Gay students get death threats

More than 150,000 students in the UK have been bullied at secondary school because they are gay, a new survey found.

Over two thirds of lesbian and gay pupils have been victimised by homophobic bullying, with abuse ranging from verbal abuse to violence to death threats at the hands of students and staff alike. Of those, 92 per cent (143,000) have experienced verbal bullying, 41 per cent (64,000) physical bullying and 17 per cent (26,000) death threats.

The study also discovered that that half of teachers did not intervene when students used homophobic language, using derogatory labels like "dyke", "queer" or "rug muncher".

Catherine, 13, from a single sex independent school (South East) explained that “ teachers join in on the joke’.

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said "These deeply disturbing figures should serve as a wake-up call to everyone working in education.”

"This is a damning legacy of Section 28, which deterred schools from tackling anti-gay bullying for so long. This remains one of the few sorts of bullying about which too many schools still take no action. It blights the lives not just of gay children but of thousands of pupils perceived to be lesbian or gay too."

The Stonewall survey polled 1,145 young people and found that 7/10 of those who have experienced homophobic bullying said it has adversely affected their school work. Half of those bullied say they have missed school as a result.

Ali, 17, from a secondary school in London said, “On three occasions I’ve been assaulted and had to go to hospital to be examined and get the police involved”.

‘People call me ‘gay’ everyday, sometimes people kick me and push me, they shut me out of games during school gym and they steal my belongings, “ said James, 17, from a secondary school in the South West.

Stonewall’s survey is the largest poll of young gay people ever conducted in the UK.

This story was first published on Gay.com

TUC lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender annual conference

Several hundred lesbian and gay workers are gathering in central London over the next two days to debate a series of key equality issues at the annual TUC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender conference.

Delegates attending the event at the TUC's Congress House HQ will hear speeches from TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, Commission for Equality and Human Rights Chair Trevor Phillips and MP Angela Eagle.

Motions to be discussed by delegates include the portrayal of lesbian and gay people in the media, the monitoring of sexuality in the workplace and the potential conflict between religious belief and sexual orientation.

Addressing the conference today (Thursday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Sometimes it's easy to forget just how far we've come in the past decade. Ten years ago, gay rights were seen as a minority pursuit - now they're part of the political mainstream. Ten years ago, the debate was about Section 28 - now we celebrate civil partnerships. And ten years ago, discrimination against the gay community in the provision of goods and services was quite legal - now, at long last, it has been outlawed.

'But as we celebrate that progress, we cannot afford to relax our guard. This is not the time for us to take of eye of the ball. Despite all the legal gains - despite our largely liberal, tolerant society - the ugly scar of homophobia continues to blight the lives of so many people in your community. The young student bullied at college, the lesbian taunted about her sexuality, the gay couple hounded from their home.

'However welcome they may be, changes on the statute book count for little unless they are matched by a corresponding change in attitudes. Think about our workplaces. We know from our own research that four in ten LGBT workers have faced abuse at work because of their sexuality.

'And let's not forget the challenges faced by LGBT people worldwide. From the casual murder of gay men in Jamaica to state-sponsored persecution in Iran, from the alarming rise in homophobia in Russia to the death squads of Iraq, members of your community are under attack as never before. None of us can afford to turn a blind eye - an injury to one is an injury to all. But where there is discrimination, unions will seek to remove it. Where there is inequality, we will tackle it. And where there is injustice, we will wage war on it.'

Wimbledon pays women equally - but will Gordon Brown?

The Fawcett Society today issued a challenge to the new prime minister to be the first to ensure that women and men in the UK are equally rewarded for their work.

Although equal pay legislation has been in force for more than 30 years, there's still a pay gap women working full-time still earn on average 17% less per hour than men working full-time, and women working part-time earn 38% less.

Dr Katherine Rake said: “Women tennis players are finally enjoying equal pay at Wimbledon – it’s time for Gordon Brown to give all women a sporting chance and finally end the pay gap. The ball’s in his court.”

Practical steps to end the pay gapAs the leading campaign for equality between women and men, Fawcett has set out the practical measures that Government could take to end the pay gap. These include:

• Safeguards: Compulsory pay audits for all organisations
• Bold ambitions: The Government to set dates for finally closing the pay gap
• Tackle long hours: Full sign-up to the EU’s Working Time Directive and other steps to tackle our long hours working culture, which limits the ability of women with caring responsibilities to compete on an equal basis with men.
• Include men: Government and employers to encourage men - not just women - to engage with work-life balance issues.
• New rights: a right to work flexibly for all employees, unless there is a strong business case against it

Remploy HR director hits back at claims she should resign over her handling of the factory closure announcements

Remploy's HR director has hit back at union jibes that she should resign over the way her team handled the announcement of factory closures.

Last week the GMB union, which represents the majority of workers at Remploy, accused the HR team of mismanaging the announcement by using DVDs and failing to answer questions.

About 2,500 mainly disabled staff will be affected when 32 manufacturing sites are closed and 11 are merged with others. But Anne Jessopp, executive director of HR at Remploy, said the union's reaction was "very disappointing".

"We would rather the union wasn't making these kinds of comments, but it's our job to get on with things," she said.

Jessopp rejected the GMB's accusations of mismanagement by the HR team.

"We communicated with employees using [sign language] DVDs, on-site signers, face-to-face, and with leaflets and letters," she told Personnel Today. "Then we took staff into smaller groups and answered any questions they had."

She said professional counsellors were on hand to provide support, as well as senior managers, and a staff helpline had been set up.

Jessopp guaranteed there would be no compulsory redundancies among disabled staff, who would have the option to work for local employers on their existing terms and conditions.

Last week the GMB voted for industrial action at Remploy's factories. Jessopp described the decision as "premature", and said it would have a detrimental effect on the organisation's customers. A meeting between management and the union consortium is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).

Former Remploy HR director hits out

The decision to close factories has been criticised by Remploy's former HR director Ray Fletcher. In a letter to the Guardian last week, Fletcher said the closure would "narrow the options" open to disabled people who want to enter the workplace.

Fletcher is now HR director at the Unite 'super-union' - which also represents Remploy workers - so perhaps should declare a vested interest.

This story was first published in Personnel Today

Investing in disabled people’s skills could boost the economy by £35 billion

Improving the skills of disabled people to world class levels by 2020 would boost the economy by £35 billion over 30 years, equivalent to 18 months growth, and help tackle child poverty, argues SMF Chief Economist Stephen Evans in a new report, Disability, Skills and Work: Raising our ambitions, published by the Social Market Foundation in association with the Disability Rights Commission.

The report argues that, as well as the benefits from raising the skills rate of disabled people to world class levels, improving the employment rate of disabled people to the UK average through skills improvements would give a boost to the economy of some £13 billion, equivalent to six months economic growth.

To achieve this prize Disability, Skills and Work recommends:
• A national commitment to reducing the relative skills gap between disabled people and the national average
• Employers be required to take greater responsibility, aided by improved support, but backed by tough new legal duties if progress falls short
• Out of work disabled people be given much greater opportunity to improve their skills as a route back to work

These proposals would not only result in increased productivity and employment, but also help tackle poverty, in particular child poverty.

Children from deprived backgrounds often risk becoming trapped in a cycle of disadvantage. Given one in three children living in poverty in Britain has a disabled parent, the report contends that transforming the employment prospects of disabled people by investing in their skills must be a central part of the Governments efforts to end child poverty by 2020.

Commenting, author of the report, Stephen Evans said:

“The size of the challenge is daunting. But the scale of the prize is huge and the cost of inaction is mounting by the day through wasted talent. The past decade has shown how empowering disabled people and supporting employers can work. The next decade needs to see a step change in this approach and a dramatic boost to the skills of disabled people.”

Agnes Fletcher, Director of Policy and Communications at the Disability Rights Commission, said:

“Despite rising levels of employment for disabled people over recent years, too many are still without jobs and living in poverty as a result. Supplying disabled people with the skills they need is the missing link between ending child poverty, boosting the economy and getting more people off benefits and back into work. As this report shows, investing in disabled people’s skills is a win/win situation for Government, creating massive dividends for the economy and delivering greater equality at the same time.”

Women’s minister Ruth Kelly spends £500,000 from Quality Part Time Work Fund in bid to reduce gender pay gap

Minister for women, Ruth Kelly, will grant nearly £500,000 to a number of organisations to create more quality part-time jobs at senior level, in an effort to reduce the gender pay gap.

The scheme comes a year after the Women and Work Commission report, which was commissioned by the prime minister to help women reach their full potential.

Royal Mail is one of the first beneficiaries - it was awarded £25,000 in funding from the Quality Part Time Work Fund. The company will need to match the grant to develop job-share and part-time managerial posts in two sorting office sites in London.

It aims to make 10% of management jobs on these sites part-time within 18 months.

Other successful bidders for the fund include Kelloggs, Tesco, three local authorities, Durham constabulary, and four voluntary sector organisations.

Kelly said: “The part-time pay gap is still too wide with women working part-time earning 40% less than men working full-time. Working with a range of employers across business, local government and the voluntary sector, we can kickstart the process of enabling more women to work part-time in senior posts.”

Small businesses under misconception of being fully compliant with age discrimination legislation could face tribunal claim02 April 2007 Small businesses are risking tribunals as they fail to make changes to employment policies following age discrimination laws, research has suggested.

A survey of 750 small businesses by conciliation service Acas revealed that only 17% have introduced changes to their employment and recruitment practices. Respondents said they had not made changes because they believed their organisations already complied, or that the regulations did not apply to their business.

Two-thirds of employers in the survey thought they were fairly or very well informed about the age discrimination regulations. However, fewer than 30% gave a correct response to a question about whether it is still lawful to have a retirement age.

Acas chair Rita Donaghy said: “These results are worrying as they highlight a potential timebomb in smaller companies in terms of tribunal cases. Age discrimination can affect all employees, young and old and to comply can be very simple and quick.”

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Stigma over HIV still rife despite changes to law

The majority of workers living with HIV still feel unable to tell their employer about their condition, despite increased legal protection, the National Aids Trust (NAT) has warned.

A 2005 revision to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) extended protection to employees living with HIV from when they are first diagnosed.

"However, a survey of 760 gay men, carried out by Professor Jonathan Elford at City University, found that more than two-thirds of white and 84% of non-white gay men living with HIV did not feel able to tell their employers about their condition."

Employers are still uncertain about what their obligations are to HIV-positive employees, according to Deborah Jack, chief executive of the NAT.

"At present, the workplace can be a very difficult environment for people living with HIV, as unfortunately discrimination and harassment are still very real concerns for many," she said.

The NAT has launched a guide for employers on recruiting HIV-positive employees. "By putting practices in place to avoid discrimination in recruitment, employers can encourage applications from people living with HIV and benefit from the skills of these individuals," Jack added.

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Half of dyslexics hide the condition from their employer to protect their image in the workplace

Almost half of people with dyslexia are hiding their condition in the workplace for fear that it will change the way their colleagues perceive them, according to research.

The study by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) and Business Link for London advisory service found that 45% of the 103 respondents felt unable to disclose their dyslexia to their employer.

The most common reasons for respondents hiding their dyslexia were that it could have a negative effect on their image at work, act as a barrier to business success and hamper their career opportunities.

More than half (56%) did not believe their employer could cater for their needs if they were to reveal their condition, and eight in 10 (82%) also believed their dyslexia would prevent them from setting up their own business.

Vicki McNicol, director of development at the BDA, said: “When an employer is able to support the dyslexic individual’s differences and not see them as a threat, the individuals abilities and talents are able to shine through. Many employers/managers are not able to celebrate difference but, more commonly, want to penalise employees for it. At the BDA, we find that many highly intelligent, dyslexic individuals fail to reach their full potential due to ignorance and lack of understanding among employers and HR professionals.”

Keith Gilbey, director of strategy at Business Link for London, said: “Creativity and tenacity are just some of the traits associated with dyslexics, so they have huge potential to become successful entrepreneurs. Equally, employers need to create a supportive environment so that they can harness the skills that dyslexics typically possess.”

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Firms warned to develop diversity policies after Microsoft ditches supplier

Employers have again been warned to tighten their diversity practices after it emerged that Microsoft UK stopped using a supplier due to its poor policy on the issue.

Dave Gartenberg, HR director at Microsoft UK, told Personnel Today that the global IT firm was increasingly looking at its suppliers' diversity policies.

"In one case, we changed provider because they were cavalier towards the topic," he said. "They were supplying a perfectly good service, but we stopped using them."

Microsoft's UK arm is learning from its experiences in the US, where many private companies insist on good diversity policies from their suppliers.

"We just think it is the responsible thing to do," Gartenberg said.

The decision follows moves by Barclays last year to request diversity statistics from its legal advisers as part of its corporate social responsibility policy.

The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) confirmed that private firms were now increasingly insisting on good diversity practices from their suppliers.

CIPS director of marketing Brian Ford told Personnel Today: "It is a growing trend for suppliers to be asked for their diversity policies. We have seen this grow over the past few months and we can't see that changing. It would be sensible for employers to put policies in place so they can't be caught out."

The Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) agreed that private firms were increasingly looking at the make-up of the companies they do business with.

Simon Webley, research director at the IBE, said: "More than 200 of the FTSE 350 companies now have codes of ethics. These include core values of the company, and diversity is beginning to appear on these plans."

The Equalities Review last month recommended that a company's diversity policies should be a key factor when awarding public service contracts.

But business groups have long insisted that contracts should be awarded on value for money, rather than diversity policies.

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Disability campaign urges employers to recruit people with Down's Syndrome

Employers are being targeted by a new campaign that aims to get them to look again at jobseekers with Down's Syndrome.

The Down's Syndrome Association (DSA) is sending mail alerts to businesses across the UK in the form of a job application, covering letter and CV. The fictional applicant writes that he has Down's Syndrome, and for the remainder of the letter the word 'disabled' is repeated over and over.

The mock CV follows the same format, with 'disabled' replacing the candidate's career overview, qualifications and work experience.

There are approximately 15,000 working-age adults with Down's Syndrome in the UK. Of those, just 16% are in some kind of employment - mostly voluntary and unpaid work - according to the DSA.

Carol Boys, the charity's chief executive, said people with Down's were particularly discriminated against because they were "easily identifiable". Employment levels among people with the condition are lower than those with other physical disabilities, she said.

"Their expectations of some kind of employment are high and so it makes it all the more depressing when they are not able to find a job," she said. "The DSA is asking employers to 'look behind the label' and see the potential of a person with Down's Syndrome."

Boys said fear of the unknown and a lack of understanding about the condition were preventing employers from hiring more candidates with Down's Syndrome. The DSA is starting to work with more companies that are keen on hiring people with the condition, and is producing guidance to help employers.

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Women and Work Commission chairman Baroness Prosser pleased at pace of progress on gender pay gap

One year on from the publication of the Women and Work Commission's report into closing the gender pay gap, its chair Baroness Margaret Prosser said she was "surprised" with the progress that had been made.

At a trade and industry sub-committee hearing last week on the commission's Shaping a Fairer Future report, published in March 2006, Prosser was asked what she thought about the government's action plan on her 40 recommendations.

"I was pleased that [the government] produced an action plan at all," she replied. "I'm surprised so much has been done already. I'm certainly not unhappy with the pace."

Prosser cited the Department of Trade and Industry's £500,000 part-time work fund and the Exemplar Employers initiative as significant achievements.

"More than 100 companies have taken part in the Exemplar Employers scheme, and are trialling more women managers and providing better careers advice," she said.

However, Prosser said she had some concerns that many schools still stereotyped women when it came to work experience and career guidance.

"The Department for Education and Skills accepted our recommendations on work experience, but I'm not sure how carefully [the department] is monitoring it," she said.

Norma Jarboe, director of Opportunity Now, which oversees the Exemplar Employers programme, said: "Lots of government reports have not had that much impact and have simply been shelved, but the government has reacted well to this one."

Jenny Watson, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said the gender pay gap remained a stubborn 17% for women working in full-time roles.

"We are glad the government is taking this forward and look forward to seeing the report," she said.
But Prosser warned that the gender pay gap would remain a complicated and difficult issue to overcome.

his story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Women get to break through glass ceiling to senior management but only to do dirty jobs

Business leaders are more likely to appoint a woman to a senior-level post during times of crisis and poor performance than their male colleagues, according to a report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

However, the CIPD-commissioned study by Exeter University found that, as women are more readily appointed to tough roles during times of change, they are at greater risk of suffering from the “set up to fail” syndrome than men.

Dianah Worman, CIPD diversity adviser, said: “Due to the limited opportunities open to female leaders, many are forced to take the more difficult jobs in organisations with a history of poor performance, perpetuating the myth that women are poor performers in senior positions, and covering up the true extent of discrimination for the most desirable senior management positions.

"But the growth in the number of successful small businesses owned by women goes some way to indicate their business and leadership capabilities and highlights the talent other large organisations are missing. So old-fashioned attitudes are not only unfair and discriminatory towards women but they leave organisations shooting themselves in the foot.”

The Change Agenda, Women in the boardroom: the risks of being at the top report included more than 80 employers.

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Significant numbers of public bodies break Disability Equality Duty law by failing to publish details of disability schemes

Almost one-third of public authorities still have not published the details of their disability practices and policies, despite the government’s Disability Equality Duty becoming law in December 2006.

The Public Bodies’ Response to the Disability Equality Duty report found that only half (54%) of authorities had included any evidence of involving disabled people in their Disability Equality Scheme.

The study of more than 1,750 public authorities by the government’s Office for Disability Issues and the Ipsos Mori Social Research Institute included government departments and central government bodies, police authorities, NHS Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities.

Anne McGuire, minister for disabled people, said: “Implementation of the Disability Equality Duty is the key to improving the lives of disabled people. It’s a huge step forward that just over half of all public bodies audited by the Office for Disability Issues were found to have given disabled people a real opportunity to influence and shape the policies and services which have an impact on their lives.

“But it’s disappointing that a significant number of public bodies missed the December deadline to publish a scheme - and the Office for Disability Issues, working with the Disability Rights Commission, will be taking appropriate action to ensure all public bodies are playing their part in promoting equality for disabled people.”

Most public authorities, with the exception of schools in England and Wales, were required to produce and publish their Disability Equality Scheme by 4 December 2006.

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today

Equal Opportunities Commission says fundamental cultural shift is key to employment opportunities for ethnic minorities

A fundamental cultural shift in the way black and Asian women are treated at work and by public policy makers is needed to increase their employment opportunities, according to a report by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC).

Moving on Up: Ethnic Minority Women at Work, a two-year study of the issues, has established that Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black Caribbean women face significantly greater penalties than white women in the workplace.

Those who want to work are finding it more difficult to get jobs, progress within them and are more likely to be segregated into certain types of work, despite leaving school with the same career aspirations as white girls and similar or better qualifications than white boys.

In areas with above-average numbers of black and Asian women participating in the local labour market, women are entirely absent from a third of workplaces and under-represented in almost three out of five workplaces.

However, the EOC’s report found 28% of employers surveyed said they intended to introduce steps to improve the recruitment and progression of black and Asian women. However, the same percentage said they were unsure what action to take.

Between 2001 and 2020, ethnic minorities are expected to account for more than 70% of the growth in the UK population aged between 16 and 59, according to the report.

With UK employers facing skills shortages, the report concludes it is crucial to tap into a growing and increasingly well-qualified pool of young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women’s talent to maintain economic growth.

Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC said: “Young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black Caribbean women are ambitious and equipped for work. But they are still suffering even greater penalties at work than white women. Time after time women told us about the ‘unwritten rules’ in their workplace, the hidden barriers that prevent them from realising these ambitions. Without tackling these unwritten rules, change will never come.”

John Cridland, the CBI’s deputy director-general, said: “Employers will welcome the examples of good practice highlighted by the EOC’s investigation, on which others can draw. As the report says, employers are keen to employ more women from ethnic minorities, but better guidance is needed to support them.

“The EOC’s call for better careers advice is also to be welcomed Ð this is something the CBI has repeatedly pressed government on.”

This story was first created and published by Personnel Today