Closed petition Make ‘trade unionism’ a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

Closed on 17 July 2018

The Equality Act brings previous discrimination legislation under one act. Its main aim is to make it unlawful for employers to treat a worker less favourably because of a protected characteristic such as sex, race, religion or belief. Trade unionism is not currently a protected characteristic.

We call on the Equality Act 2010 to include “Trade Unionism: the participation in all or any aspects of the system, practices, and beliefs of trade unions, including the participation in lawful industrial action and activities stemming from such action’. Such a change would provide clarity in the workplace and a clear instruction to employers that they will no longer be able to subvert universal principles of democracy, justice and human rights through legislative loopholes.