Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
The Council of the City of Sydney has a commitment to equal employment opportunity under the obligations of the Anti-Discrimination Act and other relevant legislation. This commitment is reflected by the integration of the principles of EEO into the City's policies and work practices.
Objectives
The City's EEO objectives are:
- Maintain employment policies and practices that are consistent with anti-discrimination legislation and ensure fair and equitable access to jobs, conditions of employment, promotions, training and development opportunities.
- Gain the commitment of all staff and councillors to an equitable working environment that is free from unlawful discrimination and harassment.
- Seek to employ a range of staff at all levels which reflects the social composition and diversity of the community.
Definitions
Equal Employment Opportunity
This means that in NSW all employers and supervisors must generally treat all their employees, and anyone who applies for a job with them, fairly. In particular, they must not treat them unfairly, or harass them, because of their, or any of their relatives’, work colleagues’ or friends’:
- carers’ responsibilities
- sex (including pregnancy)
- race, colour, ethnic or ethno-religious background, descent or nationality
- marital status
- disability (including past, present or future physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability, learning disorders, or any organism capable of causing disease – for example, infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS)
- homosexuality (male or female, actual or presumed)
- age (including not forcing people to retire at the old retirement age)
- transgender (commonly known as transsexuality)
Discrimination - There are two types:
- Direct discrimination is that which is unlawful under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 or the Sex Discrimination Act 1984; or discrimination by which a person with a physical or mental disability is, because of the disability, treated less favourably than a person without the disability. Direct discrimination means treatment that is obviously unfair or unequal. For example, if an employer won't hire someone just because they are a woman this is likely to be direct sex discrimination.
- Indirect discrimination means a requirement (or rule) that is the same for everyone but has an effect or result that is unequal and "unreasonable in all the circumstances". For example, an employer who says that they need a person over 180 cm tall to do a job is likely to end up discriminating against women and some ethnic groups. This is because women and people from some ethnic groups are less likely to be this height than men or people from other ethnic groups. If it is possible to show that the job does not need someone 180 cm tall, or that it could easily be adapted to suit people who aren't that tall, then they could claim indirect sex discrimination or indirect race discrimination.
Harassment – is any form of behaviour that you do not want, that offends, humiliates or intimidates you or targets you because of your sex, pregnancy, race, marital status, disability, age, carers' responsibilities, homosexuality or transgender.
Bullying - Bullying is a form of harassment. Bullying often goes unrecognised in the workplace because of its very nature. Bullies tell their subjects to be tougher, and some managers believe their role is to be unsupportive, stern or outright rude to employees. Surprisingly, it is not exclusively the domain of the older or stronger person, but is often the weapon of choice for managers or groups of individuals targeting one worker.
