This fifth annual equalities conference took place at the NUT in London on Wednesday 7th December 2011. Delegates heard a range of speakers from the law, academia and trade unions.

The day opened with an overview from John Wadham of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who looked back over the first 15 months of the Equality Act 2010.

Victoria Phillips of Thompsons Solicitors talked about how the Equality Act has been (and can be) used to defend workers' terms and conditions. Sally Brett from the TUC spoke about the TUC's approach to implementation of the Equality Act in workplaces and the TUC's Equality Toolkit.

Utilising the Equality Act to ensure equal treatment for part-time and fixed-term workers was covered by Mark Bell from Leicester University. After lunch Ailsa McKay from Glasgow's Caledonian Business School spoke about the important (and often overlooked) contribution that women make in the workplace and the economy.

Ailsa was followed by Kamaljeet Jandu from the GMB who spoke about the actions the GMB are taking to improve equality at work, and the day ended with a talk from Ellie Reeves of O H Parsons Solicitors who looked at the different protected characteristics under the Act.

Presentations and Papers from the Speakers

Click on the list below to view the papers and presentations.