The Politics of Equality: The Evolving Nature of Equality Agendas at Work in the UK and Europe in a Context of Political Uncertainty
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Alliance Manchester Business School
Abstract
There has been significant progress in a range of European countries on the question of equality at work. In the case of the UK, the legislation of the 1970s, and the ongoing development and regulation of equality-related rights at work since then, have been extensive. A range of issues exists in terms of how different groups have been supported in relation to their rights at work, but the engagement with individual rights on questions of gender, race and disability, for example, has been significant. The European Union has also seen a major commitment to the question of ensuring that equality legislation and policies are enacted in member states. Employers and related organizations, such as trade unions, have seen a push towards new forms of equality and diversity strategies. The project aims to discover how this engagement with the question of equality at work, broadly speaking, has varied. In broad terms, how has that 'project' varied? What is the focus of the interest in equality, and what have been the imperatives for change?
The project, therefore, aims to understand how the UK, the Netherlands, France and Spain have engaged with the notion of equality within work in terms of its language, practice and institutional sustainability. In some cases, the emphasis has been on gender equality; in others, it has focused on a wider range of groups. Using interviews with a strong biographical element, we aim to build a detailed insight into how equality is understood and constructed. Are there any common reference points or imperatives for change? In addition, the project seeks to outline and explain within the four countries studied - as examples of what could be called 'good practice', generally speaking - the challenges that have emerged in terms of sustaining the commitment to equality. In the UK, there has been a general concern with the complexity of equality and tensions within and between groups - gender and some LGTB issues, for example. In Spain, migration has emerged as an issue within xenophobic political discourse after a period of relatively effective social inclusion measures. In France and the Netherlands, the question of Islamophobia has been unsettling specific understandings of equality at work. We need to know how the nature of commitment to the question of equality contributes to the issues that have been emerging - or are such issues the outcome of deeper structural challenges, or extensive political developments. The question of equality at work has been a focus for disruptive political discourse: how are these changes are impacting, and why? We also need to understand how managers, trade unions, and social organizations related to these issues have responded to these challenges and sustained the general - albeit varied and uneven - commitment to expanding equality at work not only in their organizations, but also more generally. The project aims to interview a range of managers, trade unionists, and policy actors within the four countries studied. It also aims to create a dialogue through its publications and events linked to the question regarding how the equality agenda can be sustained, or even deepened, in the face of the political and economic disruption since the 2008 global financial crisis. The future of equality policies and institutions at work - which have been tied to other EU cases in various perspectives - needs to put in the frame of reference of national contexts that face similar challenges and developments. This policy and practitioner dimension of the project is an important feature of what we aim to do as we work alongside our academic objectives and publications.
The project, therefore, aims to understand how the UK, the Netherlands, France and Spain have engaged with the notion of equality within work in terms of its language, practice and institutional sustainability. In some cases, the emphasis has been on gender equality; in others, it has focused on a wider range of groups. Using interviews with a strong biographical element, we aim to build a detailed insight into how equality is understood and constructed. Are there any common reference points or imperatives for change? In addition, the project seeks to outline and explain within the four countries studied - as examples of what could be called 'good practice', generally speaking - the challenges that have emerged in terms of sustaining the commitment to equality. In the UK, there has been a general concern with the complexity of equality and tensions within and between groups - gender and some LGTB issues, for example. In Spain, migration has emerged as an issue within xenophobic political discourse after a period of relatively effective social inclusion measures. In France and the Netherlands, the question of Islamophobia has been unsettling specific understandings of equality at work. We need to know how the nature of commitment to the question of equality contributes to the issues that have been emerging - or are such issues the outcome of deeper structural challenges, or extensive political developments. The question of equality at work has been a focus for disruptive political discourse: how are these changes are impacting, and why? We also need to understand how managers, trade unions, and social organizations related to these issues have responded to these challenges and sustained the general - albeit varied and uneven - commitment to expanding equality at work not only in their organizations, but also more generally. The project aims to interview a range of managers, trade unionists, and policy actors within the four countries studied. It also aims to create a dialogue through its publications and events linked to the question regarding how the equality agenda can be sustained, or even deepened, in the face of the political and economic disruption since the 2008 global financial crisis. The future of equality policies and institutions at work - which have been tied to other EU cases in various perspectives - needs to put in the frame of reference of national contexts that face similar challenges and developments. This policy and practitioner dimension of the project is an important feature of what we aim to do as we work alongside our academic objectives and publications.
Organisations
| Description | We are currently working on a series of findings through various papers - two submitted to journals and three more at least to be submitted by the summer. The findings are provisional and we will be sending a shorter report in the next round on this. We are now developing a range of interim reports. |
| Exploitation Route | We are now at the analysis stage and dissemination stage. We have been finalising some interviews but have nearly 160 we are analysing and we are putting together in March further consolidated findings of a provisional nature. Our website as some findings through blogs and links to policy briefings. However the project is live and ongoing |
| Sectors | Education Financial Services and Management Consultancy Healthcare Government Democracy and Justice Retail |
| URL | https://www.wei.manchester.ac.uk/research/projects/thepoliticsofequality/ |
| Description | It is early days in terms of final stages of dissemination and we aim to accelerate our findings and engagement (which is good in our view) towards the end of the project as the issues are high profile. We have circa 160 interviews to analyse. We have noted referencing to our policy briefings and reports but are currently collating information and tryng to work out the way to collate more systematically. Our focus is on this key dissemination and 'return to interviewees' advisory stage. Our individual meetings with key trade unionists in Spain and Netherlands are raising the level of interest. This is also happening with some union organisations in the UK such as the TUC. In France a project colleague as noted in our report has been invited into the governance structures of a leading national body that focuses on participation at work thanks in great part due to the interest in the project. We are completing five papers at least (two submitted with one R&R and another three to be submitted over the next six months or so) and establishing the basis for the book proposal. We are also continuing with our policy feedback through policy@manchester, LSE blogs, Work and Equality Institute communications at Manchester, and our own dedicated project website. We are organising four workshops where we will be disseminating our work/findings with one being held in March 2025 and linked to the IMISCOE international network on migration. We willl outline some of our interim findings regarding the 'silencing of race issues' in equality debates. We are at the dissemination stage so our outcomes are likely to be different and even stronger later in the year. |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | 'Gender-based quotas in France: quantity without 'real' (e)quality?' by Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | In the first of our Project Website blog series for the Politics of Equality at Work project, Heather Connolly explores the potential significance of 2021 legislation in France to introduce quotas to accelerate gender equality. While quotas are a useful way to achieve gender balance in numbers, workplace cultures and systemic inequalities outside the workplace mean that women are potentially taking on higher levels of responsibility in difficult working environments without any reduction in caring or domestic loads. A broader social approach with accompanying support is required for more gender-equal societies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2022/09/15/gender-based-quotas-in-france-quan... |
| Description | 'Pension strikes in France: the gendered impact of reforms to the retirement age' Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This was a blog which was freely accessible on - 'Debates on equality cover - or arguably, should cover - work-related issues such as pensions and length of service in combination with working-time, in order to have a broader vision of gender-equal societies. In this second blog on equality in France, we look at the gendered impact of the recent pension reforms of President Emmanuel Macron, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2023/05/22/pension-strikes-in-france-the-gend... |
| Description | 'The Politics of Equality: The Evolving Nature of Equality Agendas at Work in the UK and Europe in a Context of Political Uncertainty - A Bibliometric Scoping Exercise' Conference Presentation (Authors: Heather Connolly, Stefania Marino, Miguel Martinez Lucio, Caitlin Schmidt, and Holly Smith) for the WEI Fifth Fairness at Work Conference Alliance Manchester Business School January 23th 24th 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We presented a conference paper to the Work and Equalities Institute Fifth Conference at the Alliance Manchester Business School, Manchester, UK. Both academics and practitioners were in the audience (e.g. CIPD, RCM). It was a half hour presentation with questions on the materials published on the topic studied in a selection of European countries and some of the issues this. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | 'The Space Between: Being sensitive to the dialectical nature of collective representation in research and writing about trade unions' invited presentation at the Newcastle University Business School - 3rd May 2023: a talk on unions, migration and equality in terms of methods and focus of research agendas |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Whilst open to the practitioner and policy making audience this was a seminar presentation lasting 90 minutes on the work we are doing and had about 15 participants. The debate was on how to study issues of equality, representation and networks in relation to migration and unions. The presentation was written by Heather Connolly, Holly Smith, Miguel Martinez Lucio and Stefania Marino. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | 'The Space Between: Being sensitive to the dialectical nature of collective representation in research and writing about trade unions' paper presented to the British Universities Industrial Relations Association July 3-5th (5th) July Annual Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a presentation on our work regarding new forms of activism related to equality initiatives at work anddealt with the way organisations operate in the field of work and the range of actors and networks that engage in such activities. it has emerged from some of our early findings and engagement with debates on new forms of equality and migrant based organisations. There were academics and practitioners in the meeting (CIPD, unions, and others). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.buira.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUIRA-Conference-Programme-v11.pdf |
| Description | 'The politics of equality at work in the UK: Who sets the equality agenda?' Holly Smith, Miguel Martinez Lucio, Stefania Marino and Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This was a Policy@Manchester policy briefing as part of their Futures of Work intervention. It is a formal policy briefing but it does not carry a ISBN or DOI but is to be considered a publication. Policy@Manchester report 'Working Futures'. Working Futures makes evidence-led recommendations from the University of Manchester's world-leading research. The contributions in the publication consider the impact of changes in the labour market from a range of different perspectives - and, crucially, present evidence-led ideas about how we might address challenges and tackle inequalities. In our piece, we recommend the adoption of various strategies we believe could further embed equalities into the employment relationship. Our own briefing addresses that in recent years social movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter have shifted the narrative on equality, and reshaped expectations about treatment in the social sphere and the workplace. Many large corporations, multinational companies, public sector employers and small businesses in the United Kingdom have issued statements pledging their commitments to the broad aims of these movements. In this article, Dr Holly Smith, Professor Miguel Martinez Lucio, Dr Stefania Marino and Professor Heather Connolly evaluate how this opening up of the debate presents an opportunity to formulate genuinely inclusive working practices and policy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://policyatmanchester.shorthandstories.com/working-futures/index.html |
| Description | 'What lies ahead for the development of the workplace equalities agenda?' by Miguel Martinez Lucio, Holly Smith, Stefania Marino, and Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | An open blog concerned with preempting the impact of political change in the UK in 2024 For the New Year, this short blog reflects on what may be ahead for workplace equalities over the coming year. Issues concerning equality, diversity and inclusion at work have been developing unevenly for some time. While advances have been made with statutory instruments like the Equalities Act 2010, and heightened awareness of issues of race and gender inclusion at work through the Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements respectively, this has been juxtaposed with hostile and inflammatory rhetoric on issues such as gender recognition and migration on behalf of the UK Government. The recent decision to remove the Minister for Disabled People seems at odds with recent work demonstrating commitments to the Disability Employment Charter and is indicative of the ambivalent and contradictory attitudes towards inclusive workplaces more generally. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2024/01/22/what-lies-ahead-for-the-developmen... |
| Description | 'Who negotiates equality? Equality plans and constitutional debates in Spain' Miguel Martinez Lucio |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | In the third of our blog series for the Politics of Equality at Work project, Miguel Martinez Lucio explores the process of the formulation of Equality Plans in Spain and the role of formal worker representation in these discussions. Their construction illustrates the varying nature of the role of social dialogue in the development of the political design of equality, which contrasts with other countries like the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2023/01/16/who-negotiates-equality-equality-p... |
| Description | Blog - Expanding the remit of equality at work: the politics of new interventions regarding violence and harassment against women at work in the European Union, by Miguel Martinez Lucio, Heather Connolly, Stefania Marino, and Holly Smith |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | It was a policy blog on our website which was based on our interviews with UNI Europa on interventions regarding violence and harassment at work. Here is a resume: The role of the trade unions, especially UNI Global Europa, has been key to this process, since issues of gender-based violence and harassment are present in a range of sectors that they represent and operate in, such as retailing and hospitality. Violence against women, and harassment both at home and in the workplace, has an impact across various industrial sectors. Traditional collective bargaining agendas have over time steadily increased inclusion of equality-related issues such as childcare and equal pay auditing - although not always consistently. In some cases, such as in Spain, equality plans are an important feature of the industrial relations system, while in France the role of the state and the use of benchmarking in pay auditing have become more systematic. While these continuing developments within industrial relations have often been uneven across different national experiences, the need to broaden the debate to address issues such as violent conduct and to establish frameworks to recognise and deal with it is more recent. Some national contexts are much more advanced, for example, in France, the designation of a 'sexist and sexual harassment referent' has been a legal requirement in all companies with more than 11 employees since 2018. In the UK, after many years of campaigning by trade unions, the Worker Protection Act, effective from 26 October 2024, introduces a new legal duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. In other countries, there is still a stigma associated with these sensitive yet essential topics. Interventions by the ILO - see ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment at work ? form part of a longer-term strategy that has been unfolding for some time and has generated a network of trade unionists and more progressive employer organisations or lead employers. Key to the process of consensus building leading to the EU Directive have been a range of political and social alliances that have been built within and beyond the labour movement, as well as sector-based social dialogue forums within the EU. The importance of key individuals within UNI Global Europa in forging alliances and in generating evidence-based research has been pivotal. Yet, despite common ground on such issues as violence within the workplace, progress and change are not always straightforward. Many people do not speak up and denounce the sometimes-intangible issue of violence and harassment in the workplace; as a social issue it requires clear management and disciplinary systems as well as social support-related processes. A key report by UNI Global Europa highlights how the pandemic changed the perspective and contexts of violence and contributed to the rise of new sets of dynamics and developments that needed to be accounted for: the pandemic period has also led to an alarming increase in violence against women, both physically and online, where the victims of the latter are significantly more isolated from potential resources and opportunities for help. Domestic violence has increased by a third during the pandemic. Evidence would also show that remote working has meant that work-related sexual harassment has become more prevalent online. (UNI Global Europa, 2021: 6) The pandemic brought new sets of challenges for many and pushed a range of organisations towards a realisation that broader social issues had to be dealt with in a more systematic manner. There are many aspects to equality at work beyond purely economic indicators such as pay levels and pay distribution. Gender-based violence involves a range of health and safety issues as well, given that violence has not always been at the centre of such activities and there has normally been a rift or lack of coordination between health and safety on the one hand, and equality and inclusion on the other. Substantial recommendations have been agreed between employers and trade unions, although how these become operationalised may vary according to national and corporate context. The recommendations proposed by the social partners in relation to these developments are expansive and point not just to industrial relations processes but also to questions of culture and structure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2024/11/18/expanding-the-remit-of-equality-at... |
| Description | Blog/Reflection - The Curious Vulnerability of HRM and the Politics of Equality in the UK, by Miguel Martinez Lucio, Holly Smith, Heather Connolly and Stefania Marino |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a policy oriented reflection on our website looking at the challenges facing HRM in the current context and drawing from some of our work to date. Short Summary: Debates, both direct and indirect, concerning equality at work are currently framed by political tensions that are emerging across various countries. Equality initiatives led by management, unions or other workplace actors have been important in embedding equality and diversity practices within workplaces and are often a response to changing legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 in the UK, or the enforcement and advisory agencies of the state, such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Various organisations, however, tend to forge ahead with such initiatives for altruistic or reputational reasons. Human Resource departments and managers are playing an increasingly central role compared to, for example, half a century ago, when the focus was on collective and individual negotiations on a narrower set of issues. The changing political environment brings with it an increasingly critical stance towards inclusion and equality agendas generally, which the authors view as a negative development. The fact that the bureaucracy and management of equality is becoming the focus of political and media attention will have implications for how the enhancement of equality and fairness in the workplace plays out in the future. HRM has always been seen as ambiguous and variable, as academic studies have shown, but its recasting in this new light will have significant repercussions for how equality and fairness issues are portrayed, making it an important subject for study. Furthermore, with some key companies in the USA cancelling their diversity training and employment programmes this political pressure on UK HR departments will be worth observing as it will have implications on a range of developments and trends in equality at work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2025/01/13/the-curious-vulnerability-of-hrm-a... |
| Description | Conference presentation 6th Fairness at Work Conference of the WEI in Manchester University which included practitioners - The municipal lineages of equality: the new left as innovators of inclusion - Holly Smith, Miguel Martinez Lucio, Stefania Marino, and Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Whilst held at a university this conference as noted above includes practititioners from unions (TUC, RXM and others), the press (The Guardian) and employers (CIPD). There were attending the conference a range of non-academics so this was not just an academic conference presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=75172 |
| Description | Diversity, equality, and the challenges of accreditation: going beyond fashion and reputation, by Miguel Martinez Lucio, Holly Smith, Stefania Marino, and Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This was an openly accessible blog: There are a range of equality, diversity, and inclusion-related award schemes which organisations and employers can engage with. In this next instalment of our blog series, we highlight the ambivalences involved within these processes of accreditation, which can be used instrumentally, or - with meaningful stakeholder engagement - can act as a catalyst for the development of a genuine advancement in workplace equality. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2023/12/11/diversity-equality-and-the-challen... |
| Description | Extensive website blog - 'Deeds not words - equal pay in UK Local Government' Holly Smith |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In the second of our blog series for the Politics of Equality at Work project, Holly Smith explores the political, economic, and historical context of the drive for pay equality within UK Local Government and looks at the collective bargaining frameworks and legislation which have shaped its approach. While national frameworks are ostensibly committed to equality, the implications of pay parity have had unforeseen consequences, which has resulted in fraught negotiations and high levels of litigation and is difficult to achieve within the unique political and financial perimeters of the local state. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2022/11/10/deeds-not-words-equal-pay-in-uk-lo... |
| Description | Heather Connolly 'Migration, trade unions, and the re-making of social inclusion- setting the scene'. Talk based on our project to EFFAT (international agricultural and food union) Workshop/Conference - EFFAT workshop on how trade unions integrate and organise migrant workers. 26th April 2023. The talk was based on an invitation as our work on equality and migration has become a major point of reference. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a conference/workshop of a day in length engaging trade unionists through EFFAT with the aim of discussing the integration and inclusion of migrant workers. We are known for this work and the project has accelerated our presence and impact. The talk was based on a set of slides which drew from our discussions and collective work on migration, equality and inclusion in relation to work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | ILO ACTRAV-ETUI workshop: Trade Unions in Transformation: A Research Agenda, scheduled, Thursday, 24th October, 16:15 to 18:00 (EST = Montréal time), Montreal Presentation on behalf of ESRC Project Team by Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ILO ACTRAV-ETUI workshop: Trade Unions in Transformation: A Research Agenda, scheduled, Thursday, 24th October, 16:15 to 18:00 (EST = Montréal time), Montreal The session was structured as a roundtable discussion. It begin with an opening lecture by Maria Helena André, Director of ILO ACTRAV, who presented ACTRAV's journey on the topic, key lessons learned, and proposed ways forward. Bart Vanhercke, Research Director of ETUI, then provided equivalent information for the ETUI. Afterward, Jane Parker chaired the roundtable discussion, where each panellist was asked targeted questions, in an interview-style format, to foster a lively and interactive exchange of ideas. The questions concerned what we know so far about trade unions in transformation and priorities for a future research agenda, building on the work of ILO ACTRAV and ETUI, while aligning with the expertise of each panellist. There were questions from participants at the end to enrich the discussion further. Heather Connolly (Grenoble Ecole de Management) intervened to talk about her Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project The Politics of Equality at Work. As an outcome of the workshop, the ETUI will produce a brief synthesis of the discussion, which will guide future work on the topic. The workshop was recorded on Zoom and with a transcript. Jane Parker (ETUI & Massey University); Maria Helena André, Director (ACTRAV ILO), Bart Vanhercke, Research Director (ETUI); Heather Connolly (Grenoble École de Management); Rafael Peels (ACTRAV ILO); Valeria Pulignano (KULeuven); Kurt Vandaele (ETUI); Gregor Murray, Director (CRIMT) Heather Connolly on behalf of the ESRC Project Team spoke for 15 minutes and took questions on the need to reframe the way we see equality activism and linked it to a paper and key parts of the project empirically. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.crimt.net/en/crimt2024/ |
| Description | Improving the presence of women in top positions in large Dutch companies: Towards more gender equality?, Stefania Marino |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In the first of our blog series to focus on the Netherlands, Stefania Marino provides an update and an overview on a new piece of legislation which requires an improved gender balance on the boards of large companies. While representing a positive development in a specific area, does the legislation go far enough in addressing deeper structural inequalities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2023/04/21/improving-the-presence-of-women-in... |
| Description | Labour's plans for BME equal pay don't go far enough - Heather Connolly, Stefania Marino, Miguel Martinez Lucio, and Holly Smith |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This was a social media publication and blog by the online social media policy outlet of the London School of Economics about Labour's plans for putting into law the right to equal pay for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME) workers which largely focuses on reporting pay discrepancies when it comes to jobs of equal value. Heather Connolly, Miguel Martinez Lucio, Stefania Marino and Holly Smith argue in this blog that this focus obscures the fact that the pay gap between white and BME workers is mostly generated by the latter occupying lower-paid and precarious jobs. Labour should recognise and address this fundamental discrepancy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/labours-plans-for-bme-equal-pay-dont-go-far-enough/ |
| Description | Migration, trade unions, and the re-making of social inclusion- setting the scene |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Migration, trade unions, and the re-making of social inclusion- setting the scene EFFAT workshop 26-28 April 2023 Madrid, Spain We were invited to present for a workshop organised by the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) to help set the scene on how trade unions integrate and organise migrant workers. The workshop was attended by EFFAT affiliates in a number of European countries (including the UK). At the meeting they discussed the challenges that migrant workers face, as well as thinking through how unions respond to migrant workforces and what concrete measures they have put in place (use of languages, apps, organising strategies, training, etc.). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Policy response to Scottish Government proposals for developing equality toolkits and monitoring in the Public Sector |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The aim of this reponse in public to the initiative by the Scottish government was to draw on our research and show how voice and social organisations must be involved in the auditing and monitoring of equality initiatives by the state and in this case Scotland. We presented a long report which is available answering a range of online questions that drew from our research. We systematically outlined how in the Netherlands, France and Spain worker vocie is intergrated in aspects of monitoring and auditing. We also spoke of traditions in the UK public sector in relation to the role of trade unions and their roles which need to be remembered. We cannot upload our substantive feedback here but will be making out materials available online as part of the feedback. We await a response from the Scottish equality structures but it is early days. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://consult.gov.scot/equality-and-human-rights/equality-and-human-rights-mainstreaming/ |
| Description | The Gender Equality Index in France: what is it and how does it work?, by Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In our third blog on France, Heather Connolly explains the requirements of the Gender Equality Index for organisations, and considers whether its indicators are a meaningful way of tackling gender inequalities in the workplace. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2024/06/26/the-gender-equality-index-in-franc... |
| Description | The innovation of inclusion and its municipal lineages: the new urban left as equality entrepreneurs Holly Smith Miguel Martinez Lucio Heather Connolly Stefania Marino Conference Presentation Socio-Economic Studies Association Limerick Ireland 27th June 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The presentation tracks the extant 'marketplace' of equality officers, EDI consultancies, and HRM professionals within the UK back to the unlikely context of experiments with municipal socialism in the 1980s. It focuses on the role of key historical moments in shaping equality interventions and subsequent networks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://sase.org/event/2024-limerick/ |
| Description | The politics of equality at work - a bibliographic scoping exercise Miguel Martinez Lucio, Stefania Marino, Holly Smith, Caitlin Schmidt and Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a developed version of our bibliometric review and was presented to the Industrial Relations in Europe Conference, Duhram, Sept 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.dur.ac.uk/business/media/durham-university-business-school/about-us/departments/manageme... |
| Description | The rise of the EDI toolkit: unpacking the artefacts of change, by Miguel MartÃnez Lucio, Holly Smith, Stefania Marino, Heather Connolly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | There is growing interest in using sets of guides or toolkits that facilitate organisations when evaluating and developing their EDI-related strategies. In this blog, we consider the potential organisational processes and outcomes of these organisational artefacts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://politicsofequalityatwork.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2024/04/11/the-rise-of-the-edi-toolkit-unpack... |