The term ‘equality’ does not simply mean treating everyone the same.  It means understanding and tackling the different barriers to equal opportunities for different groups of people.

While many of the barriers can be different however, members of equality groups share similar experiences of discrimination and exclusion from jobs, services, and other aspects of life in the Western Isles.

Discrimination can happen in a range of different ways, for example:

• a hostile or prejudiced response due to being a member of an equality group;
• physical barriers to accessing services; and
• lack of information or services in a suitable language or format.

Equality is not about benefiting some people at the expense of others – equality needs to benefit everyone.

Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 (“the Act”) came into force on 1 October 2010 and brought together over 116 separate pieces of legislation into one single Act.  The Act introduced a new public sector general duty, this single duty replaced the three previous duties set out by race, disability, and gender legislation. The purpose of the Act is to simplify, strengthen and harmonise legislation with a new discrimination law which protects all individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a fair and more equal society. The Act aims to ‘integrate considerations of the advancement of equality into the day-to-day business of all bodies subject to the duty’.

All individuals are protected by the Act as every person has one or more of the protected characteristics listed below so the Act aims to protect everyone against unfair treatment.  The nine protected characteristics are:

• Age
• Disability
• Sex
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion of belief
• Sexual Orientation

As one of the largest employers in the Western Isles, we value diversity and want a workforce that reflects the community that we serve.  The term ‘diversity’ refers to the fact that we are all different.  Having a diverse workforce improves our work, it makes sure that we draw from the widest available pool of talent and that we relate better to the community that we serve.  Tackling discrimination helps to make sure that we attract and keep the very best workforce.

Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 came into force in 2011 which introduced a new Public Secor Equality Duty (“PSED”) which became law across Scotland. The public sector equality duty is in 2 parts – the public sector equality duty in the Equality Act 2010 itself, which is often referred to as the ‘general duty’ and based on which we will have due regard to the need to

1. eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation
2. advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
3. foster good relations between person who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who don’t.

and specific equality duties introduced by Scottish Ministers through regulations. The specific equality duties are not an end in themselves; they are intended to enable the better performance of the general equality duty.

As the Comhairle is a listed public authority subject to the specific equality duties it is required to publish the following:

• A mainstreaming report (which includes employee information)
• Equality outcomes prepared using involvement and evidence
• Gender pay-gap information
• A statement on equal pay and occupational segregation in relation to gender

If you have any queries about Equality and Diversity, please contact us at equalities@cne-siar.gov.uk