Employment Discrimination Lawyers

Individuals have the right not to be discriminated against in the workplace.

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Discrimination can take many forms. Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to discriminate against an individual by reason of certain protected characteristics

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Marriage or civil partnership
  • Sex
  • Religion
  • Race
  • Pregnancy or maternity
  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender reassignment
 

The challenge with making a discrimination complaint is identifying the legal basis and building the evidence to prove you have been discriminated against.

What you need to know about unlawful workplace discrimination

The law protects employees against discrimination at work at all stages and in all aspects of employment, including:

  • Recruitment
  • Employment terms and conditions
  • Pay and benefits
  • Promotion and transfer opportunities
  • Training
  • Dismissal
  • Redundancy

There are many different ways discrimination can arise in the workplace. Identifying the issue and having evidence will be critical to making a successful claim against your employer. Some examples of workplace discrimination could include:

  • Age discrimination – making older employees with better performance redundant rather than younger employees.
  • Unfair pay – workers should be paid the same for performing the same type and standard of work, regardless of gender and ethnicity, for example. Here, employees may be able to bring a specific equal pay claim.
  • Access to facilities – if the workplace offers benefits and facilities, such as an employee kitchen area, this should be accessible to all employees including those with disabilities.
  • Maternity discrimination – dismissing a pregnant employee for poor attendance when the sickness absences relate to the pregnancy.

Discrimination may be permissible in limited circumstances. If your employer is relying on an exception to allow unfair treatment, take advice to understand if these would be classed as lawful grounds.

If you think you’ve been unfairly discriminated against in the workplace, you are expected to try to resolve the issue informally. Usually this would involve making a complaint directly to your employer, for example to your line manager.

Where attempts to resolve the issue have failed, you may be able to make a claim for discrimination at the employment tribunal.

We can help

If you believe you have been discriminated against at work, DavidsonMorris can help.

We can assess your case and advise on your options and whether you have grounds to bring a claim to the tribunal.

We have experience of helping employees challenge all types of discrimination in the workplace including sex discrimination claims, age discrimination claims, disability discrimination claims, race discrimination claims and religious discrimination claims.

We understand the strain that victims of discrimination have suffered through unfair treatment, and will guide and support you through the legal process to minimise the impact on you and achieve a favourable outcome for you.

To find out more about our destination services, speak to our specialists.

 

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