Diversity and equality

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector bodies in Scotland have two sets of duties: general and specific.

General duty

The general duty obliges us to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination, victimisation and harassment
• advance equality of opportunity
• foster good relations

Specific duties

Specific duties for Scotland commit us to:

• meeting enhanced obligations relating to equality impact assessments
• publishing employment monitoring information annually
• publishing equality outcomes every four years
• preparing a mainstreaming report every two years
• including equality considerations in procurement documents
• publishing gender equal pay statistics annually

Protected characteristics

The general and specific duties apply across the nine protected characteristics:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion and belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

Our diversity and equality statement

We are committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity amongst our workforce. Our aim is that our workforce will be truly representative of the diverse communities we serve and each employee feels respected and able to give of their best.  We aim to eliminate discrimination and unfair treatment on the grounds of irrelevant difference, including those nine characteristics protected by the law:

See also our equality action plan, and our equality pay statement.

Want to know more?

Contact us at one of our customer service centres.