ACS

ACS has warned Ministers that the proposed Equality Bill threatens to impose more costs from tribunal hearings on small local shops. In its response to the formal Government consultation on the Bill, ACS has expressed its concern that:

• The proposed new right to bring cases using any combination of factors of alleged discrimination could grow the number of hearings before tribunals.
• Requirements for recording and reporting of pay levels between male and female staff would be costly and bureaucratic for businesses.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: "The convenience store sector employs around 250,000 staff who value the local, flexible and social aspects of working in their local shop. We absolutely support legal standards to support employees, but we fear that the measures proposed in the Equality Bill will just heap more costs and bureaucracy on small stores.

"For independent stores, facing multiple tribunal cases as a result of a grievance by one member of staff is a distressing prospect. Larger groups of convenience stores face the additional burden of providing data on staff pay by gender. In a business where staff turnover is high, and where this data is unlikely to be collated centrally, such a requirement would represent a significant burden.

"We are hopeful that our response on behalf of the sector will ensure that these concerns are addressed, and we are committed to achieving a balanced position whereby employees are supported and businesses are not burdened by costs and bureaucracy they can ill afford."