Equal Opportunities Policy

The Comhairle will not unlawfully discriminate in any aspect of employment including recruitment, promotion, opportunities for training, pay and benefits, discipline and selection for redundancy.

Person specifications and job descriptions will be limited to those requirements that are necessary for the effective performance of the job. Candidates for employment or promotion will be assessed objectively against the requirements for the job, taking account of any reasonable adjustments that may be required for candidates with a disability. Disability and personal or home commitments will not form the basis of employment decisions except where necessary.

The Comhairle will consider any possible indirectly discriminatory effect of its standard working practices, including the number of hours to be worked, the times at which these are to be worked and the place at which work is to be done, when considering requests for variations to these standard working practices and will refuse such requests only if the organisation considers it has good reasons, unrelated to any protected characteristic, for doing so. The Comhairle will comply with its obligations in relation to statutory requests for contract variations. The organisation will also make reasonable adjustments to its standard working practices to overcome barriers caused by disability.

The Comhairle will monitor the composition of the existing workforce and of applicants for jobs in accordance with the relevant protected characteristics, and will consider and take any appropriate action to address any problems that may be identified through this monitoring process.