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Equal Opportunities Policy
Dated 7th January 2002
Reference W.M. Thomas 07.01.02 EOP
M. Thomas Management is committed in its pursuit of equality of opportunity and to a pro-active and inclusive approach to equality, which supports and encourages all under-represented groups, promotes an inclusive culture and values diversity.
The company is therefore committed to a policy and practice which require that for staff entry into employment with the company and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and by the application
Of criteria which are related to the duties and conditions of each particular post.
Subject to the statutory provisions no applicant for a staff appointment will be treated less favourably than another on the grounds of sex (including gender reassignment), marital or parental status, race, ethnic or national origin, colour, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age. Ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration.
If any person appointed as an employee considers that he or she is suffering from unequal treatment on any of the above grounds in his or her appointment he or she may make a complaint, which will be dealt with through the agreed procedures for complaints or grievances or the procedures for dealing with bullying and harassment, as appropriate.
The Company will take active steps to promote good practice. In particular it will:
Promote equality of opportunity
Promote good relations between people of difference racial groups, between women and men and between disabled and non disabled people.
Have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination on grounds of race, sex, disability, and all other grounds set out in the statement on equal opportunities.
Subject its policies to continuous assessment in order to examine how they affect all under-represented groups, especially ethnic minority staff, women, and disabled staff, and to identify whether its policies help to achieve equality of opportunity for all these groups, or whether they have an adverse impact.
Monitor the recruitment and progress of all staff, paying particular attention to the recruitment and progress of ethnic minority staff, women and disabled staff.
Promote an inclusive culture, good practice in training and assessment, and good management practice, through the development of codes of best practice, policies and training.
Take positive action wherever possible to support this policy and its aims.
The company will meet all statutory obligations under relevant legislation and, where appropriate anticipate future legal requirements signalled under EU Directives. The Company’s policy is guided by:
Equal Pay Act (1970)
Sex Discrimination Act (1975)
Race Relations Act (1976)
Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001)
Human Rights Act (1998)
Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000)
EU Equal Treatment Framework Directive (2000/78)
And in addition, the Codes of Practice issued by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality, together with the Codes of Practice on Disability and Age Diversity. These Codes are not legally binding (though they are admissible as evidence in Employment Tribunals) and the Company supports them fully.
The policy will be amended as appropriate to meet the demands of future legislation.
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