Members of the House of Lords have approved an amendment to UK employment law which, it is hoped, will reduce the chances of disabled people facing discrimination in the job application process.

The amendment which was approved in the House of Lords during the third reading of the Equality Bill would meant that it would become illegal to ask for information regarding an applicant’s health in the job application process. Therefore, employers would be unable to ask to know about disabilities or any health problems before a job offer was made.

Equality campaigners have welcomed the House of Lords’ acceptance of the amendment but maintain that it should have been included in the Equality Bill in the first place. Now that the amendment has been approved by the House of Lords it has to be passed to the House of Commons for further scrutiny.

We were saddened to see the results of a recent survey by graduate employment website milkround.com which stated that discrimination still appears to be a problem in the workplace.

According to the survey, business owners and employers could be breaking UK employment law by discriminating against job candidates.

Unfortunately, 60% of recent graduates claimed to have felt as though they had been discriminated against at work, with ethnicity being the most frequently cited grounds for discrimination. Others believed that they had been treated unfavourably because of their gender.

It seems incredibly depressing to us at Raleys Solicitors that young, fresh talent should start their careers with such a negative impression of the world of work. It is also alarming to think that some employers may not be fully aware of discrimination employment law. Any employer who does not do the utmost to prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace could find themselves in a messy employment law compensation claim.