[WiLT] Different and Equal: Promoting equality between women and men at work - EOC Briefings Countrywide

[WiL Admin]

Different and Equal: Promoting equality between women and men at
work - EOC Briefings Countrywide

  5th December 2006 - Manchester
12th December 2006 - Cambridge
14th December 2006 - Cardiff
17th January 2007- Newcastle
18th January 2007 - Leeds
19th January 2007 - Norwich
25th January 2007- London

The general duty applies widely across central and local government,
the police and armed forces, the health and education sectors,
criminal justice, sport and cultural bodies as well as private sector
businesses and voluntary organisations performing public sector
functions.

Organised in conjunction with Eversheds and Acas, these briefings are
aimed at those responsible for gender employment strategy and
practices including equal pay. HR managers, diversity advisers,
directors as well as those consulting with key stakeholders will find
this briefing useful. The briefings will also be relevant to private
or voluntary sector employers who are carrying out public sector
functions and who will need to demonstrate proactive steps have been
taken to ensure compliance.

These briefings are aimed at those responsible for gender employment
strategy and practices including equal pay. HR managers, diversity
advisers, directors as well as those consulting with key stakeholders
will find this briefing useful. The briefings will also be relevant to
private or voluntary sector employers who are carrying out public
sector functions and who will need to demonstrate proactive steps have
been taken to ensure compliance.

The gender equality duty is the biggest change in sex equality law in
30 years.

Given a four-fold increase in equal pay claims over the last three
years and multi-million pound compensation, this new duty coincides
with urgent pay reform in the public, health and education sectors.
Employers already grappling with the race and disability equality
duties, as well as the threat of mass equal pay litigation, are going
to have to respond to this significant new requirement. The duty,
which is enforceable from April 2007, requires public authorities and
some private sector businesses to promote gender equality and
eliminate sex discrimination. Many public authorities are additionally
required to introduce gender equality schemes and equal pay policies.

The general duty applies widely across central and local government,
the police and armed forces, the health and education sectors,
criminal justice, sport and cultural bodies as well as private sector
businesses and voluntary organisations performing public sector
functions. Compliance will require employers to rethink policies and
practices including maternity, flexible working, recruitment,
harassment and transgender issues, as well as address the gender pay
gap.

Many public sector organisations are in the process of implementing
new pay and grading structures (for example, single status in local
government, agenda for change in the NHS and framework agreement in
higher education) to tackle historic gender inequality. Public sector
employers are also encountering mass equal pay litigation, addressing
their race and disability equality duties, conducting negotiations on
new terms and conditions as well as developing gender equality schemes
to comply with the gender equality duty from April 2007.

These different challenges raise common issues and we have designed
this series of briefings to help employers plan a coherent approach,
sense-check plans already under way and clarify any 'grey areas'.

Delegates will gain an insight into the following:
* the equal pay challenge: the past, the present and the future
* effective equal pay strategies and solutions from across the public
sector
* the new gender equality duty: what is it and what will it do?
* the impact of the gender equality duty on employment practices
* linking the new duty to other equality duties
* joining up risks, duties and actions for a cohesive approach

Programme

The threat of equal pay litigation
* legal background
* impact of public sector equal pay case law
* what is the current state of play?
* how to move forward - tackling the risks
* identifying and sharing effective strategies from across the public
sector
* our experience in developing practical solutions

The new gender equality duty - Sheila Wild, EOC
* how it will impact on employment practices
* gender impact assessments, action plans and goals
* demonstrating equality and being proactive
* penalties and timescales

Delivering on three fronts (race, disability and now gender) - Stephen
Williams, ACAS
* joining up the gender, race and disability duties
* three schemes or one: the benefits and the difficulties
* the importance of local considerations in determining outcomes
* the manager's role

Implementing gender equality
* joining up equal pay risks and the gender equality duty
* implementing a cohesive and coherent approach
* practical issues arising from the morning including summary
overview, action plan and things to consider

Question and panel session - with all speakers

Speakers

Sheila Wild, Employment Policy Director, EOC
Sheila has over 25 years' experience in equality. Her work on
leading edge policy issues including maternity and parental leave,
childcare, compulsory competitive tendering, ethnic minority women and
the national minimum wage have paved the way for the introduction of
greatly improved rights in most of these areas. In recent years Sheila
has concentrated on getting the message across to employers that equal
pay reviews are the most appropriate means of ensuring that their pay
systems are free of sex bias. In 2003 Sheila was the winner of the
Wainwright Trust Breakthrough Award for contributions to equality.

Stephen Williams, Head of Equality Service, ACAS
For the last few years Stephen has been head of Acas equality
policy. He and his team are responsible for writing the Acas good
practice guidance for employers on age. Acas has a growing network of
equality advisers working with organisations to embed equality and
diversity in the workplace. He is also responsible for Acas Race
Equality Scheme. Prior to that Stephen was, for some years, the head
of RREAS, the Race Relations Employment Advisory Service.

Cost:
* £149.00 +VAT
* Group discount: Second and subsequent delegates 10% discount, 5%
discount for online bookings

CPD points: 3

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING DATES ARE NOW FULLY BOOKED. IF YOU WOULD
LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST, PLEASE CALL 0800 028 3001.
* London (28 November 2006) - sold out
* Birmingham (29 November 2006) - sold out
* Cardiff (14 December) - limited places
* Leeds (18 January 2007) - sold out

Dates available
* Tuesday 05/12/2006 09:30 - 13:00 Manchester
* Tuesday 12/12/2006 09:30 - 13:00 Cambridge
* Thursday 14/12/2006 09:30 - 13:00 Cardiff
* Wednesday 17/01/2007 09:30 - 13:00 Newcastle
* Friday 19/01/2007 09:30 - 13:00 Norwich
* Thursday 25/01/2007 09:30 - 13:00 London

For more details and to book on line go to
http://www.eversheds.com/uk/Home/Events/ShowEvent.page?Events=templatedata%5CEversheds%5Cevents%5Cdata%5Cen%5CDifferent+and+Equal

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=192