Equality impact assessments

This Conference condemns the statement made at the CBI Conference last year by
the Prime Minister announcing their intention to scrap Equality Impact Assessments.
This announcement only serves to bring our ongoing fears to fruition and confirms the
Government’s lack of understating on equality and discrimination issues.
Unions, in particular their equality sections, have worked tirelessly to ensure
employers have written policies in place on structures and procedures, but also to
attain accountable, measurable and transparent tools to defend equality rights across
the board. Also tools to ensure that they will defend these rights and progressive
changes already in place.

This cynical move by the current Westminster Government is irresponsible and
retrograde and takes the equality agenda back decades.

We call on the Executive Council, in consultation with the equality sections, to work
within the national structures of the Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that Equality
Impact Assessments are defended. Also that the Executive Council work with the
TUC and other equality organisations to campaign, lobby and fight to defend not only
these assessments but all positive equality legislation currently in situ. This to be done
as a matter of urgency with reports issued to the membership on a regular basis.