MCofS & Equity
Our Statement of Intent
MCofS is committed to promoting Equity within Mountaineering, and where it is possible to do so, eliminating unfair discrimination.
We believe that Equity is defined by the terms fairness, justice, inclusion and respect for diversity. It is about making sure that everyone who wants to has an equal chance to participate in and contribute to the aspects of mountaineering that interest them, and that no one is discriminated against unfairly for any reason, including – but not limited to - gender, race, disability, age, religious or political belief, sexual orientation, social background, ethnic origin, language, marital or civil partnership status or pregnancy.
Sports Equity is also about recognising and acknowledging that inequalities do exist in sport, taking positive and proactive steps to overcome these inequalities, and making sure that any barriers standing in the way of people who are traditionally not involved in mountaineering are removed if this is reasonably possible.
The Equity Standard – MCofS Code of Practice
This Code of Practice is binding on MCofS personnel: i.e. staff, Board members, volunteers and coaches, and will act as a guiding principle for all events and activities organised by MCofS for the benefit of its members and the public.
APPENDICES
B - Key Equalities and Anti-Discrimination Legislation
1.1. MCofS believes that Equity is defined by the terms fairness, justice, inclusion and respect for diversity. Equity means making sure that everyone has an equal chance to participate in and contribute to their chosen sport or recreation, and that no one is discriminated against unfairly for any reason, including – but not limited to - gender, race, disability, age, religious or political belief, sexual orientation, social background, ethnic origin, language, marital or civil partnership status or pregnancy.
1.2. Sports Equity is also about recognising and acknowledging that inequalities do exist in sport, taking positive and proactive steps to overcome these inequalities, and ensuring where possible that any barriers standing in the way of people who are traditionally not involved in sport are removed.
1.3. MCofS recognises that achieving improvements in Equity in mountaineering activities may require the unequal allocation or redistribution of resources and entitlements in order to overcome previous inequalities or discrimination.
1.4. MCofS is committed to promoting and achieving improvements in Equity, and to ensuring that unfair discrimination, once identified, is eliminated. Discrimination on grounds such as those listed in paragraph 1.1 above will not be tolerated within the company.
1.5. Appendix A includes a definition of the terms used in this Code of Practice.
1.6. The original Equity Code of Practice was approved by The Executive on 24 September 2008. Following consultation with staff and a group of volunteers and members, an amended Code of Practice was approved by the MCofS Board on 2 December 2010.
2.1. MCofS is committed to Equity through its Articles of Association. Article 2.7 ‘Openness of the Company’ states in respect of membership that “no applications will be refused on other than reasonable grounds and there will be no discrimination on grounds of race, occupation, sex or religious, political or other opinion. The Company will respect the rights, dignity and worth of every member”.
2.2. MCofS originally committed to Equity in the Strategic Plan 2008-2012 which stated in 8.5 that “MCofS will facilitate an inclusive culture in which all individuals are encouraged, regardless of gender and ethnic background, and at all ages and ability levels”.
2.3. The Board will ensure that MCofS commitment to Equity is given due regard in the development of all its policies, programmes and services.
2.4. The Chief Officer, with the support of the Board, will address any form of discrimination that occurs within the company, defined as the staff, Board members, volunteers, coaches, and activities identified within the scope of the annual Operational Plan.
2.5. MCofS will comply with its statutory and legislative obligations to eliminate discrimination and will ensure that it is kept informed of new developments in terms of anti-discrimination and equalities legislation. Refer to Appendix B for details of relevant legislation at time the original Code of Practice was approved.
3.1. This Code of Practice is binding on MCofS personnel: i.e. staff, Board members, volunteers and coaches, and will act as a guiding principle for all events and activities organised by MCofS for the benefit of its members and the public.
3.2. This Code of Practice is not binding on MCofS Club or Individual Members; however, MCofS will monitor progress in developing the Equity profile of its membership through periodic analysis of Equity data provided by its members.
4.1. Accountability for Equity
The MCofS Board will ensure that the commitment to, and responsibility for Equity is placed at the highest levels in the organisation. The Chief Officer, supported by the Board of Directors, is responsible and accountable for Equity within the company. A director shall be nominated by the Board to oversee the implementation and operation of the Code of Practice.
4.2. Staff Time and Resources
The Chief Officer shall ensure that all staff and volunteers are aware of this Code of Practice, and that practical guidelines are developed and implemented to ensure that the requirements of the Code of Practice are implemented by the Board, Advisory and Working Groups, and staff.
4.3. Employment
The Board is committed to MCofS being an equitable employer that recognises and encourages diversity, inclusion and respect in its workforce. It is committed to having in place employment conditions and practices that ensure all staff and volunteers are treated equitably. Relevant MCofS policies relating to recruitment, harassment, bullying, whistle-blowing, grievance and disciplinary procedures are detailed in the MCofS HR Handbook.
4.4. Volunteers
The MCofS Board has implemented a Volunteering Code of Practice which defines the conduct expected of volunteers.
4.5. Training and Development
The MCofS Board is committed to its staff and volunteers having a good understanding of the principles of Equity. As such, the Chief Officer will ensure that staff and volunteers receive relevant information relating to Equity, including examples of good practice, its impact on sport and recreation, and the progress made by MCofS in achieving its commitment to Equity.
4.6. Policies and Programmes
i) The MCofS Board is committed to ensuring that Equity is considered when developing new policies, plans, programmes, services or initiatives.
ii) MCofS corporate planning will ensure that the requirements of this Code of Practice are considered and implemented where financial and other resources permit.
iii) The MCofS Board has committed to review the Equity impact of the Strategic and Operational Plans from 2009 onwards.
4.7. Partnership Working
i) MCofS will work with members of the Mountaineering Coordination Group, MLT and MLTS with the aim of developing a consistent approach and standards in relation to Equity in mountaineering, and to share good practice in this area.
ii) MCofS aims to develop relationships with partner organisations and groups which will enable it to reach individuals who might otherwise be excluded from mountaineering. .
4.8. Communication and Access to Information
i) MCofS staff will give due regard to Equity when publishing documents and images, and will strive to ensure that positive images are used to reflect the demographics of Scottish society.
ii) MCofS staff will give due regard to Equity and accessibility when publishing information on the website.
iii) The Chief Officer will ensure, where financially viable, that publications can be made available in alternative formats and languages.
iv) The Chief Officer will ensure that this Code of Practice and our commitment to Equity are communicated to all staff, volunteers and members.
v) The Chief Officer will ensure that this Code of Practice and any revisions are made available on the MCofS website, and included in the MCofS Company Manual and referenced in the Volunteering Code of Practice.
vi) The Chief Officer is responsible for ensuring that all staff read and agree to this Code of Practice as part of their induction procedure, including signing an acknowledgement to record their commitment.
APPENDIX A: Definition of Terms
Discrimination
· Direct Discrimination Where an individual or a group of people is treated less favourably than others in circumstances which are the same or not materially different. An example would be stating that only men can apply for the position of Chair in an organisation. This would constitute direct discrimination on the grounds of gender.
· Indirect Discrimination Imposing requirements or conditions which appear to apply equally to all, but which in practice can be met only by certain sections of the population. Such requirements of conditions are lawful only if they can be genuinely justified in relation to the situation in question (i.e. if there is a Genuine Occupational Requirement for an individual to be from a particular group in society). An example of indirect discrimination would be imposing a requirement upon all team players to wear a particular type of clothing as part of their uniform, which may indirectly preclude some people from being able to take part, on the grounds of their religious belief.
Diversity
· Encouraging diversity means respecting and embracing individual and community differences in society.
Equal Opportunities
· The prevention, elimination or regulation of discrimination between people because of their sex or marital status, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, language or social origin, or because of other personal attributes including beliefs or opinions such as religious beliefs or political opinions. (Scotland Act 1998) In practice, equal opportunities involve an organisation fulfilling its obligations in terms of equality as required by law.
Equality
· Equality is the state of being equal. In some cases, the pursuit of equality may require unequal effort to ensure that equality is indeed achieved – hence the requirement for Equity.
Equity
· In its simplest sense, Equity means fairness. It is the process of allocating or reallocating resources and entitlements fairly and without discrimination, and taking steps to redress any existing inequalities or unfairness in how resources or entitlements are currently distributed. Equity in sport means applying the principles of fairness to ensure that the diverse needs of individuals in Scottish society are respected, so that all individuals have equal opportunities to participate in sport and physical recreation and have their rights protected
Ethics
· The systematic application of a set of moral rules, principles, values and norms.
Harassment
· A course of action, or form of behaviour that causes repeated or persistent offence to a person or group.
Positive action
· Positive action means taking into account that a particular group has experienced disadvantage and so targeted action is needed to support / enable the disadvantaged group and to redress an existing inequality. This may require additional effort, time or resources to be targeted at a particular group in order to achieve Equity. This is NOT positive discrimination, which is not legal in the UK. Positive action can only be carried out within the bounds of the appropriate legislation. It is recommended that legal advice is obtained before choosing to adopt positive action measures. An example of positive action would be advertising a post in media particularly aimed at women if there is clear evidence that women are under-represented in a particular role or level in that organisation.
Positive Discrimination
· Positive discrimination is not lawful in the UK. An example of positive discrimination would be appointing a person purely on the grounds of his or her race or gender, rather than on that person’s ability to do the job in question (unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement applies to the post).
Victimisation
· Victimisation is defined as when someone is treated oppressively in revenge, and as such is subjected to suffering or ill treatment. If a person is subjected to ill treatment as a result of raising a grievance following discrimination, this would be victimisation.
APPENDIX B - Key Equalities and Anti-Discrimination Legislation
In implementing this Equity Code of Practice, MCofS will continue to comply with its legislative obligations, and will give due regard to implications arising from the following Acts of Parliament and Regulations:
• The Equal Pay Act 1970
• The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (as amended in 1986 and 1999)
• The Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended in 2000)
• The Disability Discrimination Act (as amended in 2005)
• The Human Rights Act 1998
• The Scotland Act 1998
• The Employment Equality (Religion of Belief) Regulations 2003
• The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
• The Gender Recognition Act 2004
• The Civil Partnership Act 2004
• The Disability Discrimination Act 2005
• The Equality Act 2006
MCofS will also comply with any relevant new equalities and anti-discrimination legislation that comes into force before this Code of Practice is next reviewed.
Approved by the Board, 2 December 2010
Updated 13 Janaury 2011
