Equality - in another galaxy, and far, far, far away from the reality of what is happening Scotland's Councils

Recent research into data published by Scotland's Councils on whether equality of employment opportunity is being delivered for people who identify as Catholic, or for BME people, or for disabled people, shows that across all of Scotland's 32 Councils the reality of such equality is like yet another Star Wars movie - in another galaxy and far, far, far away.

For disabled people, the average across 32 Councils shows that just 2.25% of those employed in all 32 Councils identify as disabled - when population data shows almost 20% of Scots identify as disabled.



Catholic people fare little better when it comes to getting work in a Council.  Just 4.59% of all Council workers identify as Catholic, when Scotland's population has almost 16% identifying as Catholic.  Just 3 of Scotland's 32 Councils do manage to show that equality of employment opportunity can be delivered, leaving the other 29 unable to evidence that discrimination against Catholics has been eliminated.

With Catholics and disabled people largely marginalised by Councils when it comes to work, the performance of Councils on race equality in employment is equally far, far and yet even farther away than even Spielberg could have imagined.  The average rate across all 32 Councils shows that just 1.13% of workers identify as Black Minority Ethnic [BME].  At the same time, population data reveals 4% of Scotland's population identifying as BME.  Some city Councils have a population profile where the data reveals a much higher proportion identifying as BME and yet it is only in 3 non-city Councils out of 32 where the workforce profile matches or exceeds the local Council population profile of BME people.  The other 29 Councils in Scotland are unable to provide evidence that race discrimination has been eliminated in their workplace practices and cultures.  

All the evidence available suggests that there is a clear lack of desire or will to change what is institutional discrimination across Scotland's Councils.  Government is making no overt or muscular effort to trigger the radical change required.  The Equality & Human Rights Commission [EHRC] has surrendered any active enforcement of the regulations which were framed to secure the delivery of equality in the workplace.

Equality is clearly an alien concept to those responsible for running Councils, government and the EHRC, which is probably why equality remains a reality which exists as far, far, far and even farther away as it is possible to kick down the road and into the future of work to be done by someone else, in some other century and perhaps even on some other planet when the earth itself has been allowed to expire.