UK employment law ‘is not protecting workers from discrimination’

Posted 15/12/2009

The European Commission has raised concerns that current employment law in the UK is not providing adequate protection for those facing workplace discrimination.

European officials have identified a number of areas in which regulations in Britain are failing to uphold standards mandated in EU directives on fairness and equality, reports the Guardian.

These include faith-based organisations being given too much leeway to discriminate against homosexuals, while no ban currently exists on people being mistreated because of a third party’s actions.

As a consequence of this, the commission could now be set to refer the case to the European Court of Justice in order to prompt a revision of British employment law.

A spokesman for the UK’s Equalities Office said: “We take our European legal obligations seriously.

“We will be studying the reasoned opinions carefully and will reply to the commission in the new year.”

Earlier this month, the Trades Union Congress expressed its own concerns that workplace discrimination on the grounds of race is on the increase during the recession.