sou · GQB343d1 · 2003-01-01 00:00:00 — Principerna för hur bevisbördan skall fördelas går tillbaka på praxis från och tillämpas redan vid prövning av tvister som handlar om jämställdhetslagen, de tre arbetsrättsliga diskrimineringslagarna och lagen om likabehandling av studenter i högskolan. Vi lägger fram förslag till bestämmelser om hur prövningen skall gå till. Enligt direktivet mot etnisk diskriminering skall medlemsstaterna anta de lagar och andra författningar som är nödvändiga för att följa direktivet och enligt arbetslivsdirek- tivet skall det ske . Vi föreslår att de tre nya lagarna om förbud mot diskriminering skall träda i kraft . Our task has been to propose how two EC Directives that have been adopted by the Council of Union (the Council) in 2000 shall be implemented in . The purpose of the two EC Directives is to combat discrimina- tion. Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 2000 implemen- ting the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of race or ethnic origin deals with discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin. Directive 2000/78/EC of establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employ- ment and occupation deals with discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation. The EC Directives shall apply to all persons, as regards both the public and the private sectors, including public bodies. Protection against discrimination shall comprise both direct and indirect dis- crimination. Moreover it shall cover harassment and also an in- struction to discriminate against a person. Both of the EC Directives shall be applied in what is termed within the EU as the field of employment and occupation. This is a broad concept, which covers not only circumstances at the work- place but also related areas. The Directives cover: N conditions for access to employment, N conditions for access to self-employment, N conditions for access to occupation, N access to vocational guidance, N access to vocational training and advanced vocational training, N access to retraining, N access to practical work experience, N employment and working conditions, including dismissals and pay, N membership of and involvement in an organisation of workers or employers, or any organisation whose members carry on a particular profession, including the benefits provided for by such organisations. In addition to this, the Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of race or ethnic origin shall apply in the following areas of society that lie outside the field of employment and occupation: N social protection, including social security and healthcare, N social advantages, N access to and the supply of goods and services which are avail- able to the public, including housing. On 31 January 2002, the Swedish Government issued terms of reference for a with numerous tasks in the field of discrimination (Cohesive Discrimination Legislation, Dir. 2002:11). The task of submitting proposals for protection against discrimination for legal persons and protection against dis- crimination on grounds of age, which were originally intended for our , shall instead be included in the assign- ment for . In , there is already legislation that partly corresponds with the requirements of the Directives. Within criminal law, there is a provision concerning unlawful discrimination contained in Chapter 16, Section 9 of the Penal Code. This provision is primarily aimed at businessmen and their employees and prohibits them from discriminating in the conduct of their business against anyone on grounds of the persons race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religious belief or homosexual orientation. The provision also covers discrimination in the public sector by officials and elected persons of public authorities and local government. It also covers discrimination in access to public events. Within labour law there are three laws from 1999 that prohibit discrimination in working life on grounds of ethnic affiliation and also discrimination against people with disabilities and discrimina- tion on grounds of sexual orientation. These provisions are orien- tated towards employers and protect jobseekers and employees. Furthermore, there is the Equal Treatment of Students at Univer- sities Act (2001:1286), which provides protection against discrimi- nation on all the grounds mentioned and also against discrimina- tion on grounds of sex. The protection against discrimination found in the current Swedish legislation is rather far reaching at workplaces and in higher education. There is also some protection against discrimina- tion in trade. However, there is no legislation for a large part of the ambit of both the EC Directives and, in the new areas of society to be covered by legislation according to the Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of race or ethnic origin, the position is even worse. Proposals for three new acts with prohibitions against discrimination One of the first questions on which a position had to be adopted has been how we could best formulate our statutory proposals. We have chosen to propose three new acts which will replace the three current acts in the field of labour law and which will also apply to the other areas of society that are subject to the Directives. The Equal Treatment of Students at Universities Act shall, according to the proposal, apply as before but should be amended to correspond with the requirements contained in the two EC Directives. N an Act on Prohibition against Discrimination on grounds of Ethnic affiliation, Religion or Belief, N an Act on Prohibition against Discrimination on grounds of Disability, and N an Act on Prohibition against Discrimination on grounds of Sexual orientation. These Acts will cover all natural persons, irrespective of nationality and . The three Acts shall contain four prohibitions against discrimi- nation, namely prohibition against direct discrimination, prohibi- tion against indirect discrimination, prohibition against harassment and prohibition against an order or an instruction to discriminate. The prohibition against direct discrimination shall apply not only on the grounds of a persons own affiliation to any of the protected groups. It shall also be prohibited to discriminate against anyone owing to ties with another person who belongs to these groups. The prohibition against harassment shall be directed towards everyone who is subject to the prohibitions against direct and indi- rect discrimination. The prohibition shall furthermore apply, among other things, between employees. This means that an em- ployee may not harass another employee or a person who is undertaking work experience or training at the workplace. Besides the prohibition against harassment, there shall also be an obligation at workplaces and within the education services for employers and schools respectively and others who conduct education to investi- gate and implement measures against harassment. The prohibition against orders or instructions to discriminate is primarily targeted at internal directions on the part of those responsible within operations against whom the prohibitions are directed. It shall not be permitted for any responsible person to order or instruct his/her subordinates to commit discrimination. Should such discrimination occur, a special sanction shall apply. Scope of application of the new Acts It is proposed that for all three Acts, the four prohibitions against discrimination – in accordance with the Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occu- pation requirements – shall apply within N working life, N employment offices, etc., N in connection with access for carrying on business operations, N in connection with access for carrying on a profession, and N in connection with membership of and involvement in an organisation of workers or employers, or any professional organisation. As we have mentioned, the Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of race or ethnic origin also requires legislation in fields of society that are not re- lated to employment and occupation. The Act on Prohibition against Discrimination on the grounds of Ethnic affiliation, Religion or Belief has been formulated so that the four prohibi- tions on discrimination shall apply for the full ambit of the Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of race or ethnic origin. To some extent we have chosen also to allow both of the other Acts to cover areas that are not covered by the Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employ- ment and occupation and therefore not required by EU law. The protection against discrimination within the education services and in connection with access to and provision of goods/services and housing that are available to the public is therefore similarly worded in the three statutory proposals. The proposed protection against direct and indirect discrimina- tion within the education service primarily applies to the funda- mental right to receive education, i.e. the right to gain access to education and also to be permitted to complete it. The protection against discrimination in trade shall, according to the proposal, apply when a person supplies goods, services, real property or housing to the public or procures the same from the public. It shall also apply when someone arranges public meetings or public performances. It is our view that social protection, including social security, healthcare and social benefits should also be covered by all of the three Acts. However, in the time that has been available to us it has not been possible to put forward proposals concerning such pro- tection in the two Acts where it is not required under the EC Directives. The provisions in these areas are therefore only con- tained in the proposal for the Act on Prohibition against Discrimi- nation on the grounds of Ethnic affiliation, Religion or Belief. In this Act there is a proposal for protection against discrimination that will apply when someone makes a decision or implements measures within the following activities: N within social insurance and other benefits systems, N within healthcare or other services, N within the social services, etc., N within unemployment insurance, and N on matters concerning state study support. Support and adaptation measures for people with disabilities The Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation requires that an employer imple- ments reasonable adaptation measures in order to enable people with disabilities to gain access to, participate in or have a career in employment and occupation or to undertake education. In the 1999 Act concerning Prohibition of Discrimination in Working Life of People with Disabilities, the prohibition against direct discrimination has been combined with the requirement that an employer implements reasonable support and adaptation measures in connection with employment, promotion and educa- tion for promotion. We have formulated the proposal for the Act on Prohibition against Discrimination on the grounds of Disability so that this provision is extended to apply in other situations when an employee would otherwise be deemed to be disfavoured. Another issue is whether the protection of people with disabili- ties against being disfavoured owing to inadequate access should be introduced in other areas of society than employment/occupation and higher education. This shall be investigated by the Parliamen- tary Committee and is not covered by our proposals. In accordance with the requirements contained in both of the EC Directives, we propose a prohibition against victimisation of a per- son who has reported or in another way pointed out discrimination or participated in an investigation about discrimination. The Acts shall be mandatory. There should thus be no obligation to comply with discriminatory contractual provisions. We also propose that it should be possible to adjust or declare invalid con- tracts that are discriminatory in a way that infringes the Acts. It shall also be possible to declare invalid the termination of a con- tract or other such legal act that occurs in a discriminatory . The same shall apply to provisions that are applied at a workplace and to provisions that are applied within an organisation that is prohibited from discriminating according to the Acts. A person who violates the prohibitions against discrimination and victimisation contained in the Acts shall, according to the proposal, pay damages both for the violation that the discrimination involves and for the financial loss that arises for the person discriminated against. A person who neglects his/her obligation to investigate and implement measures against harassment shall also pay damages for the violation that the failure involves. The EC Directives impose requirements on damages being effective, proportionate and dissuasive. The amounts of the damages should be determined taking into account the practice found in the field of labour law as regards the amount of the sums. However, generally viewed, the amounts should be high. Supervision of the new Acts It should be an obligation of the Ombudsman against Ethnic Dis- crimination (DO), the Disability Ombudsman (HO) and the Om- budsman against Discrimination because of Sexual Orientation (HomO) to ensure compliance with the Acts. The proposals in- volve a substantial extension of the field of supervision for all three Ombudsmen. The extension of the area for the DO is particularly great. The legal procedures shall occur according to that applicable in the Swedish legislation on procedural law. This means that discrimina- tion in the field of labour law shall be dealt with in accordance with the Labour Disputes (Judicial Procedure) Act (1974:371) in the same way as today. Cases concerning invalidity or damages outside the field of labour law shall be considered within the framework of the procedure for contentious cases at a public court and discrimi- natory decisions by authorities shall, as applies today, be subject to appeal within the administrative law system. It is proposed that the Ombudsmen are given the right to bring an action both as a party for the individual and as a representative for him/her in the same way as the Ombudsmen can bring actions in labour law disputes under the Acts currently applicable. In labour law cases, the same rules on limitation shall apply as according to the legislation currently applicable. In other cases, we propose that an action must be instituted within two years. According to both of the EC Directives, special rules are required to provide a relaxation of evidence for a person who considers that he/she has been discriminated against. If the person establishes facts from which it may be presumed that there has been discrimi- nation, it shall be for the respondent to prove that this is not the case. The principles for how the burden of proof shall be distributed are rooted in the practice of Court of and already apply when considering disputes that relate to the Equality Act, the three Labour from 1999 and the Equal Treatment of Students at Universities Act. We put forward proposals for provisions concerning how the consideration should be dealt with. The Member States shall, according to the Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of race or ethnic origin, adopt the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Directive by 19 2003 and, according to the Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, by . We propose that the three new Acts on prohibition against dis- crimination should enter into force on 1 2003. lag (2003:000) om förbud mot diskriminering på grund av etnisk tillhörighet, religion eller övertygelse 1 § Denna lag har till ändamål att motverka diskriminering och på andra sätt främja lika rättigheter och lika möjligheter oavsett etnisk tillhörighet, religion eller övertygelse. Samverkan mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare 2 § I 5 kap. 1 § finns en särskild bestämmelse om samverkan mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare. 3 § Med etnisk tillhörighet avses att någon tillhör en grupp av per- soner som har samma nationella eller etniska ursprung, ras eller hudfärg. 4 § Med övertygelse avses grundläggande värderingar i livsåskåd- ningsfrågor eller andra frågor av etisk karaktär. 5 § Ett avtal som innebär att en persons rättigheter enligt denna lag inskränks är ogiltigt i den delen. 6 § Denna lag gäller inte inom tillämpningsområdet för lagen (2001:1286) om likabehandling av studenter i högskolan. 1 § Direkt diskriminering är förbjuden i fall som anges i 3 kap. Med direkt diskriminering avses att någon av skäl som har sam- band med etnisk tillhörighet, religion eller övertygelse missgynnas genom att behandlas sämre än någon annan behandlas, har be- handlats eller skulle ha behandlats i en jämförbar situation. 2 § Indirekt diskriminering är förbjuden i fall som anges i 3 kap. Med indirekt diskriminering avses tillämpning av en bestäm- melse, ett kriterium eller ett förfaringssätt som framstår som neutral men som i praktiken särskilt kan missgynna personer med viss etnisk tillhörighet, religion eller övertygelse. Det är inte diskriminering om bestämmelsen, kriteriet eller för- faringssättet objektivt kan motiveras av ett berättigat mål och till- lämpningen är ett lämpligt och nödvändigt medel för att uppnå målet. 3 § Trakasserier som har samband med etnisk tillhörighet, religion eller övertygelse är diskriminering och är förbjudna i fall som anges i 3 kap. Med trakasserier avses ett uppträdande som syftar eller leder till att en persons värdighet kränks. Order eller instruktion att diskriminera 4 § En order eller en instruktion att diskriminera någon av skäl som har samband med etnisk tillhörighet, religion eller övertygelse är diskriminering och är förbjuden i fall som anges i 3 kap. 5 § I 8 kap. 6–9 §§ finns särskilda bestämmelser om bevisning i mål om diskriminering enligt lagen. 1 § Förbuden mot direkt och indirekt diskriminering gäller när en arbetsgivare 1.beslutar i en anställningsfråga, tar ut en arbetssökande till an- ställningsintervju eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd under anställ- ningsförfarandet, 2.beslutar om befordran, 3.beslutar om en arbetstagares deltagande i utbildning, yrkes- praktik eller yrkesvägledning eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd som kan ha betydelse för sådana frågor, 4.tillämpar anställnings- eller arbetsvillkor, 5.leder och fördelar arbetet, 6.säger upp, avskedar eller permitterar en arbetstagare, eller 7.vidtar en annan ingripande åtgärd mot en arbetstagare. 2 § En arbetsgivare får inte utsätta en arbetssökande eller en arbets- tagare för trakasserier eller ge en order eller en instruktion åt någon annan att diskriminera en sådan person. Den som i arbetsgivarens ställe har rätt att besluta om en arbets- tagares arbetsförhållanden skall vid tillämpning av första stycket likställas med arbetsgivaren. Förbud för andra än arbetsgivare 3 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när en myndighet, en närings- idkare eller annan beslutar i frågor om yrkespraktik eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd som kan ha betydelse för sådana frågor. 4 § Den som bedriver verksamhet får inte utsätta någon som ar- betar eller genomgår utbildning i verksamheten för trakasserier eller ge en order eller en instruktion åt någon annan att diskrimi- nera en sådan person. 5 § En arbetstagare eller någon annan som arbetar eller utbildas på en arbetsplats får inte utsätta en annan sådan person på arbets- platsen för trakasserier. 6 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när länsarbetsnämnden 1.gör urval bland flera arbetssökande eller som ett led i platsför- medling vidtar någon annan åtgärd som kan ha betydelse för om en arbetssökande skall få ett arbete, eller 2.prövar eller på annat sätt handlägger ärenden om vägledning, anvisningar till arbetsmarknadspolitiska program eller annan ar- betsmarknadspolitisk verksamhet. Förbudet i första stycket 1 gäller även för annan än länsarbets- nämnden som bedriver arbetsförmedling. Förbudet i första stycket 2 gäller även för Arbetsmarknads- styrelsen och för annan än länsarbetsnämnden som getts rätt av Ar- betsmarknadsstyrelsen att pröva frågor om anvisningar till arbets- marknadspolitiska program. Vid start eller bedrivande av näringsverksamhet 7 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när en myndighet eller annan som har rätt att besluta om stöd, tillstånd eller liknande som behövs eller kan ha betydelse för en enskild persons möjlighet att starta eller bedriva näringsverksamhet beslutar i en sådan fråga eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd som kan ha betydelse för en sådan fråga. 8 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när en myndighet eller annan som har rätt att besluta om legitimation, auktorisation, registrering, tillstånd eller liknande, som behövs eller kan ha betydelse för en enskild persons möjlighet att påbörja eller utöva verksamhet inom ett visst yrke, beslutar i en sådan fråga eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd som kan ha betydelse för en sådan fråga. Förbud för den som bedriver utbildning m.fl. 9 § Förbuden mot direkt och indirekt diskriminering gäller när den som bedriver utbildning eller den som har rätt att besluta om till- träde till utbildning 1.beslutar om tillträde till utbildningen eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd som kan ha betydelse för tillträdet, eller 2.vidtar en ingripande åtgärd mot en sökande eller en person som deltar i en utbildning. 10 § Den som enligt 9 § är förbjuden att diskriminera får inte ut- sätta en sökande eller någon som deltar i en utbildning för tra- kasserier eller ge en order eller en instruktion åt någon annan att diskriminera en sådan person. 11 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när den som bedriver utbild- ning eller annan som har rätt att besluta om någons möjlighet att ta del av studie- eller yrkesvägledning eller yrkespraktik beslutar i en sådan fråga eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd som kan ha betydelse för en sådan fråga. Vid medlemskap och medverkan i arbetstagarorganisationer, ar- betsgivarorganisationer och yrkesorganisationer 12 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när en arbetstagarorganisa- tion, arbetsgivarorganisation eller yrkesorganisation beslutar om eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd i fråga om en enskild persons med- lemskap eller medverkan i organisationen eller i fråga om förmåner som organisationen tillhandahåller den som är medlem. 13 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när någon 1.tillhandahåller varor, tjänster, fast egendom eller bostäder till allmänheten, 2.efterfrågar varor, tjänster, fast egendom eller bostäder från all- mänheten, eller 3.anordnar allmän sammankomst eller offentlig tillställning. 14 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när en försäkringskassa eller en myndighet beslutar om eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd som gäller socialförsäkringen och andra bidragssystem eller finansie- ringen av systemen för social trygghet. 15 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när en kommun, en myndig- het eller annan beslutar om eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd inom eller annan verksamhet som har betydelse för en- skildas ekonomiska och sociala trygghet. Inom hälso- och sjukvården 16 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när någon beslutar om eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd inom hälso- och sjukvård eller annan medicinsk verksamhet. 17 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när en arbetslöshetskassa eller en myndighet beslutar om eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd i en fråga om arbetslöshetsförsäkringen. I fråga om studiestöd 18 § Diskrimineringsförbuden gäller när Centrala studiestöds- nämnden eller annan beslutar om eller vidtar någon annan åtgärd i fråga om statligt studiestöd.