget Prentice said she had written to all the firms last November asking them to publish diversity statistics, but only 34 had replied. Out of those, 32 had already published the data.

"I had hoped for a better response rate but it has not stopped us writing to a further 100 firms asking them to publish their diversity data, and equality and diversity policies by 4 August,” she said.
"It is crucial that the profession is transparent about its policies on recruitment, retention and promotion. Publishing the information I asked for goes a long way towards demonstrating that transparency."

The legal profession has traditionally been seen as one of the most closed sectors in business when it comes to employing women and people from black and ethnic minority groups.

Just 3% of partners in the UK’s top 100 law firms come from ethnic minorities, according to The Lawyer magazine’s 2006 Diversity League Table.

Prentice was speaking at the launch of a government initiative to encourage greater diversity in the legal profession.

The Routes into the Legal Profession pamphlet published by the Department for Constitutional Affairs gives an overview of training required for different legal jobs, details the major professional bodies, and explains alternatives to the traditional routes to becoming a lawyer.

"Many of those aiming for a career in law are unsure about where to start looking,” Prentice said. “Not everyone has the benefit of knowing someone who works in the legal profession.”

In April City law firm Herbert Smith became the first legal company in the UK to formalise its commitment to equality by appointing an inclusivity manager.

Three quarters of company directors are men

Only one in four UK company directors is female, according to the latest review of the UK’s 3.9 million directors by analyst firm Experian. The analysis of the company’s national business database showed that women account for just 23% of all directors in the UK, an increase of 0.25% from 2005.

Women are more likely to be in charge of small to medium-sized businesses than their male colleagues, the study showed. Although the number of women directors has increased by 10% since 2005, only 6,740 women are directors of companies employing more than 250 people compared to 53,524 men.

Women are also most likely to be involved in the education, health and social work, and hospitality and leisure sectors.

Richard Lloyd, managing director of Experian’s business information division, said: “The glass ceiling may still be in place for the UK’s female directors, but the cracks we identified in last year’s research seem to be widening.”

But female directors were found to be more involved in profitable businesses, with 58% of women working for profit-making companies, compared to 56% of men.

Family-friendly working: 'super women' at risk of workplace burnout

Employers have been urged to change their attitudes to female staff or risk burning them out.
The warning came as a report called on organisations to recognise the pressures women are under, juggling multiple roles at work and at home, and to foster a more supportive working environment.

The study, from the Economic and Social Research Council, indicated that the UK’s long-hours culture is damaging women’s health, as they are more likely to snack on unhealthy food, drink caffeine, smoke and take less exercise when working excessive hours. But working longer hours had virtually no negative impact on men, according to the study of 422 employees.

Nick Isles, director of advocacy at the Work Foundation, said women were often treated as second-class citizens in the workplace. “Lots of companies still have a very male-dominated environment,” he said. “But employers have to develop a culture that is supportive to all, regardless of gender.”

Jenny Watson, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said flexible working was key to improving the situation. “The UK’s long-hours culture is not only damaging the health and wellbeing of individuals; it is also damaging the economy,” she said. “Fresh thinking is needed now to stop the UK burning out.”

Separate research from women’s advice website Allaboutyou.com reveals that 70% of working mothers still take day-to-day responsibility for raising children, and only one-quarter share the responsibility with their partners.

Sarah Jackson, chief executive of charity Working Families, said employers often made the assumption that working mothers would lower their career expectations. “They have to make flexible working available for all senior-level people, or risk throwing away good skills,” she said.

Glenda Stone, chief executive of the Aurora women’s networking organisation, said: “There’s a dichotomy between rhetoric and reality when it comes to diversity. Lots of companies are just paying lip service to it.”

But she said there were “many progressive businesses out there that are re-thinking the world of work”.

Record numbers of women and ethnic minorities becoming QCs

Record numbers of women and ethnic minorities have achieved the legal rank of Queen's Counsel (QC) under a new independent appointments scheme.

In the first year of the new system, 68 women - more than ever – applied to be QCs, with 33 succeeding. Ten ethnic minority applicants were successful, beating the previous high of seven.

The independent panel bases its recommendations solely on evidence from applications, interviews and references, replacing the old system in which appointments were made by the lord chancellor.
The title of QC shows seniority and allows practitioners to charge higher fees.

Sir Duncan Nichol, chairman of the Queen's Counsel Selection Panel, rejected suggestions that the new process could cause resentment among men applying for the title.

"It was an entirely evidence-based process," he said. "We have no quotas. There were significant changes in the process and the expectation was that would lead to a different outcome, which we believe it did.

"They are a broad and more diverse list, particularly with women candidates coming through strongly and in increasing numbers and with a higher success rate than in the past."

Unions demand cash to back equality drive

Trade unions have demanded that the government keeps its promise to award them £5m to help boost the role of equality representatives in the run-up to the launch of a new single equality body next year.

The funding was originally recommended by the government-backed Women and Work Commission, whose report into addressing the gender pay gap in March said equality reps should be placed within employers to monitor pay rates.

But there is now confusion whether the funding should come in the form of new investment, or as part of previous money given under the controversial £10m union modernisation fund, according to the TUC.

The TUC wants the money to build up its network of equality reps across the UK and make a contribution to the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR), due to launch in October 2007.

Sarah Veale, head of the equality and employment rights department at the TUC, said the success of the CEHR and improved diversity across the workforce overall could be under threat if the money is not made available.

"The union reps are essential to the new body, but we need the resources to improve capacity and build up numbers," she said. "If the money isn't made available, it will damage our ability to do this."
Veale said she hoped to meet Ruth Kelly, minister for women, some time this month to resolve the situation.

"The unions are to have a key role in promoting equality and guarding against discrimination," Veale said. "Equality reps are going to represent one of the biggest developments for the unions so we need to make sure they work well and deliver."

Kevin Rowan, regional secretary of the Northern TUC, said unions must be highly involved at local level, especially when it comes to guarding against discrimination and reporting on the situation at the front line. "We hope that a regional trade union equalities strategy will emerge," he said.

New body launched to help ethnic minorities into work

A new independent body has been launched today to help ethnic minorities find work, with its chairman warning of tough measures against organisations that lack minority ethnic staff.

The Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG), made up of 22 representatives from across the ethnic community, has been created as part of the government's welfare reform agenda to boost employment opportunities for ethnic minorities. At 60%, ethnic minority employment is 15% lower than the UK's national average.

Minister for employment and chair of the government's Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force (EMETF), Jim Murphy, said the new advisory group was a way of getting to the heart of ethnic communities to find out the best ways to close the employment gap.

Iqbal Wahhab will be the first chair of the EMAG and is also a member of the EMETF. He said the new body would lobby for the government to undertake "a series of powerful and affirmative measures designed to target both public and private sector employment practices".

He warned that "where we find these to be lacking in terms of ethnic minority representation, we will be calling for action to be taken against those organisations".

"Reducing unemployment levels among ethnic minorities is not just a question of fairness," Wahhab said. "These communities are more likely to live in poverty and as we have seen within Muslim areas, unemployment and deprivation can lead to anti-social behaviour. I believe that with a tough, concerted and committed approach, we can help close this gap."

The EMAG will provide advice on a series of measures being introduced as part of the welfare reform bill, including the new City Strategy. This aims to give local representatives of disadvantaged communities greater flexibility over funding designed to address unemployment.

Further steps to increase employment opportunity, such as the regeneration of the East London area in the run up to the 2012 Olympics, and looking to engage employers and increase diversity in the workplace, are also part of EMAG's remit.

Childcare services failing to meet needs of ethnic minority families

Black and minority ethnic families are facing barriers to using childcare, including cost, lack of flexibility and access to information, according to a report from the Daycare Trust, the National Childcare Charity.

‘Ensuring Equality: Black and Minority Ethnic Families’ Views on Childcare’ reveals that childcare services need to be more focused on the needs of black and minority ethnic families. The research shows evidence of greater childcare use across all ethnic backgrounds following the government’s greater investment in childcare. But use of childcare varies depending on ethnic background. Black families are most likely to use formal childcare, and Asian families the least likely to use any childcare at all. By contrast, white families are most likely to use informal care.

In order to meet the needs of black and minority ethnic families, the report states that flexible provision should be made for families that work unusual hours, that staff represent and understand different cultures, and that information is readily available and accessible.

Alison Garnham, joint-chief executive of Daycare Trust, said ‘The growth in use of childcare is very promising, but this report reveals that black and minority ethnic families are less likely to be accessing good quality early years services. Research has shown that black and minority ethnic families are more likely to be experiencing disadvantage and good quality early years provision can support them in overcoming that disadvantage. Government needs to act now to ensure equality of access for all families.’

Visit the Daycare Trust website

Legislation is still a key factor in improving diversity

Legislation is still the main driver for improving diversity levels in the workplace. More than two-thirds of organisations rank legislation as one of the top five drivers for equality, according to the Diversity in Business report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD).

Recruiting and retaining the best talent (64%), corporate social responsibility (62%), and becoming an employer of choice (62%) were all considered to be major diversity drivers by the 285 CIPD members surveyed.

"Because it makes business sense" and "because it is morally right" were also seen as significant reasons for 60% of organisations.

Only one-third of respondents (32%) cited trade union activities as a main reason, and less than one-third (30%) said they were responding to the global market.

Dianah Worman, CIPD diversity adviser, said adhering to legislation should not be the main driving force for diversity.

"While it is important to comply with the law," she said. "Legislation alone is not enough to remove unfairness. Bias will continue, despite complex legislation, unless employers understand the benefits diversity can offer and invest the resources required to drive change that will support improved business performance."

Worman said diversity needed to be embedded into all operational activities across the organisation to avoid costly employment claims.

"Managers are often the decision-makers when it comes to recruiting, training and promoting employees, so linking diversity to objective-setting and reward makes sense," she added.

Visit the CIPD website