The following has been supplied by the TUC:
The TUC
has accused David Cameron of being 'reckless' after he announced plans to scrap
the requirement on government departments and other public bodies to undertake
equality impact assessments before the introduction of policy changes.
Responding to the prime minister's CBI
conference speech, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the move could
mean damaging safety and other consequences are overlooked when policies are
revised. He said: 'The prime minister says he is committed to clamping down on
discrimination in the workplace but at the same time is removing an essential
measure for monitoring it. Equality impact assessments are not burdensome 'red
tape'. They have proved invaluable in highlighting how proposed legislation
could affect women and vulnerable workers.' He added: 'In the transport sector
the axing of this requirement would allow staffing levels at stations to be
changed without any regard to the impact this would have on female passengers'
safety. This move smacks of a desperate attempt to placate the business lobby,
which like the TUC, is deeply concerned at our economy's anaemic growth.
But scrapping equality impact assessments would be reckless and is not the way
to get our country moving again.'
