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Discrimination at work

The principle of equal treatment requires that all people, and in the context of the workplace all workers, have the right to receive the same treatment, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of criteria such as gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. EU law prohibits discrimination on an increasing number of grounds, meaning that it is difficult for employers to treat people differently without encountering a charge of discrimination and needing to establish an objective justification for doing so. Equal treatment is one of the main principles of the Pillar of Social Rights.

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Eurofound expert(s)

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Tina Weber is a research manager in Eurofound’s Working Life unit. Having previously shared her time between the Employment and Working Life units, her work has focused on labour...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
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​Martina Bisello is a research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. Her research interests include gender gaps in the labour market, occupational change and the impact of...

Research manager,
Employment research unit
Publications results (7)

Using data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 and building on a theoretical model that differentiates between job stressors and job resources, this report examines key psychosocial risks in the workplace and their impact on health.

23 November 2023

This report assesses the role of the social partners in tackling workplace discrimination. Against the background of EU and national anti-discrimination legislation, it highlights the extent to which the need to tackle discrimination on different grounds is on the radar of cross-sectoral social

31 August 2020

While discrimination against women at work has long been a mainstream topic in research literature, only marginal attention has been paid to discrimination against men. A number of factors may be responsible for this, including change in traditional occupational roles, cultural perceptions of the

27 March 2018

This article discusses the issues related to religion in the workplace, a topic that has received considerable attention in the media recently. An overview of significant cases of dispute between employers and employees is provided, as well as examples of social partners’ initiatives to accommodate

31 July 2017

This article provides an overview of surveys on the working life experiences of LGBT people in the EU and initiatives that aim to tackle this issue. The information is based on contributions from Eurofound’s network of European correspondents.

13 May 2016

This report examines employment opportunities for people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and mental health problems in the EU28 Member States and Norway. People with a chronic disease may have a

14 November 2014

This booklet summarises the main findings from national reports of all European Union Member States and Norway on the prevention of racism at the workplace. It reviews the present situation in the labour market regarding discrimination against migrant workers and ethnic minorities, offering a choice

09 April 2001
Publication
Report summary
Online resources results (71)

Employment and Social Policy Council agrees race discrimination Directive

The Employment and Social Policy Council of Ministers (as the Labour and Social Affairs Council has been renamed) met on 6 June 2000, under the Portuguese Presidency. The main development was a political agreement on the draft Directive on combating racial discrimination.

New measures seek to ensure decent working conditions for immigrant workers

Immigration to Portugal is a comparatively recent phenomenon, but is increasing, accompanied by rising levels of illegal, clandestine employment of immigrant workers, notably in the construction, hotel and metalworking industries. In mid-2000, the government announced a set of measures to combat

Employment and Social Policy Council discusses economic guidelines and anti-discrimination package

The Employment and Social Policy Council of Ministers– which is the new title for the Labour and Social Affairs Council, following a decision of the General Affairs Council of 10 April 2000 – met in Brussels on 8 May 2000 under the Portuguese Presidency to hold a first discussion on the drafting of

Brussels-Capital Territorial Employment Pact examined

Initiated in July 1996 and officially recognised in June 1998, the Territorial Employment Pact (TEP) of the Brussels-Capital region involves a set of original actions aimed at improving the management of labour markets at the regional level. The social partners, both employers and trade unions, are

Social affairs Councils examine discrimination proposals and prepare for employment summit

Labour and social affairs ministers, MEP s, European-level social partners and representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGO s) met informally in Lisbon on 11 February 2000. An exchange of views was held on the Portuguese Presidency's preparatory paper to be submitted to the special

Call for harmonisation of white- and blue-collar status

Belgium is one of the last countries in western Europe whose employment law makes distinctions between those who work with their hands (blue-collar [1] or manual workers) and those who perform "brainwork" (white-collar [2] or non-manual workers) The legal differences date back as far as the

New anti-discrimination Directives proposed by Commission

TheEuropean Commission issued an anti-discrimination package of measures on 25 November 1999 (EU9912216N [1]), following some weeks of speculation. The package consists of four elements: [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/commission-issues-anti-discrimination-proposals

New anti-discrimination Directives proposed by Commission

TheEuropean Commission issued an anti-discrimination package of measures on 25 November 1999 (EU9912216N [1]), following some weeks of speculation. The package consists of four elements: [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/commission-issues-anti-discrimination-proposals

New Ombudsman fights discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation

On 1 May 1999 an Act banning discrimination on the grounds of the sexual orientation of a worker (/SFS 1999:133/) came into force in Sweden (SE9903148F [1]). The Act applies to the whole labour market, and to the recruitment process as well as the employment relationship. Sexual orientation is

The implications of the Employment Equality Act 1998

While legislation outlawing discrimination on the grounds of gender and marital status in relation to pay [1] and other aspects of employment was introduced in Ireland in the 1970s, primarily as a response to EU Directives, until recently there has been little legislative provision in relation to


Blogs results (4)
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Following a sluggish response by many Member States to introduce or modify gender pay transparency measures, as it recommended in 2014, the European Commission intends to table a proposal for EU-level legislation on pay transparency later in 2020. In this context, a new Eurofound study investigated

6 November 2020
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In this blog piece, originally published in Social Europe, Karel Fric and Camilla Galli da Bino look at the issue of discrimination against men in the workplace in Europe, and the current lack of research in this area.

1 May 2018
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This article, originally posted in Social Europe, is based on a comprehensive overview of surveys on the working life experiences of LGBT people in the EU. 17 May is International day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face distinct

17 May 2016
Data results (1)
27 October 2023
Reference period:

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