Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:54:01 GMT
A Muslim woman was stopped from boarding a flight when she refused to go through a full body scanner because of religious reasons.
The passenger was at Manchester Airport for a flight to Islamabad when she was selected at random to pass through the controversial security screen.
She was warned she would not be allowed to board the Pakistan International Airlines flight if she did not comply with the request but she decided to forfeit her ticket.
Her female travelling companion also left the airport after she cited medical reasons for not wanting to go through the scanner.
More than 15,000 people have already passed through the 80,000 pound Rapiscan machine at the airport's Terminal 2. The Government introduced the scanner at Heathrow and Manchester airports last month.
Security staff use the X-ray machine to check for any concealed weapons or explosives but it has attracted criticism for also showing clear outlines of passengers' genitals. Civil liberties campaigners have criticised the scanners as an invasion of privacy.
Sources at Manchester Airport said the flight to Pakistan about two weeks ago was busy and that no other passengers objected when chosen to go through the full body scanner after check-in.
Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:37:30 GMT
More than half of the UK's workforce 16 million workers do not expect a pay rise in 2010, a survey has found.
Research carried out by YouGov also found that a further nine million workers expect a pay rise, but think it will be below the level of inflation.
Of those expecting a pay rise, civil servants, teachers and nurses expect the smallest increase.
And according to the findings, one third of UK consumers think they will be worse off in 2010 than in 2009.
Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:34:23 GMT
An Equality Bill amendment calling for the default retirement age to be scrapped by the end of next year was withdrawn for the second time yesterday after the Leader of the House of Lords said the government would take action on the DRA as soon as reasonably practical.
Liberal Democrat peers Lord Wallace and Lord Lester had called for a 'sunset clause' to be added to the Bill so that, if the government failed to remove the DRA of 65 by 2011, it would be abolished through the equality legislation.
But, following the reassurances from the Leader of the House, it was withdrawn. Lester was forced to withdraw a previous amendment to the Bill calling for the DRA to be removed immediately, because the Lords ruled they should wait for the government review on its usage, due this summer.
Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:35:22 GMT
Use of the default retirement age (DRA) has spiralled out of control as employers rely on the legislation to force more than 100,000 staff to leave the workplace during the recession, a survey by a charity has revealed.
Age UK said the forced retirements were part of a bid by employers to cut back on their staffing levels and avoid making costly redundancies.
Michelle Mitchell, director of Age UK, said "Our survey clearly shows the use of forced retirement has spiralled out of control, offering some employers a low-cost shortcut to shed jobs during the recession.
"The DRA has stamped an expiry date on hundreds of thousands of older workers. It's the most disturbing example of age discrimination which still tarnishes later life for so many people."
The figure was four times higher than the level the charity expected to see when the DRA of 65 was first implemented in 2006.
But it is thought 530,000 workers aged 60 and over still work for companies which rely on the DRA, while 250,000 aged 60 to 64 felt it was likely or certain that they would be forced to retire.
The charity challenged the main political parties to commit to scrapping the forced retirement legislation.
The government is currently reviewing evidence on the DRA and is expected to publish the findings of the review in the summer.
Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:29:02 GMT
Draft legislation to extend maternity leave to 20 weeks on full pay has been passed by a European Parliament committee.
The women's rights committee voted in favour of extending maternity leave provisions through the Pregnant Workers Directive.
Current European laws give pregnant women 14 weeks fully paid leave, while in the UK women are given a year off with the first six weeks on 90% pay followed by 33 weeks on statutory maternity pay of £123 a week.
The new proposals – effectively trebling maternity pay in the UK – mean businesses could be faced with a £2bn burden.
Although the government currently reimburses firms for the bulk of statutory maternity pay, business leaders said the scale of the increase could see companies ordered to shoulder more of the burden.
The proposed legislation also sparked concerns that employers could discriminate against women of child-bearing age because of the increased costs of their potential maternity leave.
Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:27:40 GMT
Hundreds of thousands of young people are being left on short courses to massage government figures on youth unemployment, experts have warned.
The employment experts said teenagers were being churned through basic qualifications that led in no particular direction but avoided them being classified as Neets – not in education, employment or training.
Official figures indicate there are almost one million 18- to 24-year-old Neets in England, but professionals working with them said the true number was closer to 1.5 million.
Geoff Hayward, from the Economic and Social Research Council based at the University of Oxford, said, 'It suggests to me we're engaging young people in programmes, but these will be foundation courses that don't necessarily support progression into a job.
'They get trapped into a churn – on a course for a short period of time then recycled back into the Neet population. These lower-level vocational qualifications don't actually lead to jobs that pay more than if they didn't take them at all. The term we use is warehousing.
The argument is that if they had more skills they could get a job, but all it does is move them around in the job queue.
Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:07:22 GMT
British Airways cabin crew will go on strike after the union Unite secured a vote in favour of industrial action.
Unite revealed that the ballot gained an 80.7% vote in favour of strikes after nearly 11,700 ballots were issued and the union saw a turnout of 78.7%.
The strike dates are yet to be announced, but Unite previously ruled out taking industrial action over the Easter period.
The ballot was sparked following a dispute about pay, jobs and working conditions.
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:47:16 GMT
One in five fathers are unaware of their paternity rights, according to the government.
A survey of 560 fathers found that one-fifth were not sure whether their employer offered flexible working arrangements.
From April 2011, new mothers will be able to transfer the second half of their maternity leave (up to six months) to fathers.
The government has begun a month-long campaign with leaflets and posters explaining fathers' rights.
Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:21:11 GMT
The European Union have issued the following information which may be of interest during 2010. This is part of the ongoing 'FOR DIVERSITY - AGAINST DISCRIMINATION' campaign, which this company is proud to have had an association with for some time. The dates for your diaries are:-
8th March. International WomenÂ's Day
21st March. International Day for elimination of racial discrimination
8th April. International Roma Day
9th May. Europe Day
17th May. International Day against homophobia and transphobia
12th August. International Youth Day
1st October. International Day for older persons
17th October. International Day for the eradication of poverty
3rd December. International Day for persons with disabilities
10th December. International Human Rights Day.
Disability Equality Matters is a modular learning experience with in-depth content and resources.
Age Equality Matters guides the student through the difficulties which surround the legislation.
Gender Equality Matters shows the student how to address and prepare a Gender Equality Duty.
Religion Equality Matters takes an in depth look at the regulations and guidance surrounding religion in the workplace.
Race Equality Matters takes an in depth look at the regulations and guidance surrounding racial discrimination.
Sexual Orientation Equality Matters takes an in depth look at the regulations and guidance surrounding discrimination due to sexual orientation.
Single Equality Matters is a summary course covering all 6 key strands of diversity aimed at students who only require the basic knowledge to comply with the Equality regulations.
Equality Matters is a UK member of this European Union Campaign.
