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HR Zone Newswire - Issue 2
20 July 2000
http://www.hrzone.co.uk
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This is the second issue of the new HR Zone Newswire. HR Zone
complements the existing TrainingZONE website and focuses on
employment, legislation, personnel and human resource issues.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk
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LATEST HEADLINES ***** LATEST HEADLINES ***** LATEST HEADLINES
1. New Deal to become permanent says Chancellor
2. TUC takes the government to court on parental rights
3.'Government is implementing employment law changes too quickly'
warns CIPD
4. Tax records of millions of taxpayers go missing
5. Free IT training materials!
LATEST HEADLINES ***** LATEST HEADLINES ***** LATEST HEADLINES
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View from the HR Zone
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Equal opportunity matters have been surreptitiously entering the
news arena in the past fortnight.
Two weeks ago, there was the case of a German-born bus driver now
residing in Kent. His name is Klaus Burger. The other drivers,
according to reports made at a race discrimination case brought
by Mr Burger, saw the German driver as an object of ridicule.
They would call him Hermann the German, perform 'Basil Faulty'
style goose-stepping when he was close by, and when passing on
the road, instead of the normal wave that most drivers give one
another, they would give a Nazi style salute whilst holding a
finger to the top lip to imitate a moustache, undoubtedly a
Hitler impersonation.
I cannot help but think that this treatment would not have
happened if Mr Burger had not been born in Germany. His
Germanness singled him out as a target for workmates.
Mr Burger was upset by the conduct and eventually received
treatment for depression. In fact most German people would be
deeply offended by such conduct.
The tribunal decided that Mr Burger was not subjected to race
discrimination, he was simply the recipient of good-natured banter.
More recently, the TUC has called on the government to extend
disability discrimination legislation to those smaller firms
employing less than 15 people, excluded from the legislation.
Their message is a simple one, equal opportunities should be
available to all people, not just those working for medium to
large companies. A policy of inclusiveness that excludes some
people from complying with what is right and decent is not a
fair policy.
The TUC points out that upto a million people could benefit
if their suggestion was adopted.
Finally, The Times this week pointed out that mental illness
is still a taboo subject in the workplace. Few of us
understand it sufficiently, and few of us know how to react to
fellow workers who have a mental illness. The normal reaction
is to back away from the person with the mental illness.
I cannot help but think that the fortnights events have a greater
message for us. Legislation to improve diversity could go further,
but more than that, there is still the need for a sea-change in
attitudes.
Diversity management, equal opportunities and inclusiveness are
about how we as individuals value other people, and when
something is going wrong in these areas, it thrusts unnecessary
pain and suffering into someones life. It is our communal value
system which is insufficient, and we need to do more to get it
right. Just because the law says that something is not illegal,
it does not make it acceptable, or right or decent to treat
another human being badly.
Jon Seaton
Editor HR Zone
mailto:[email protected]
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employment law news, interpretation and much more to a wide
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Latest News
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1. New Deal to become permanent says Chancellor
An Employment Opportunities fund of 875 million pounds sterling for
next year, increasing the following year, will make the New Deal
scheme permanent.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/item/22304
2. TUC takes the government to court on parental rights
Tony Blair may be having a bad time of things lately, but that
won't stop the TUC continuing the court case after his wifes
advice to them on parental rights legislation.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/item/22313
3. 'Government is implementing employment law changes too quickly'
warns CIPD
The CIPD says that government changes to employment legislation
is too much too fast after surveying 5000 members.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/item/22018
4. Tax records of millions of taxpayers go missing
Problems with the Inland Revenues computer systems are being blamed
for upto 5 million peoples tax records going missing
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/item/22407
5. Free IT Training materials!
For most HR managers and IT managers keeping staff knowledgeable
about how to work their desktop computers is a continuous battle.
Free help is at hand for IT Trainers, HR Staff and computer users.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/item/22233
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Looking for Work?
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What's in the Directory?
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Some are even outsourcing some roles whilst others are becoming HR
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could be missing business!
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