Community has joined the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU)’s call to enshrine the socio-economic duty (section 1 of the Equality Act 2010) in law as part of the legislative programme of the next Government.
The socio-economic duty would have required public bodies to adopt transparent and effective measures to address the inequalities that result from differences in occupation, education, place of residence or social class. The duty was scrapped by then-Home Secretary Theresa May in November 2010, although equivalent guidelines have since been introduced in its place in Wales, Scotland and some English local authorities.
Community’s National Officer for Education and Early Years, Helen Osgood, said:
“One of the first things to be removed from the Equality Act was socio-economic duty. When you look at the policies enacted by the Conservatives from 2010 onwards, you can see that the impact of this for working people was immense. Therefore the reinstating of socio-economic duty in the equality act must be a priority for any incoming government.”
You can read more on the campaign here.
If you are a member of Community and need advice or support, please contact our Service Centre at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2025
Thank you. We have received your query
We have received your query and a member of our Service Centre Department will be in touch to discuss further with you.
Due to service demands it is not always possible for our advisors to reply to your query immediately. We aim to respond within 48 hours of receipt.
If your employer has invited you to a formal meeting (disciplinary, grievance or appeal) and you are seeking representation, if you have not already done so via this form, please provide us with all relevant supporting information including any notes/minutes from any investigation process and your email/letter of invitation, which should include full details of when and where the meeting is due to take place.
Please note that representation is not provided for investigation meetings.
If you have any further queries, please contact our Service Centre Department on 0800 389 6332 or at servicecentre@community-tu.org.
Not a member?
Let’s get to know each other.
"*" indicates required fields
"*" indicates required fields