Petition · past parliament
Make ‘trade unionism’ a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
Closed
1,123 signatures
What the petition asks
The Equality Act brings previous discrimination legislation under one act. Its main aim is to make it unlawful for employers to treat a worker less favourably because of a protected characteristic such as sex, race, religion or belief. Trade unionism is not currently a protected characteristic.
We call on the Equality Act 2010 to include “Trade Unionism: the participation in all or any aspects of the system, practices, and beliefs of trade unions, including the participation in lawful industrial action and activities stemming from such action’. Such a change would provide clarity in the workplace and a clear instruction to employers that they will no longer be able to subvert universal principles of democracy, justice and human rights through legislative loopholes.
Timeline
| 17 Jan 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 17 Jul 2018 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
1,123
Status
Closed
Opened
17 Jan 2018
Closed
17 Jul 2018
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.