Expert view - Equality and discrimination under Covid-19

Viruses may spread indiscriminately, but the dangers posed by Covid-19 are much greater for older people, those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women. As a result, an employer’s response to the pandemic creates a huge potential for illegal discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, pregnancy and maternity.

Decisions around furlough, returning to work, health and safety and even redundancy have made the regular “employment law minefield” seem like a walk in the park.

Sarah Bowen of 3PB Barristers has taken a closer look at some of the decisions that Covid-19 has forced employers to make, in the light of the Equality Act 2010.

Sarah is a barrister who specialises in employment, discrimination and education law with extensive experience acting in cases involving discrimination, equal pay, unfair dismissal and whistleblowing.

The law and guidance relating to the contents of this document are constantly evolving. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure that this document is correct as of the date it was written. This document should not be taken as legal advice and should not be relied on as such by anyone. Neither 3PB Barristers nor the individuals accredited with writing this documents are providing any legal advice to ARAG or their policyholders by providing them with this information. Anyone considering this document should take legal advice before taking any action. ARAG policyholders should not rely on this document as a substitute for contacting the legal advice helpline.

Disclaimer - all information in this article was correct at time of publishing.