In 2003 the Institute of Employment Rights published a report entitled Achieving Equality at Work. In it, a number of leading equality experts critically examined the current framework of equality law and looked ahead to the possibility of improved and extended protection offered under the European Union Framework Directive on Employment Equality.

The first half of this edition of Federation News summarises and updates that report, highlighting the pace at which equality legislation is changing. A constant message running through the articles is that the current situation is good, but could be better. When discussing the various strands of discrimination, one issue stands out above all else – and that is the complex nature of the current framework of law. This problem has not been made any easier by introducing the most recent equality measures by way of Regulations rather than by primary legislation. According to a number of contributors, this will only add further complexity and inconsistency into an already over complex area of law.