New Draft CRE Code of Practice

The CRE is consulting on a revised statutory Code of Practice on Racial Equality in Employment. It is now twenty years since the current statutory code of practice came into force. Since then, there have been a number of important amendments to the Race Relations Act 1976, as well as new EU legislation governing racial equality in the workplace.

To reflect these changes, revisions have been made to the new code, including:

• greater accessibility, in terms of language and style;
• an accurate reflection of current legislation and the modern world of work;
• more real-life employment tribunal case studies; and
• detailed guidance on topics such as positive action, ethnic monitoring and racial equality policies.

The code aims to give practical guidance to employers, recruitment agencies, trades unions and individual employees on how to meet their obligations under the Race Relations Act. It will have statutory status; this means that any of its provisions can be referred to in an employment tribunal.

The consultation paper is available on the CRE website. Consultation closes on Friday, 6th August 2004.