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With new anti-discrimination laws set to come into force in the coming weeks, ACAS – the government's advisory, conciliation and arbitration service – has launched a series of booklets, designed to guide employers through the amended regulations.

Downloadable from ACAS' www.acas.gov.uk website, the guides detail the new regulations, which make it illegal to discriminate, harass or victimise employees on the grounds of sexual orientation or religious (or similar beliefs).

They also cover both direct and indirect discrimination. The latter term means that a business must not have any selection criteria, policies, benefit packages or practices that disadvantage workers on account of sexual orientation or belief "unless the practice can be justified."

The laws on sexual orientation will come into force on Monday 1 December, with those on religious discrimination taking effect as of 2 December. They will run along side existing laws preventing discrimination on the grounds of race, gender and disability.

In addition to amending equality policies accordingly, ACAS also points out that businesses need to make their staff aware of the changes. This is because employers have an obligation to ensure workers are aware that it is unacceptable to discriminate, victimise or harass colleagues on any of these grounds and that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

Further changes to the laws governing race and disability will be made in 2004 – for further details visit www.dti.gov.uk/er/equality

(18/11/2003)

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