The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA) makes it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sex or marital status in recruitment, promotion and training.

• Direct sex discrimination occurs when a person of one sex is treated less favourably on grounds of sex than a person of the other sex would have been treated in the same circumstances.
• Indirect sex discrimination can occur where a requirement or condition is applied equally to men and women, but the proportion of one sex that can satisfy the condition is much smaller than the proportion of the other sex. Unless it can be proven that the condition is essential for the job, indirect discrimination may have taken place. It has also been established that discrimination against part-time workers may constitute indirect discrimination against women because nationally, and in most organizations, the majority of part-time workers are women. Restricting employment by means of age limits is another possible instance of indirect discrimination.
• The third type of discrimination covered by the Act is victimization. This occurs when an individual is discriminated against because they have exercised their rights under the Act.

The Race Relations Act 1976 (RRA) makes it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origin. This Act covers recruitment, promotion and training. The Act covers direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimization. Examples of indirect discrimination would include recruiting from sources, which exclude areas of high settlement of minority ethnic groups or insisting on British qualifications. Word of mouth recruitment in an organization where people from ethnic minority communities are under-represented would also constitute indirect discrimination.

Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, which came into effect on 27th January 1997 is also relevant. It deals with the issue of illegal working and makes it a criminal offence to employ a person who is not entitled to live or work in the United Kingdom. The act obliges employers to check that new employees are entitled to live and work in the UK by carrying out a number of checks before employment commences. The Commission for Racial Equality has warned that employers should ensure that any changes they make to their recruitment and selection procedure to comply with the new act do not put them in breach of the Race Relations Act. In particular, the CRE guidance states that employers should ensure that the checks (including documentation requests and their retention) are carried out at the same stage and in the same way for all applicants and without bias or discrimination on the basis of their race, colour or ethnic background.

The Equal Pay Act (1970) came into force originally at the end of 1975 and its purpose was to eliminate discrimination in pay between men and women. It was amended in 1983 to include work of equal value and most claims are now under this part of the Act. The Act allows an individual to claim pay equal to that received by members of the opposite sex on the grounds that they are doing:

• Like work
• Work rated as equivalent under a job evaluation scheme
• Work of Equal Value - in terms of demands made under such headings as effort, skill and decision-making

Claims can be pursued through the Employment Tribunal system.

The employment sections of the Disability Discrimination Act came into effect on 2nd December 1996. This Act operates in a similar way to the Race Relations Act and the Sex Discrimination Act, but also places a duty on an employer to make 'reasonable adjustments' to premises or working practices to allow a disabled person to be employed.

The definition of disability is wide and includes physical disabilities, sensory disabilities (visual or hearing impairment), learning difficulties, mental health problems as well as progressive conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and Aids.

The Human Rights Act was incorporated into UK law on 1st October 2000 and is intended to implement the European Convention on Human Rights in the UK. The latter outlines several issues, including rights to freedom of thought, conscience & religion, the right to respect for private and family life and in particular, ‘The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms… shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.’

In terms of recruitment it may outlaw discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, religious belief or possibly family circumstances in addition to the types of discrimination discussed above.