Council workers recently established an LGBT+ forum to help empower staff that identify as LGBT+ and create a space for mutual support and guidance. The forum is the second employee forum to help ensure the rights of workers with protected characteristics, joining the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) forum for workers in health and social care, which has been running for over a decade.
Further employee networks are in the pipeline and the Council’s diversity and inclusion framework, which looks to be released soon, is looking at understanding the diversity of the workforce and ensuring this reflects the diversity of the city.
These are welcome developments in a context where
- Edinburgh was ranked as the worst council in Scotland at supporting Pride Month
- transphobic leaflets were found in Waverley Court
- discrimination and intolerance still occur in the workplace.
Contact your workplace rep or comment below with any comments you have on equality and diversity in the Council.
Join the LGBT+ forum
The forum’s AGM took place on 25 July and furnished fruitful discussions about how the forum will work and what issues are prevalent in the Council.
The forum welcomes Council employees that identify as LGBT+.
Contact Michael if you are interested in the LGBT+ forum: michael.richardson2@edinburgh.gov.uk.
Join the BME workers’ forum
The BME Equality Workers forum is open to
- employees from both Children’s Services and Adults’ Services from all minority ethnic groups
- any employee who is or might be affected by a racial discrimination
- employees with relevant knowledge, interest, experience or professional roles in equality issues.
Visit the forum’s Orb page – only available on the Council network – to find out more.