Affirmative action in equality bill 'is controversial'

27th January 2010

Regulations in the equality bill that could see affirmative employment action in the UK may be considered contentious, it has been claimed.

Writing for the Register, law partner at Pinsent Masons Selwyn Blyth stated that if the change is introduced it will be akin to US legislation.

Under the ruling, in circumstances where two job applicants were of equal qualifications, the recruiter would be able to select a candidate from an under-represented group.

This could include disabled employees, Ms Blyth confirmed, as well as ethnic minorities or women.

She remarked: "This has been hugely controversial and my discussions with companies suggest that employers are far from keen on actually using it."

The chances of finding two identical individuals is "vanishingly small", the expert added.

In recent news, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a consultation to review three aspects of the bill and invited interested parties to take part in shaping its codes of practice.

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