People for whom equality law is supposed to offer a bulwark against discrimination, a crowbar with which to lever open some equality in opportunity, are being battered by the ideological drive to cut public spending, and the protections supposed to be on offer in the shape of the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality & Human Rights Commission [EHRC] are as effective as food labelling promising minced beef content.
In April this year, research found that there is overwhelming evidence, submitted directly by public bodies themselves, that the legislative framework on equalities is being routinely ignored. The research into how public sector budgets checked that budgets did not embed discrimination found that the default cultural mind set in the public sector is that there is no real depth or extent to discrimination within the sector. The discourse within budget EQIAs is not on ‘cuts’, but almost always on ‘savings’. The narrative within EQIAs rarely references discrimination, as if by airbrushing the word out of the public sector lexicon it can in some parody of ‘Animal Farm’ demonstrate that all are already equal and indeed that some are more equal than others.
The reaction of the EHRC in Scotland to this ? Zilch. Nothing. No high profile court cases started. No press release advising Scotland's communities that the EHRC was vigilant in ensuring their protection was 24/7 and that any failure on the part of anyone to meet the equality law would find the EHRC's tanks on their lawn.
OK, maybe that was just too hard for them to grapple with. What about equal pay ?
 |
| Good PR for the EHRC. Makes them look as if they are on the equality case and on the side of the angels. |
On the legal duty to publish gender pay gaps by end April this year, research found that quite a few public bodies had failed to meet their duty. Straightforward. Easy peasy. EHRC in Scotland could fire off a warning letter and invite each public body to explain the absence of a report on the gender pay gap. Good PR for the EHRC. Makes them look as if they are on the equality case and on the side of the angels. So what did they do? Nothing. Nada, Zilch. They won't move until they pay out £thousands to a researcher to tell them what research already carried out, at no cost to them, tells them.
OK. Let's set aside the inaction on enforcing compliance with the gender pay gap regulations.
What about the bedroom tax, which is causing massive dislocation and disruption for people and their communities? Surely the EHRC in Scotland would want to take a high-profile, robust, derring-do stance in protecting disabled people from the disproportionate adverse impact on them of the bedroom tax? A few unambiguous statements to the press, comprehensive and clear guidance to landlords and councils, a ray of hope offered to disabled people in Scotland that they are not to be left to fight this attack on their own? Nothing. While Cosla makes with the weasel words on how they can't disobey the law and have to collect the rents owed, the EHRC in Scotland has nothing public to say on this mean-spirited measure.
The workfare programmes invented by Ian Duncan Smith that gets people stacking shelves in Poundland in fear of their Jobseekers Allowance being sanctioned? Where was the EHRC in defending the backs of people against government in this 21st century form of degrading slavery? Probably shopping in Poundland for its 99p-for-three pack of throwaway principles.
 |
| The EHRC in Scotland is clearly not able to give people in Scotland's equality communities the protection they deserve. The angels of equality have fallen far and fast from grace. |
No comments:
Post a Comment