This chapter considers the employment law aspects of discrimination and health and safety. It discusses the meaning of the protected characteristics which were brought together under the Equality Act 2010 and considers prohibited conduct under the Act. It explains the difference between direct and indirect discrimination and when direct discrimination can be justified. The chapter discusses the difference between positive action and positive discrimination and the interaction between protected characteristics and prohibited conduct. It also explains the law relating to harassment and victimization. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the law covering health and safety in the workplace, looking at both criminal law and civil law.
Chapter
14. Discrimination and Health and Safety
Chapter
26. Employment rights, and health and safety
This chapter examines the employment rights provided by law to employees and workers. It explains that aside from the rights contained in the employment contract, the law provides employees with a number of free-standing rights. These include the right to a national minimum wage, rules relating to the transfer of undertakings, and the numerous family-related rights (for example, maternity and paternity leave/pay, adoption leave/pay, and shared parental leave/pay. This chapter also discusses the mandate for employers to protect the health and safety of their employees and the key provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Working Time Regulations 1998.
