UK: Discrimination claims based on sexual orientation nearly double in a year
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The number of claims lodged with the Employment Tribunal alleging discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation has nearly doubled over the past year, The Times reports.
There were 203 such claims in 2016/17 compared to 377 in 2017/18, which experts suggested was driven by changing social attitudes and the abolition of Employment Tribunal fees.
Caroline Field, a partner at Fox Solicitors in London, said: “A generation ago employees would have been expected to treat homophobic comments as banter. Any complaints would have been swept under the carpet. But now homophobic banter is not viewed by wider society as acceptable and therefore victims are more likely to speak up for themselves.”
She added: “Many employers regard ensuring they have robust policies and regular training on equality and diversity as a low priority. These statistics offer a clear incentive to take these issues seriously.”
Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said that the rise “proves that fees stopped people accessing their rights - as we argued in the case which held them to be unlawful”.
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