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Employers face ethnic quotas for public work
By Rajeev Syal
COMPANIES that bid for multimillion-pound Government contracts will be rejected if they do not employ enough black and Asian workers, under new proposals seen by The Times.
A powerful committee that includes seven ministers has drawn up plans to question competing companies about their attitudes to race before choosing which to employ. Firms will be asked to provide figures showing the numbers of their black and Asian employees. This figure will be compared with the proportion of people from ethnic minorities living near the company’s offices and will be a factor when deciding the winning bid.
Three pilot schemes have been authorised with the support of Downing Street — the first time that “positive vetting” in procurement has been approved by a British Government. It follows the release of figures showing that people from ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be unemployed as the white majority.
Programmes of “affirmative action” have proved controversial in America, where some business leaders say that they can hinder the employment market and discriminate against white workers.
The British plans were approved last month by the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, which brings together seven government departments. Iqbal Wahhab, a member of the Task Force and the chairman of the Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, a government-backed think-tank, said the plans were moving ahead quickly.
“These new procurement policies are required to assist employers in making more enlightened recruitment decisions,” he said. “It may be unpopular in certain quarters, but the fact remains that we should not have been in this kind of position in the first place.”
If the pilot schemes are successful, positive vetting across other all government departments could be introduced in 2007, a source said.
A spokesman for the British Chambers of Commerce said that the plans would hinder the competitive tendering process and make it more difficult and expensive. “Public tenders are already complicated enough,” he said. “Lengthening the applications will only further dissuade businesses from applying for public work.
“This will do nothing to ensure that government contracts go to the firms with the most competitive bids.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that the pilot schemes had been approved after consultation with business leaders, unions and the Commission for Racial Equality. The three schemes involve contracts with Job Centre Plus, the Identity and Passport Agency and the Department for Education and Skills.
By Rajeev Syal
COMPANIES that bid for multimillion-pound Government contracts will be rejected if they do not employ enough black and Asian workers, under new proposals seen by The Times.
A powerful committee that includes seven ministers has drawn up plans to question competing companies about their attitudes to race before choosing which to employ. Firms will be asked to provide figures showing the numbers of their black and Asian employees. This figure will be compared with the proportion of people from ethnic minorities living near the company’s offices and will be a factor when deciding the winning bid.
Three pilot schemes have been authorised with the support of Downing Street — the first time that “positive vetting” in procurement has been approved by a British Government. It follows the release of figures showing that people from ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be unemployed as the white majority.
Programmes of “affirmative action” have proved controversial in America, where some business leaders say that they can hinder the employment market and discriminate against white workers.
The British plans were approved last month by the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, which brings together seven government departments. Iqbal Wahhab, a member of the Task Force and the chairman of the Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, a government-backed think-tank, said the plans were moving ahead quickly.
“These new procurement policies are required to assist employers in making more enlightened recruitment decisions,” he said. “It may be unpopular in certain quarters, but the fact remains that we should not have been in this kind of position in the first place.”
If the pilot schemes are successful, positive vetting across other all government departments could be introduced in 2007, a source said.
A spokesman for the British Chambers of Commerce said that the plans would hinder the competitive tendering process and make it more difficult and expensive. “Public tenders are already complicated enough,” he said. “Lengthening the applications will only further dissuade businesses from applying for public work.
“This will do nothing to ensure that government contracts go to the firms with the most competitive bids.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that the pilot schemes had been approved after consultation with business leaders, unions and the Commission for Racial Equality. The three schemes involve contracts with Job Centre Plus, the Identity and Passport Agency and the Department for Education and Skills.
Black Police Association demands affirmative action to recruit more black police workers
Bevan Powell, deputy chair of the Black Police Association, has called for “affirmative action” to help recruit more black police personnel.
Speaking to Black Britain Powell said: “We’ve already said that we would like to see affirmative action put in place. Both [in terms of recruitment and progression] based on the patent model that was introduced in Northern Ireland where a 50-50 system was introduced - 50 per cent Catholic and 50 per cent Protestant.”
Powell, maintained that he wasn’t talking about a “lowering of standards” or even the same “50/50 split” that worked so successfully in Ireland.
Powell told Black Britain: “What we are talking about is having a critical mass of officers recruited at the same time. In a sense, slowing down the recruitment of white officers and increasing that of blacks. It might be [only] 30-70 but this is certainly something that we are demanding for London.”
Powell insisted that The Association of Chief Police Officers [ACPO], a police body that works in developing policing policies on behalf of the service as a whole, were behind him.
Powell told Black Britain: “Many senior officers within ACPO and within the constabularies have voiced support for such an action but it will need delegation. We have already written papers on that.”
Two years ago ACPO said that it had concerns about the proposal - but agreed “radical” measures were needed if “ethnic minority candidates” were to be fast tracked into the service.
Powell’s demand came as the Britain’s most senior Asian police officer Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur warned that anti-terror laws could criminalise “ethnic minorities” during his keynote speech to the National Black Police Association conference in Manchester.
On a more positive note, according to Powell, there are more members of the black communities coming forward to join the police service as PCSO’s [Police Community Support Officers, scientists, engineers and in other capacities.
Bevan Powell, deputy chair of the Black Police Association, has called for “affirmative action” to help recruit more black police personnel.
Speaking to Black Britain Powell said: “We’ve already said that we would like to see affirmative action put in place. Both [in terms of recruitment and progression] based on the patent model that was introduced in Northern Ireland where a 50-50 system was introduced - 50 per cent Catholic and 50 per cent Protestant.”
Powell, maintained that he wasn’t talking about a “lowering of standards” or even the same “50/50 split” that worked so successfully in Ireland.
Powell told Black Britain: “What we are talking about is having a critical mass of officers recruited at the same time. In a sense, slowing down the recruitment of white officers and increasing that of blacks. It might be [only] 30-70 but this is certainly something that we are demanding for London.”
Powell insisted that The Association of Chief Police Officers [ACPO], a police body that works in developing policing policies on behalf of the service as a whole, were behind him.
Powell told Black Britain: “Many senior officers within ACPO and within the constabularies have voiced support for such an action but it will need delegation. We have already written papers on that.”
Two years ago ACPO said that it had concerns about the proposal - but agreed “radical” measures were needed if “ethnic minority candidates” were to be fast tracked into the service.
Powell’s demand came as the Britain’s most senior Asian police officer Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur warned that anti-terror laws could criminalise “ethnic minorities” during his keynote speech to the National Black Police Association conference in Manchester.
On a more positive note, according to Powell, there are more members of the black communities coming forward to join the police service as PCSO’s [Police Community Support Officers, scientists, engineers and in other capacities.
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