Sex discrimination act 1995/97
The Sex Discrimination Act was introduced in 1975 in order to stop discrimination due to a person’s gender. Sex discrimination has frequently occurred in the past, particularly in the workplace and specifically towards women. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 allows for equality between men and women when it comes to equal pay for the same job. It also means that situations where ‘men only’ advertising appeared, such as job adverts, could count as sex discrimination.
Sex discrimination can, and has occurred in a number of different areas. Sex discrimination can either be direct or indirect. Direct discrimination due to gender can be implied if any of the ...view middle of the document...
However, the law allows for pay differentials when individuals are evaluated based on criteria such as seniority, production levels, and merit. Administered and enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the EPA was signed into law in 1963 as part of the Fair Labour Standards Act of 1938. Its employee protections and prohibitions against discrimination align it with other federal laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
Disability discrimination act 1997 and 2005
This is the main disability discrimination law. It bans disability discrimination by employers against disabled job-seekers and employees and by service providers against disabled service-users. It is most notable for imposing a duty on employers and service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people to help them to overcome barriers that they may face in gaining and remaining in employment and in accessing and using goods and services.
Employment act 2002
The Employment Act was an Act introduced by Parliament which introduced the requirement to give reasonable notice before dismissal of an employee and given women maternity rights in the work place. The period of leave for pregnant women has been extended from a maximum of 40 weeks leave to 52 weeks. Paternity leave has also been upgraded and men now have much longer with their child once the baby has been born.
National minimum wage
The national minimum wage is a legal right to a minimum hourly rate of pay covering all workers in the UK with every business around the country. The current minimum rates are:
£6.70 per hour for workers aged 21 years old and over
£5.30 per hour for workers aged 18 to 20 years old
£3.87 per hour for workers above school leaving age but under 18 years old
£3.30 for apprentices under the age of 19 years old or aged 19 years old or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship
Any changes to the National minimum wage rates usually take place in October each year. If changes are announced then every business that pays the current minimum wage will be forced to increase their hourly rate to its employees. If an employee isn’t being paid fairly and under the minimum wage then they are entitled to make a claim and contact the government and the business could be seriously fined
Data protection act 1998
The Data Protection Act 1998, was created...