The UK Government has today launched consultations on measures intended to reduce what it sees as unnecessary bureaucracy for employers created by the Equality Act 2010. The proposed measures are:
• Repealing the third party harassment provisions which potentially make employers liable for the harassment of their employees by third parties.
• Removing the Employment Tribunals’ power to make wider recommendations in discrimination cases and the procedure for obtaining information. The consultation document proposes repeal of the power – introduced under the Equality Act 2010 – enabling an Employment Tribunal to make wider recommendations to an employer when a claimant brings a successful discrimination claim, for example that it should introduce an equal opportunities policy or retrain staff.