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ARTICLE · 08 JUNE 2010

Equality Act Reaches The Statute Book

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Having survived a series of arcane Parliamentary processes (such as ‘wash-up' and ‘ping-pong'), the much heralded statute aimed at consolidating and rationalising discrimination law received Royal Assent on 8 April 2010.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
Claire Christy
Claire Christy
Christina Morton
Christina Morton
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Having survived a series of arcane Parliamentary processes (such as 'wash-up' and 'ping-pong'), the much heralded statute aimed at consolidating and rationalising discrimination law received Royal Assent on 8 April 2010. Do employers need to take heed or is it business as usual?

The main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 will come into effect on 1 October this year and its impact is likely to be subtle rather than dramatic. It replaces existing discrimination legislation with a single Act that covers discrimination both within and outside the employment field. It covers discrimination on grounds of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation and religion or belief (the 'protected characteristics').

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