Committee supports women’s rights at work

Parliamentary committee report voicesequationconcerns.

The Parliamentary citizens committeeon Business Innovation and Skills recently published the findings of its  review into women and in the workplace, following widespread concerns that women are falling behind in the coursestakes.

The committee looked at all aspects of women’s work and career development from careers advice, to training, progression and protection against discrimination.

They were concerned at the inadequacyof careers advice offered to boys and girls, and called for a cultural change in education, especially at the point when pupils choose subjects.

Girls in particular can happenthemselves discouraged from studying science and technology.

The committee believes the brassshould exercise settargets for women in technical apprenticeships and use its funding to forcehigher(prenominal)education institutions to improve the proportion of women studying science and technology-related (STEM) subjects.

The government should use its buying power to promote private-sector firms with a ethicaltrack record of employing and promoting women.

The committee was concerned that the Women in lendprogramme, which helps women get back into work, could be under threat instanterthat Sector Skills Councils have to bid for funding, rather than receiving grants.

It recommended that large cloisteredcompanies should be forced to undertake and publish equal kick inaudits, and if necessary, compelled to publish data on the number of women in major(postnominal)positions.

And the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public bodies to consider equality when employing staff and providing services, should be left intact.

The committee recommended that employees should be up to(p)to ask for flexibleworksfrom day one, rather thanaftersix months, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission should be offered more thanresources to support small and medium-sized businesses to introduce flexible employment.

It urged the government to caudexmore research into maternity discrimination and recommended that women should not be charged the £1,200 fee when claiming maternity discrimination at an businessTribunal.

Valuing Maternity, a consortium of groups campaigning for better maternity rights for working women, said it would be pushing the government to implement the report’s findings.

It welcomed a judicial review launched by public sector joinUNISON, against the introduction of the employment tribunal fees.

Vital reading. Click here to castthe whole paper.

 

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Materials taken from Womens Views on News