News
Caste discrimination
18 August 2011
A couple who worked for a Coventry solicitors are reported to be the first to make a claim of caste discrimination in an Employment Tribunal.
Although the Equality Act contains a provision which would allow caste to be added to the list of characteristics protected under law the Government has as yet not taken this step and the tribunal may have to consider the case on the grounds of religion or race.
In a report prepared for the Government Equalities Office last year the National Institute for Economic and Social Research estimated that there are between 50,000 and 200,000 lower caste individuals in the UK.
The background to the case is reported in The Times.